Feeding Schedule and amounts

Sharon12

Established Member
I got my female veiled chameleon on June 8th and was told she was 3-4 months making her 5-6 months old now. I feed her daily. She is always very eager and done within 10 min Usually a silkworm and a couple of Phoenix worms all by hand for taming. Then I give her 24 hr gutloaded medium crickets about 8-10. I gutload with carrot, sweet potato, zucchini, collard greens and dandelion leaves, some bug burger and have added nonfat dried milk and wheatgerm. Since she is a female and I want to avoid eggs as much as possible I want to understand better at what age I would reduce feeding. Would I go to every 2 days or 3 days? She is trim and still growing right now. She is about 5 inches body only. Thank you.
 

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I got my female veiled chameleon on June 8th and was told she was 3-4 months making her 5-6 months old now. I feed her daily. She is always very eager and done within 10 min Usually a silkworm and a couple of Phoenix worms all by hand for taming. Then I give her 24 hr gutloaded medium crickets about 8-10. I gutload with carrot, sweet potato, zucchini, collard greens and dandelion leaves, some bug burger and have added nonfat dried milk and wheatgerm. Since she is a female and I want to avoid eggs as much as possible I want to understand better at what age I would reduce feeding. Would I go to every 2 days or 3 days? She is trim and still growing right now. She is about 5 inches body only. Thank you.
I should add that I dust crickets each day lightly with calcium plus loD.
 
Welcome to the forum. Let's see if I can call in some experts on veiled care for you. @jannb @Beman @Brodybreaux25
Welcome!

So I usually let the girls eat all they want until the first time she displays receptive colors. Then I slowly back them down to 2/3 large well dusted, well gutloaded feeders every 2-3 days. Honestly most captive chams are way over fed. This scale down typically happens around the one year mark.

I know you diddnt ask for this but why the milk protein? Do you have a linear UVB?
 
I feed the females as much as they will eat in about 5minutes at each feeding leaving a couple of crickets extra in the cage for a snack, until she reaches sexual maturity. I do cut them back to feeding every day though when they are 4 or 5 months old.

It would be (more) ideal if we could tell when they were almost sexually mature because it would be more likely that we could prevent the first clutch if we could cut them back just as they were going to be mature. :)
 
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Welcome!

So I usually let the girls eat all they want until the first time she displays receptive colors. Then I slowly back them down to 2/3 large well dusted, well gutloaded feeders every 2-3 days. Honestly most captive chams are way over fed. This scale down typically happens around the one year mark.

I know you diddnt ask for this but why the milk protein? Do you have a linear UVB?
I do have a linear UVB the T5 and I read the milk protein in bill strands beginner chameleon book. Happy to leave out if an issue. Good to know about the feeding schedule. She would
eat all-day I think if I gave her more.
 
The reason people are questioning the milk protein is that giving mammal protein is discourage because it can lead to gout. I know you aren't doing this but that is why you never feed your feeders insects fish, cat or dog food as a gut load. Mammal and bird proteins can cause uric acid crystals to deposit in the joints which is a very painful condition. I would think milk would do the same but I can't be sure. I personally wouldn't use milk but Bill Strand has been doing this a lot longer that I have.
 
I do have a linear UVB the T5 and I read the milk protein in bill strands beginner chameleon book. Happy to leave out if an issue. Good to know about the feeding schedule. She would
eat all-day I think if I gave her more.
My immediate reaction is that this should be discontinued, but this is the first time ive heard this so I need to read up on it...
 
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