Feeding techniques - Young cham

[Bernie]

Hi all, sorry for making a new topic.

We've had our baby Yemen for a couple of weeks now, he was apparently 3 months old when we got him. He is active, he is drinking fine and seems settled in his enclosure.

Since we've had him, he's only eaten a few worms, a few crickets and a locust or 2. So I'm a little concerned about his appetite. Or maybe my feeding techniques.

I have tried placing a white plastic dish under a favourite perching branch with different foods in. I have also placed a bowl under his favourite plant. He has only ever taken worms from these. When I put locusts or crickets into these - he never takes them.

A few locusts/crickets have escaped from these bowls and we have caught him feasting on these (up high in his viv).

His vivarium is quite big for his size, and he tends to spend almost all of his time in the top 3rd of it. He seems most comfortable up there.

Am I best letting his food free-roam around his viv, keeping in mind he spends lots of time up high? Wont the calcium dust drop off the free-roamers before he finds them?

Info on my set up is in this topic.... here

Please can someone advise on my best option, do I persist with food in a bowl, or do I let him have his own way by letting his insects hop around in the viv?

Thanks.

 

[Cainschams]

I would free range his food. Its much more natural and most of the feeders head towards the top near the heat anyway. Make sure you are letting him acclimate and not pestering him by handling. Some may say the cage is too large but IMO he should be able to find his food as long as the enclosure is not jam packed with plants and stuff and there is also not many hiding places for the feeders.

 

[Bernie]

I would free range his food. Its much more natural and most of the feeders head towards the top near the heat anyway. Make sure you are letting him acclimate and not pestering him by handling. Some may say the cage is too large but IMO he should be able to find his food as long as the enclosure is not jam packed with plants and stuff and there is also not many hiding places for the feeders.

Thanks for that. Will the free range feeders mean there will be no calcium dust by the time he finds them?

Also, would cutting the locusts back legs off affect their abailty to climb up high?

 

[Cainschams]

There should still be plenty of calcium on the feeders by the time he finds them. You could cut the back legs off the locusts and they should have no problems climbing up the screen still.

 

[Echoezra]

Yeah I just place each cricket on the mesh about halfway up and they climb up past them and slurp!
Doing it this way also seemed to get them used to seeing my hands coming in there, cause it's less terrible if the hand is leaving bugs behind. it seems a little bit more interactive to me, and I like that he's shooting from a little farther away usually, more hunty, rather than when he's practically climbing into the cup. Worms I place on vines or branches. I usually will only use a cup now if I'm hurrying off to work in the morning or something.

 

[Bernie]

Thanks guys.

I have noticed that locusts like to eat his plants. This won't do any harm to the Cham will it? They aren't toxic plants.

Also, what else is a locust likely to munch on? Wood? Fake plants? AstroTurf?