Feeding

[ReptileGirl111]

Ok, i am a bit concerned, i just got my new baby cham. and im not sure if hes eating. I put about 10 crickets in his cage and a few mealworms in his dish but I don't think he sees the crickets in his cage because his plants... what should i do?

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Right now you should remove the crickets, turn off his light and let him go to sleep.
He's not going to eat right now and crickets left in the enclosure over night can harm him.
These animals are surprisingly regimented and need to be on a pretty structured schedule of lights on at the same time every morning and off at the same time every night.
You will discover that he will pick a sleeping spot and go there every night at the same time, he will poop in the same location every day and he will eat and drink at about the same time or times every day.

-Brad

 

[ReptileGirl111]

Oh im sorry! i forgot to say "Earlier" lol I always let my lizards go to sleep when they find there spot. The two beardies i have now usually go to sleep around 6pm so I know how the schedule works, im just worried he won't eat anything and die

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Also, mealworms go on the "treats" list, meaning occasionally or never.
Chams (especially young ones) fed mealworms daily have suffered from compaction and rectal/renal prolapse.

-Brad

 

[Brad Ramsey]

He may need some time to adjust.
This is also probably why he seems a little anxious.
Don't worry...he'll eat!

-Brad

 

[ReptileGirl111]

SO only crickets? no waxworms or silkworms?

 

[Brad Ramsey]

waxworms are a great treat and will sometimes help to stimulate feeding, but should be offered only once in awhile as they are very high in fat.
Silk worms are an excellent staple food and very high in protein....for several weeks my veiled ate them exclusively.
Make sure the crickets are not too big (no larger than the distance between his eyes) or he may refuse them. too large of insects can cause other problems if he attempts to eat them as well.
The softer bodied worms can be a bit larger than this tho.

-Brad

 

[royden]

Reptilegirl - My veiled took about 3 weeks to "settle down".

And by settle down, I mean he hisses and puffs up when he sees me still, but he doesn't run away anymore.

 

[ReptileGirl111]

Oh cool, so I was right, because as I had posted in another message, this morning I went to take the ficus out to water and I had to kinda get him off of it so I could do it. So he just hissed at me but never tried to bite or anything then he settled down after he realized I wasn't here to hurt him. He also ate 4 crickets. which is very, very, good!

 

[pohchunyee]

they will start feeding when they feel safe.

 

[Kam808]

Yeah my new jackson's didnt eat for about 4 days. I was freaking out. But once he felt a little comfortable in the enclosure...he ate like 8 large crix in one session. I just took the advice of the experts here and left him alone for a few days allowing him to acclimate.

What part of so cali are you in? I used to live in Claremont.

 

[bluegoldfish]

My cham ate a few wax worms the other day, n now he's "put off?" crickets and locusts, i tried putting some in his viv and he ignores them, so i offered him a wax worm and he ate that, but i know i shouldnt feed them to him all the time coz they are very fatty etc. he also ate one of the moths the wax worm had turned into. He only seems interested in anything that flies?
How can i get him back to eating crickets? or is he too full up from the wax worms from the other day, i dont want to starve him, im worried, as he is only little (3months old).

 

[ReptileGirl111]

It's so hard to find him in his cage because hes so small...

 

[sativa420]

i had that same problem with pablo. when he was a baby it would take me 20 min to find him.