food for gravid jackson?

caroline?

Avid Member
hey everyone so i was wondering how much i should be feeding my pregnant jacksons chameleon Cleo if i let her she would never stop eating she loves food..
but i don't know how much i should feed her i mainly feed her dubia roaches and the ones i give her are about the size of a dime maybe and i feed her every other day
she just seems so hungry all the time?!
 
The pregnant girls will eat themselves to death in delivery if you let them. Their bodies care more about making babies than surviving delivery. From the picture in your avatar I'd guess she is a xanth? Yes? if so I might only feed her 4 dime sized dubia every other or 2 daily*. To keep my girls occupied I add 6 tiny bean beetles. You will need a culture of them to feed the babies by the time they are a few weeks old so having some around to keep her busy is a good start. Bean beetles are not much bigger than a pinhead. My girls love them. They make a very satisfying crunch.

*I know they say to feed EOD but pregnant females have bellies full of young so if you fill up their stomach all at once they have less room to breath. They don't have a diaphragm like we do, it's all one space. I believe this is why you see them resting on branches that are vertical rather than horizontal as they get closer to giving birth.
 
thank you!! this is really helpful! what lighting should i use for the babies?
also i don't know what sub species she is the reptile shop just labeled her as a adult jackson. this is her
 

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She is a xanth. I use t5 0.5 linear florescent and a 6500k linear to keep the plants alive you will not need a basking light for a few months unless your house is very cold during the day.
 
My Rainbow Jackson chameleon is gravid and she does not seem to be eating. She ignores the medium and small size crickets and worm meals are in front of her. I'm concern about her health even though I read they stop eating three weeks before delivering the babies...what should I do?
 
My Rainbow Jackson chameleon is gravid and she does not seem to be eating. She ignores the medium and small size crickets and worm meals are in front of her. I'm concern about her health even though I read they stop eating three weeks before delivering the babies...what should I do?
mealworms aren't a good staple feeder, can you post a picture of her and her cage from lights down?
@JacksJill @Kaizen?
 
Mine only stop eating a day or so before delivery. They may eat less in the weeks prior but I always carefully limit their amounts to prevent reproductive problems. Females can have trouble delivering just like egg laying females can have egg binding, They can also have a problem of the ovaries were too many follicles are produced but not released into the oviduct. They can appear pregnant and eventually due to the space this uses in the abdomen stop eating. There are other possible causes as well. In short a trip to the vet would be my best advise.
We would be happy to help with your husbandry at any time.
 
My Rainbow Jackson chameleon is gravid and she does not seem to be eating. She ignores the medium and small size crickets and worm meals are in front of her. I'm concern about her health even though I read they stop eating three weeks before delivering the babies...what should I do?
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This is how she looks at the moment....she has not been eating for weeks now....the chikets walk around her but nothing. I don't know what else to do now. What do you suggest?
 
Maybe a vet with reptile experience can help her she may have a problem with her ovaries called folicular stasis that looks like pregnancy but isn't. I had to force feed one of my girls that had it for months to get her over it. A radiograph can tell the difference. Mine only skip eatting for a few days max before delivery.
 
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