Food & Water

[D2AP]

Hello, I have a 2-3 month old CB flapneck cham. This is my second day with him and he seems to be adjusting pretty well. He doesn't usually act timid when I'm around and even drinks a bit when in front of me.

Anyway, he still hasn't eaten anything which I hear is pretty normal, that it can take up to a week in some cases before they start eating. What I'm mainly interested in knowing about at the moment is hydration. I mist the cage and plants frequently throughout the day, but noticed his poo looked slightly orange. Nothing major but a bit. So I started dripping more which he really seems to like, he kept shooting his tongue at some of the drops and getting under leaves to drink. I'm wondering how much he should be drinking, and when he has had enough will he stop on his own? I just kept dripping and eventually he walked away on his own, so I assume he had his fill.

I heard that dehydration is one of the biggest killers so I just want to make sure the little guy is getting enough to drink so any tips on keeping a cham hydrated or how to tell if he is drinking enough is great.

Finally, a couple questions about feeding. I'm using small crickets with calcium supplements and usually I'll place them in a little red cup (should I use something else?) and let a few loose in the cage. He'll look at them and seem interested but he never actually does anything with them. They'll be sitting next to him on a leaf and he'll just stare. Is it a matter of waiting for him to more acclimated to his new environment?

Thanks.

 

[Psychobunny]

Welcome to the forum

Yes, it will take time for your cham to get acclimated to his new home, and the cup feeding will also take time for him to figure out.

They need to feel safe and secure in their new home before they come out in the open to eat and drink.
Do make sure to have plenty of foliage, vines, branches and such for him to move about freely and be able to hide.
You may want to change the cup to a different color, some chams react to red. But you dont want one that is clear, because that may really confuse him.
Maybe place the feeder cup in the back of the cage, so he doesnt have to come up front and feel exposed.

Some chams adjust faster then others, it depends on how they were treated before, and of course, how you treat them.

Patience, and be slow and gentle.
Try not to change anything much in his cage while he is acclimating. Let him get used to everything, and learn where things are.
Chams HATE change, so while he is adjusting, give him him free private space and dont disturb him much.

 

[D2AP]

Welcome to the forum

Yes, it will take time for your cham to get acclimated to his new home, and the cup feeding will also take time for him to figure out.

They need to feel safe and secure in their new home before they come out in the open to eat and drink.
Do make sure to have plenty of foliage, vines, branches and such for him to move about freely and be able to hide.
You may want to change the cup to a different color, some chams react to red. But you dont want one that is clear, because that may really confuse him.
Maybe place the feeder cup in the back of the cage, so he doesnt have to come up front and feel exposed.

Some chams adjust faster then others, it depends on how they were treated before, and of course, how you treat them.

Patience, and be slow and gentle.
Try not to change anything much in his cage while he is acclimating. Let him get used to everything, and learn where things are.
Chams HATE change, so while he is adjusting, give him him free private space and dont disturb him much.

I have a live ficus and three vines, so it seems to have adequate foliage and stuff. I also have several branches. I did make a couple changes though which was adding more vines and branches because what I had before didn't seem like a enough, hopefully that wasn't too big a deal. I'll try a different cup and I have been placing the cup in the back, so I guess I did something right by mistake haha.

Anyway, thank you.

 

[D2AP]

Quick update, I changed the red cup to a more rectangular tupperware which is see through, but not quite clear, it's smoky I guess is how you'd describe it. Anyway, he hate like 4 or 6 crickets out of it and has been shooting his tongue out at more water.

I am curious about him shooting his tongue at the water. Why doesn't he put his head under the leaf or drink directly from it? Wouldn't that help him get more water? I'm just afraid he won't get enough shooting his tongue at it and I rarely see him drink any other way but by shooting his tongue.