free range and a feeding cup.
- Thread starter renzo0684
- Start date
try leaving him in there and just dont worry about it
chameleons can go a day without a meal or 2 but on day 2 try hand feeding near his dish and if he goes for it then agitate the feeders in the dish to get them moving around which will cause you cham to put his attention on the feeder dish
also... is the feeder dish clear?
chameleons can go a day without a meal or 2 but on day 2 try hand feeding near his dish and if he goes for it then agitate the feeders in the dish to get them moving around which will cause you cham to put his attention on the feeder dish
also... is the feeder dish clear?
renzo0684
Avid Member
No its not clear its a white dish. Should it be clear?
Goggles
New Member
For small crickets I use a cup similar to what you would get a side of sauce in at a restaurant.
Clear is a bad choice as they might shoot from below the cup. Opaque is O.K. and right now I have a bit of a fussy little one so I am using a black cup so he sees the crickets better in there.
Clear is a bad choice as they might shoot from below the cup. Opaque is O.K. and right now I have a bit of a fussy little one so I am using a black cup so he sees the crickets better in there.
jojackson
New Member
What bothers me freind, is the 'should be' part. Who says? Yes its a common practice, but there are no feeding cups in the wild.
I beleive its important for lizards (not just chams) to able to exhibit natural behaviours, including hunting.
As far as the cham is concerned, Ive read from just as many 'experts' that its favorable to allow them to hunt naturally (regular use of the tongue mechanism) maintains the muscles apparently, and from the same folks perspective, more tongue damage occurs with feeding cups than without.
Personally I find a shallow cup hung below the basking spot is great for some feeders like worms, and my cham atleast still uses his tongue without issue (but gets much closer top do so). For crickets I alweays free range, Homer remains active and gets full use of that magnificent tongue, and seems to enjoy hunting as he would in nature.
The only concern with free ranging, is that uneaten insects can begin to chew on sleeping lizards. Care should be taken to carefully regulate how many are provided at any given time, so that as few as possible remain overnight. Personally I provide a cup of fresh greens on the floor and find any lucky survivors of the day, remain there eating/hiding, well away from my sleeping cham.
Cheers
P.S regards concerns of chams trying to shoot insects through the sides of cups (or below), I really dont think its a great issue with a little forthought. I dont think it matters what color it is (though neon bright colors might upset), or even clear.
A wider cup might be better than narrower (must be more effort required for a cham to focus down into a narrow dark cup no?)
With repetition, most will learn quickly (especially since food is involved). A cup hung or attatched so its lip is below or level with the basking spot or favored perch, means the lizard is looking down into it already. Placing it while the animal is there (if poss) avoids some initial confusion, and repetition (same place each time) soon does the job.
Not too many insects at a time either, means easier choosing a target.
I beleive its important for lizards (not just chams) to able to exhibit natural behaviours, including hunting.
As far as the cham is concerned, Ive read from just as many 'experts' that its favorable to allow them to hunt naturally (regular use of the tongue mechanism) maintains the muscles apparently, and from the same folks perspective, more tongue damage occurs with feeding cups than without.
Personally I find a shallow cup hung below the basking spot is great for some feeders like worms, and my cham atleast still uses his tongue without issue (but gets much closer top do so). For crickets I alweays free range, Homer remains active and gets full use of that magnificent tongue, and seems to enjoy hunting as he would in nature.
The only concern with free ranging, is that uneaten insects can begin to chew on sleeping lizards. Care should be taken to carefully regulate how many are provided at any given time, so that as few as possible remain overnight. Personally I provide a cup of fresh greens on the floor and find any lucky survivors of the day, remain there eating/hiding, well away from my sleeping cham.
Cheers
P.S regards concerns of chams trying to shoot insects through the sides of cups (or below), I really dont think its a great issue with a little forthought. I dont think it matters what color it is (though neon bright colors might upset), or even clear.
A wider cup might be better than narrower (must be more effort required for a cham to focus down into a narrow dark cup no?)
With repetition, most will learn quickly (especially since food is involved). A cup hung or attatched so its lip is below or level with the basking spot or favored perch, means the lizard is looking down into it already. Placing it while the animal is there (if poss) avoids some initial confusion, and repetition (same place each time) soon does the job.
Not too many insects at a time either, means easier choosing a target.
Last edited:
my 3 month old hates cup feeding...everyone told me to do it do it do it...but he hardly ever went near the cup...and when he did he would just stare down and not know which cricket to go for. So today I stopped the cup feeding, threw in about 5 crickets and bam...he went right for ONE....he loves hunting it. He sneaks slowly to it...and when he makes up his mind he runs for it and SHOOTS. So I'm going to stick with free range for now. Whatever he doesnt eat at night, I will take out of the cage, but I am only going to put in small numbers...dont over crowd him.
clear wont hurt
its kind of like training a dog to pee in a certain place in the yard
start off with a clear dish so that your cham gets an idea of where the dish will be she will shoot from the bottom at first no big deal. eventually she will get the idea to go above the dish and soon after that you can change back to a normal dish and no longer clear. with any luck your cham will realize that "hey that dish over there is filled with food!!!"
HIGH STRESS ALLERT
dont stay with a clear dish
only use clear for training purposes
its kind of like training a dog to pee in a certain place in the yard
start off with a clear dish so that your cham gets an idea of where the dish will be she will shoot from the bottom at first no big deal. eventually she will get the idea to go above the dish and soon after that you can change back to a normal dish and no longer clear. with any luck your cham will realize that "hey that dish over there is filled with food!!!"
HIGH STRESS ALLERT
dont stay with a clear dish
only use clear for training purposes
