Fruits and veggies...

[Cham Crazy]

Hello all, what are some of the best fruits and veggies that veiled chameleons can eat? Thanks.

~~1.0 Veiled Chameleon

 

[camimom]

I hear they can eat strawberries.

 

[biglittle]

one of the members here has a link in their signature with really good veggie info. from experience my big boy really digs the red, orange and yellow bell peppers.

 

[jannb]

My guys like apple, banana, grapes, strawberry, blueberry, pear, collard greens, kale, carrot and more.....all cut into small slivers and fed once a week.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

The link in my signature has nutritional info on commonly available fruits and veggies. It's geared for iguanas but the concepts are exactly the same. Aim for higher calcium than phosphorus and avoid oxalates or goitrogens.

 

[joeandsoph]

Hi Ferret,

How acurate is this guide for chameleons? I was just wondering as some if it goes against what other people have advised on the forum? Like tomatoes for instance, I read they are a big no no but they appear on your list.

Thanks

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Hi Ferret,

How acurate is this guide for chameleons? I was just wondering as some if it goes against what other people have advised on the forum? Like tomatoes for instance, I read they are a big no no but they appear on your list.

Thanks

Just to clarify, it is not my list! I just found it and wanted to share a good resource since it has nutrients listed out in one concise chart. If you look at what it says under tomatoes, the first thing is "high oxalates", which as you may know are bad. That is why it is listed as a color enhancer only, not a staple. At the top it says that color enhancers should only be added to a balanced mix of other veggies. Chameleons are not really influenced by the color of their food since they're not eating it directly so that one is more geared towards iguanas, as the site is intended. I know my ig likes more colorful foods, but not really applicable for chams.

That's why I always preface giving the link with "Aim for higher calcium than phosphorus and avoid oxalates or goitrogens" so you can make your own decisions based off the information given. The link is not an end-all concrete resource and you have to look at where it says "staple", or "occasional", or "treat". That link is not really recommending tomatoes, especially not to be used frequently. It's more a resource for what nutritional content each veggie has. As you can see from the chart, tomatoes also have a poor calcium to phosphorus ratio so they're not a great choice anyway. It's good that you are wary, further research is never a bad thing!

 

[joeandsoph]

Ah cool that's good. Well I never feed tomatoes. Tilly's faveourite is butternut squash so goes mad for it. But she really likes fruits more than anything, so the list is good to see what fruits she can actually have.

Thanks!!

 

[kinyonga]

I give them the same things I put in my gutload along with a little fruit (apples, pears, berries, melon, etc.). I feed all of those things to my turtles so its not a problem to make a little more for them.