Hatchling Feeding Questions?

[dacrazycanadian]

I want to be as prepared as possible for our 2 clutches of Ambanja eggs that will soon hatch. There will be around 30 babies hopefully.

So here's my questions:

1. How many days after hatching do they need to be fed?

2. How frequently do you feed them throughout the day and how much should they eat (if the answer is as much as they can please specify how much food you think I'll go through and how fast)?

3. What is the best method to feed your chameleons pinheads and fruit flies? (e.g. cup method?)

Thanks for everyone's answers,
Damion

 

[junglefries]

Most hatchlings will eat 3-8 days after emerging. Average being the 5th day, which seems to be the usual case. Keep several fly cultures handy and pinheads. The crix will run around the bottom and hide. The flies will walk around everywhere, moving upwards. This movement will stimulate the feeding frenzy and encourage the eating of crix. Remember, smaller portions are easily digested, while larger prey take longer. Some may only eat the flies at first, but most will eat both. I feed 4-5 times a day, one hour after lights on, and never within 2 hours of lights going off. They will eat nonstop and poop nonstop. Best to separate the smaller from larger, in order to make sure everyone feeds. I use plastic totes from walmart, with a t8 light across two bins. One reptisun 5.0 and one daylight. Watch for dehydration, it can occur quickly with the little ones. 74°f seems to be the recommendation, but i like 78°f. That way they can digest and grow at moderate rate. If they grow too quickly, they may not absorb supplements as needed for proper bone growth (mbd). Good luck and feel free to pm me if needed. (My panthers are blue bars and nosy be)

 

[dacrazycanadian]

So your saying just put the crix and ff in the cage like I would my adults rather than being concerned with cup feeding?

 

[CarlC]

I cup feed the crickets in multiple places around the cage. FF's just get dumped in.

Carl

 

[fluxlizard]

I feed mine starting the day after the first of the clutch hatches- some of mine eat the same day they hatch (or at least are removed from the incubator which is within 24 hours of hatching usually).

I arrange my cages horizontally rather than vertically for babies and allow all insects to free roam until I am feeding insects that are about 1/4" then I bowl feed. I keep a pinch of food in one corner of the cage to attract insects- it might be a bit of fruit or vegetable or a pinch of crested gecko food or whatever. These items usually attract all different feeders, and the chams learn where they congregate. The cage orientation helps keep food in reach of hungry babies at all times, the roaming eliminates competition and prevents less dominant animals from being blocked at the food.

Unlike many, I keep babies at adult temperatures. They are fully able to thermoregulate if a decent thermogradient is set up in the cage. I have a batch of babies outdoors right now- day temps are in the low-mid 80s with a single day in the 90s. But they can escape some of the heat and I mist them in the hottest part of the afternoon for an hour or two.