Help!

[gescarsella]

Hi all, i have a baby boy veiled (petie) who is about 3 months old. I've had him roughly a month. I have a great set up for him and he seems to like his home, but i am really having trouble trying to balance his diet. He refuses to eat crickets, so his staple right now is meal worms (i know not the best). I have also been giving him some fruit a few times a week as well, but on a daily basis he gets mealworms. any other good substitues to increase nutritional value in his diet? if so how much should i feed him? thanks!

 

[carol5208]

at three months old he should be getting about 15 small feeders a day. Try some small silkworms. butterworms or phoenix worms. Hold off on the meals worms and just offer crickets. What size crickets are you feeding? If they are too big he might not eat them. Are they the same size you were feeding a month ago?

 

[jannb]

At 3 months old he should be eating ALLOT. Try superworms instead of mealworms and even superworms aren't the best. He needs a large variety of well gutloaded feeders. Silkworms are excellent feeders and small hornworms, butterworms and roaches. I'm attaching my general care blog for you below just to make sure you have everything correct for your little guy.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

 

[gescarsella]

my local pet shop only offers large and small crickets. i've been trying to give him the small ones (the large are full adult sized and way bigger than his mouth).

 

[gescarsella]

At 3 months old he should be eating ALLOT. Try superworms instead of mealworms and even superworms aren't the best. He needs a large variety of well gutloaded feeders. Silkworms are excellent feeders and small hornworms, butterworms and roaches. I'm attaching my general care blog for you below just to make sure you have everything correct for your little guy.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

thank you! so if he still does not take crickets will he be ok on a variety of worms and roaches? He really wont eat them. its very odd.

 

[camimom]

if he eats roaches and silkworms, then yes hel wil lbe fine.

 

[carol5208]

yes he will be fine. Roaches can be gutloaded just like the crickets and so can supers but Roaches are a better feeder than the supers. Silks are great too

 

[DavidBuchan]

Hello, welcome to the forum My male Veiled had a phase when he was very stubborn about his crickets. If he is otherwise healthy then it is fine to wait him out and just offer crickets until he gives up his 'hunger strike'. He won't starve himself, he's just being picky because you'll feed him his favourite less healthy food.........
Here is a great all-round caresheet i always recommend to new people with Veileds - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/395-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet.html
As other people have said, a good variety of food and gutload is best anyway.