how many crickets

[kk1020man]

I just got a 2 month old veiled and would like to know how many to feed him tomorrow. I was thinking around 3 or 4 from what I have been reading, but the guy at the reptile store told me that 100 crickets in about a week which would make it over 10 per day. Is that right? We are gutloading them now and will do calcium in the morning before feeding, so they won't die. Thanks for the help....

 

[Jordan]

At two months of age and me just guessing on the size of the chameleon I would think that 10-15 crickets in the 1/8"-1/4" catagory would be about right.

You may already know this but I will say it any way. I would recommend three different types of supplements. One is calcium with vitamin D3, no phosphorus. At that age dusting 2-3 times a week should be okay. Another supplement should be a multivitamin. I only use once a month. The last would be a straight calcium supplement, nothing else. I would use this any time I did not use the other two supplements.

 

[kk1020man]

thanks

We are using the rep-cal calcium with vit.d3 phosphorus free, and the rep-cal herptivite with beta carotene multivitamins. So we should put 10 or so in for the whole day? Should we space them out through out the day or just put them in all at one time? thanks for the info...

 

[Jordan]

I would say to try the fifteen first. I would just offer the food once in a day.

 

[Cherron]

The calcium with D3 you only need occasionally.. I only use it bi-weekly since my chams get outside time a few times a week in addition to their UVB lights in the cages.

A pure calcium with no D3 and phosphorus can be used 4 or 5 times a week.. pretty much every feeding skipping one occasionally.

Too much D3 is just as bad as none at all.. D3 is stored in the body and too much can inhibit calcium absorption.

 

[kinyonga]

Do you have a UVB light or do you put your chameleon out in the sunlight> The light from the sun and/or the UVB tube light should NOT pass through glass or plastic. Exposure to UVB allows the chameleon to produce D3 which allows it to use the calcium in its diet.

Most insects we use as feeders have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous...so as Cherron said...dust the crickets with a phos.-free calcium powder at most feedings.

Vitamin A from beta carotene won't cause an overdose of vitamin A but preformed vitamin A can...however, whether chameleons can convert beta carotene to preformed vitamin A is controversial....so some people give their chameleons a little preformed. Excess preformed vitamin A can prevent the D3 from doing its job and lead to MBD....so caution is advised.

Since my chameleons rarely get sunlight, I dust my insects with a phos.-free cal./D3 powder twice a month. D3 from supplements can build up in the body...so caution is advised with it too.

Appropriate basking temperatures will help the chameleon digest its food properly.

Its important to feed your insects a nutritious diet and to gutload them before feeding them to your chameleon.

Here are some sites that have good information...
http://adcham.com/
http://www.chameleonnews.com/
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/skintests.htm#discussion
http://web.archive.org/web/20060502...rnals.com/vet/index.php?show=5.Vitamin.A.html

With proper care, your chameleon should be with you for quite a few years!