How often should i feed my chameleon?

ksmithy1536

New Member
I want to get a chameleon, but everywhere I look there is always different advice on how often I should feed my chameleon. What are everyone's thoughts? I need help.
 
It all depends on the age of the chameleon and the sex of it too.

Hatchlings generally can eat as much as they want up to a certain age. At that age, we will cut them back to every other day and then usually to every two or three days.

In many species, females will produce eggs even when not mated so to control the size of the clutch and prevent follicular stasis and dystocia (egg binding) and likely early female death we control the amount of food and the temperature in the basking area.

What species are you looking at getting?
 
It all depends on the age of the chameleon and the sex of it too.

Hatchlings generally can eat as much as they want up to a certain age. At that age, we will cut them back to every other day and then usually to every two or three days.

In many species, females will produce eggs even when not mated so to control the size of the clutch and prevent follicular stasis and dystocia (egg binding) and likely early female death we control the amount of food and the temperature in the basking area.

What species are you looking at getting?
i was thinking of getting a male panther to start off with.

Thankyou for replying btw :)
 
When they are growing, i do "as many as wanted in one sitting" every other day. So i fill the feeder to the point there is still some bugs left over.
The logic is, you dont know when the growth spurts start. They might just be eating 6 bugs every other day, then boom its 18-24 for a week or two, then back down to 6 again. The little guys are doubling in weight every 4-6 weeks till they are sub adult :)

Once they are adults, im a bit different. They get one massive feeding on the weekend, the same "as many as wanted" as when they were kids. During the week they will get a snack or two, but thats it. This, for the last 25 years, has eliminated hunger strikes and kept them at good weights.
 
i was thinking of getting a male panther to start off with.
season 5 episode 3 GIF


I fed my male panther as much as he wanted every day from day 1 (3 mo. old), just watching that he didn't get "fat"—he never did.

Sometime after 8 months, he began to taper off by himself (self-regulate), and I've been taking cues from him since. This is not uncommon with male panthers.

He's currently ~15 months. Sunday is "treat day"; he gets a nice meal of 3-6 feeders (I could give him 10, and he'd only eat a few) and gets to come out & play on the Missus' plant table, which also gives us the opportunity to clean the enclosure and tend the plants.

Monday is a hard fast day—no feeders. From Tues. thru Sat. I offer up to 6 feeders, but he only eats on some of those days, and only an average of 3 feeders when he does.

He's doing great. 😁

1648306062826.png


Hopefully, yours will self-regulate as well. If not, I would monitor his intake and watch his weight (appearance), and somewhere between 9-12 months, cut him back (it can be gradual) to a few appropriate-sized (their gullets are quite large) feeders every other day.

1648306329396.png

Source: https://chameleonacademy.com
 
season 5 episode 3 GIF


I fed my male panther as much as he wanted every day from day 1 (3 mo. old), just watching that he didn't get "fat"—he never did.

Sometime after 8 months, he began to taper off by himself (self-regulate), and I've been taking cues from him since. This is not uncommon with male panthers.

He's currently ~15 months. Sunday is "treat day"; he gets a nice meal of 3-6 feeders (I could give him 10, and he'd only eat a few) and gets to come out & play on the Missus' plant table, which also gives us the opportunity to clean the enclosure and tend the plants.

Monday is a hard fast day—no feeders. From Tues. thru Sat. I offer up to 6 feeders, but he only eats on some of those days, and only an average of 3 feeders when he does.

He's doing great. 😁

View attachment 322032

Hopefully, yours will self-regulate as well. If not, I would monitor his intake and watch his weight (appearance), and somewhere between 9-12 months, cut him back (it can be gradual) to a few appropriate-sized (their gullets are quite large) feeders every other day.

View attachment 322033
Source: https://chameleonacademy.com
Thankyou, I really appreciate your help. Your chameleon is so beautiful btw!
 
When they are growing, i do "as many as wanted in one sitting" every other day. So i fill the feeder to the point there is still some bugs left over.
The logic is, you dont know when the growth spurts start. They might just be eating 6 bugs every other day, then boom its 18-24 for a week or two, then back down to 6 again. The little guys are doubling in weight every 4-6 weeks till they are sub adult :)

Once they are adults, im a bit different. They get one massive feeding on the weekend, the same "as many as wanted" as when they were kids. During the week they will get a snack or two, but thats it. This, for the last 25 years, has eliminated hunger strikes and kept them at good weights.
Sweet! Thankyou, I really appreciate the reply.
 
Back
Top Bottom