Is there a solid reason that we feed adults every other day?

[JacksJill]

I'm not bashing the practice but I would like to know what it is based upon? I get that on windy or rainy days chameleons may not have the opportunity to hunt or find prey. They probably don't always eat every day. I would suspect that they eat every nice day that they can. They probably binge when the opportunity presents itself in case of leaner times as many other species are known to do. They spend their time, I'd guess, patrolling their territory, searching for or avoiding mates, driving away the competition and dodging predators not just eating and basking. I doubt they pass up many meals that present themselves.

I realize that in captivity they will quickly eat themselves into obesity and it's our jobs to regulate how much we feed. Does an every other day schedule do this or is it just about limiting the number of bugs per week?

I'm interested in your thoughts but really want some science based information more.

Full disclosure. I feed almost every day but only half what I would feed if I skipped days.

 

[jannb]

I don’t have any science based info but the reason I feed two to three feeders, depending on the size, three times a week is to help keep my chameleons from becoming overweight. If I give them one feeder a day, they do not like that and beg for food all the time. Like you said they don’t eat everyday in the wild.
Petr Necas or Chris Anderson could probably provide some scientific reasoning.

 

[snitz427]

I tend to feed main meals 3x a week.. anywhere from 1-5 bugs, depending on the bug and cham. For example, if I give my male panthers a large dubia (almost adult sized)… that is their only bug until next feeding. And they seem content with that.

My female veiled constantly begs. She gets maybe a medium/large dubia and a silkworm. Or a medium and 2 medium silks. She is very active and stays thin. If I feed my male (who is not very active) the same, he gets a lil chunky!

So I try to go for 1 or two decent bugs most feedings, unless its going to be a big longer between feedings. Then I dont feel guilty about slipping them a silkworm between feedings.

Today they got 5 bugs as its been a few days, but they were small/med dubias and med silkworms. So not drastically different than mass of a large dubia. I also throw mantis ooths and fly larva in their enclosures to snack on at random times. Always funny to find then with mantids all over and riding on their heads when I check in.

I have contemplated the daily feedings, as I, too feel like they likely eat more than every few days in the wild. I settled on the “snacks” between big meals. 3 times a week makes it easier for me to manage supplements and also seems to be easier when I will be going away (they’re already accustomed to it).

 

[Beman]

I have tried every schedule possible with Beman to not only get him to drop grams but to stay a steady healthy weight...Using medium sized feeders. I tried every day 1 feeder, every other day 2 feeders, and 2 days a week with 3 feeders. All lead to the same results. He produces fecals/urates more regularly when on 2 days a week feedings.

Anyways to answer your question, I think it has just become a rule of thumb for every other day to avoid obesity issues. Especially with Veileds that seem to eat themselves to death if given the opportunity.

I am betting they never pass up a meal in the wild. But then they also have a ton of space they can move around in. They are not restricted to a tiny space like our cages put them into. So staying a healthy weight in the wild no matter how often food is obtained is probably far more likely just because they get more exercise hunting for it.

 

[Caznash]

I tend to feed main meals 3x a week.. anywhere from 1-5 bugs, depending on the bug and cham. For example, if I give my male panthers a large dubia (almost adult sized)… that is their only bug until next feeding. And they seem content with that.

My female veiled constantly begs. She gets maybe a medium/large dubia and a silkworm. Or a medium and 2 medium silks. She is very active and stays thin. If I feed my male (who is not very active) the same, he gets a lil chunky!

So I try to go for 1 or two decent bugs most feedings, unless its going to be a big longer between feedings. Then I dont feel guilty about slipping them a silkworm between feedings.

Today they got 5 bugs as its been a few days, but they were small/med dubias and med silkworms. So not drastically different than mass of a large dubia. I also throw mantis ooths and fly larva in their enclosures to snack on at random times. Always funny to find then with mantids all over and riding on their heads when I check in.

I have contemplated the daily feedings, as I, too feel like they likely eat more than every few days in the wild. I settled on the “snacks” between big meals. 3 times a week makes it easier for me to manage supplements and also seems to be easier when I will be going away (they’re already accustomed to it).

“She is very active and stays thin. If I feed my male (who is not very active) the same, he gets a lil chunky!”

I really like that you touched on how active your female Cham is, compared to your male, as this is what I think is most important. I also wonder if we shouldn’t be asking activity/exercise related questions, in addition to how old the Cham is, when suggesting how many feeders to feed our Chams.

My guy isn’t there quite yet where I have to make the decision, but it’s coming very soon, and the thought of him not have a little bite to eat when he wants it, hurts my heart! Not bc I can’t say “no” to him, but bc he is SO ACTIVE! That’s what got me really thinking about this subject. The info found here (and other places) is given as a “hard and fast” rule of how much to feed a Cham solely based on age. I’ve never seen anyone say, “how old is your Cham and how active is it?” (Disclaimer: Not to say it hasn’t happened, I haven’t read every word in the archives… but I haven’t seen it as a general response on what I have read.) However, as I was discussing this with my son, he brought up how active our Zeus is and that he is essentially working out most of the day. That would make a big difference on how often one decides to feed their Cham (& the quality of that food, of course) ….I’d say *the* difference in deciding how much to feed. For instance, my little guy comes out many times a day - every day! While he’s out he’s moving around, climbing everything he can, and exploring a good 90% of the time he’s out. So he’s getting many different kinds of exercise that he can’t get inside his enclosure (for a min of an hour each day). Maybe liken it to working out on a treadmill vs an elliptical? So if we look at the opposite, for a more solitary Cham that never comes out of its enclosure, it isn’t going to burn anything near the calories as one that’s super active (essentially working out most of the day) every single day. So I tend to believe the amount of food offered to our Chams is something that has to be balanced against how much exercise they get. Just like with us, it’s all about exercise and healthy eating in order to keep our bodies in their best shape. I’d be willing to bet, it’s the same with them. (I also bet it’s going to be easier for me to keep him in tip top shape than it is to keep myself there! He’s a “gym rat”! Lol How am I supposed to compete with that?!!) … just my two cents

 

[RikkiL]

My male panther decides on his own I feel, I offer him a bug, he will either lick his "lips" or he won't. He also turns his head the opposite direction of the bug if he is not in the mood for food.Sometimes he will eat 4 or 5 roaches somedays just one.He never turns down a treat worm though.

 

[JacksJill]

I really like that you touched on how active your female Cham is, compared to your male, as this is what I think is most important. I also wonder if we shouldn’t be asking activity/exercise related questions, in addition to how old the Cham is, when suggesting how many feeders to feed our Chams.

Thanks for your thoughts. It is a general rule about what age to back off of daily feeding also a strong hunger strike typically is a good sign that they aren't growing or as active as they were. I would urge people to keep a close eye on the casque area or top of the head, if it is even beginning to become at all domed or there is any bulging behind it to reduce the feeding amount.

 

[Lindasjackson]

My Jackson’s Xanth eats every other day around 4 medium roaches or the equivalent in several different kinds of bugs. I like to give him a variety so he gets a mix of dubia, crickets, bsfl, and some times a meal worm or wax worm. If I try to feed him every day he just turns his nose up at it. He’s very active for a Jackson’s. He patrols the whole top of his cage all day. It’s funny but he doesn’t go down lower at all, he stays in the top branches unless he’s getting ready to sleep, then he’ll go a little lower.

 

[Caznash]

My Jackson’s Xanth eats every other day around 4 medium roaches or the equivalent in several different kinds of bugs. I like to give him a variety so he gets a mix of dubia, crickets, bsfl, and some times a meal worm or wax worm. If I try to feed him every day he just turns his nose up at it. He’s very active for a Jackson’s. He patrols the whole top of his cage all day. It’s funny but he doesn’t go down lower at all, he stays in the top branches unless he’s getting ready to sleep, then he’ll go a little lower.

I love how they all have their own personality and little quirks!

 

[Fchamel]

I have an almost two-year-old female veiled. I feed her 3x a week. She is good! No notable issues.

 

[MissSkittles]

I’m not sure if there’s any scientific reasoning, although I could make one up. I prefer to fill their little bellies up and then give them a day to fully digest it all. Since I keep my temps at 80 (girls) and 84 (boys), I would imagine that their digestion may take a bit longer than if I were to keep them hotter. I feed every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and so it is on the weekend that I will give a treat.

 

[jcarlsen]

My panther is just approaching a year but still has a pretty big appetite, getting 6 or so med/large dubia every other day or 8 med/large crickets and he doesn't seem to be showing signs of being overweight. Should I still cut back?

 

[Caznash]

I’m not sure if there’s any scientific reasoning, although I could make one up. I prefer to fill their little bellies up and then give them a day to fully digest it all. Since I keep my temps at 80 (girls) and 84 (boys), I would imagine that their digestion may take a bit longer than if I were to keep them hotter. I feed every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and so it is on the weekend that I will give a treat.

I like that schedule, especially the treat on the weekend… who doesn’t want a treat on the weekend?

 

[Caznash]

My panther is just approaching a year but still has a pretty big appetite, getting 6 or so med/large dubia every other day or 8 med/large crickets and he doesn't seem to be showing signs of being overweight. Should I still cut back?

Do you ever do weigh-in’s to chart his weight? How much exercise does he get? If he’s doing ok on what you’re giving him, then I would stick with it, however you can start to cut back just 1 feeder/ feeding and see how he reacts to that. Then make any further adjustments from there. But I would take it slow and keep notes.

I have a calendar where I write down everything my Cham eats each day, I find it really helpful. Especially bc my memory isn’t the best. I also weigh him each week and keep that info there as well (and other noteworthy goings on). I know weighing in isn’t always an easy option for everyone. It all depends on your Cham and if they are happy to come out or not. But I f he will come out onto a branch, you then put that inside of a bowl that you’ve put on a scale and already have tared it to get things ready prior to getting him out. (Meaning zero out weight of bowl and branch prior.) Then let him crawl out on to the branch, set in bowl and viola. He’s there just long enough to get his weight, and then transfer back to his enclosure. Rather its weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, I think it’s well worth it. (Which frequency also has to do with age of Cham - baby or adult, as well.)

 

[DrewBert]

I don’t have any science based info but the reason I feed two to three feeders, depending on the size, three times a week is to help keep my chameleons from becoming overweight. If I give them one feeder a day, they do not like that and beg for food all the time. Like you said they don’t eat everyday in the wild.
Petr Necas or Chris Anderson could probably provide some scientific reasoning.

Petr Necas had a great write up regarding chameleon food dosage on his Facebook page.

“The chameleon can oscillate in captivity between two dangerous, life-threatening extremes: Malnutrition (less common) Obesity (very common)”

I think the every other day feeding schedule is just a generic way to avoid over feeding and obesity. In that same essay Petr emphasizes weighing the chameleon and maintaining an ideal weight

 

[JacksJill]

Interesting articles but neither addresses why we do it every other day. The crickets that he feeds are huge compared to the banded ones most use here. I agree keeping them a healthy weight is the most important aspect.

 

[javadi]

It's a great question. To my knowledge it's simply an approach that's easy for people to follow and remember, that should, in theory, not lead to obesity if done right. So it's just an artifact of what humans can follow and do. I for instance feed totally sporadically, every other day, every three days, no food for 5 days sometimes, then a few days in a row. But that's hard to instruct people to do. So it averages out to every other day, a couple bugs. I don't think there is any scientific reasoning behind it, as in the wild, their feeding schedule is probably totally sporadic as well, and furthermore, they may have very different energy expenditure anyway in the wild vs. captivity. To my knowledge there is nothing magical about feeding every other day, and it's just a regime people can follow easily.