Is this normal?

[c2c]

Is it normal for a new chameleon to not eat. It is a little cold at my house right now. i would say in the 60s at night mid 70s during the day. They are drinking a lot of water though. i dont know if they just cant see the food or if they are not interested.(the food is in a cup)
Ive had both since monday. i think they ate silk worms but i cant tell for sure. Cockroaches have been escaping the cups. i need to tweek the design a little or use deli cups.

also what size food should i be offering. ive heard the no bigger than the space between the eyes rule of thumb, but ive seen them take food a little bigger than that.

 

[camimom]

new chams can take a few days to settle in. so its not a big deal if they arent eating.

also, they could be eating, and you just dotn see them.


what is their basking temps?

the rule on bug size is right, but something slightly biggerm and i mean slightly, not twice the size, is fine.

 

[amanda509]

from what ive heard, no food wider than the space between their eyes, or longer than their head...but ive seen a 4 month old veiled take on a full adult sized cricket no problem...anyways, it is normal for them to not eat, and also, they may not be used to cup feeding. some chams that have never been taught how to eat from one, wont eat from one right away, or some chams are picky about their cup, for example: if a cham is used to a red solo cup, they may not eat out of a clear one etc. find out how they were fed at their last home a personal example, when i first got my linus, he ate from a red solo cup the second day i had him. he only ate from that cup for 2 weeks..after that he refused..so i free ranged the crickets and now he eats, he now refuses the cup completely...so it all depends on the specific cham..if your worried they will starve, just keep posting pics of them on here and the members here will tell you if theyre looking skinny or not, otherwise, chillax jackson's can go a lot longer than other chams without food

 

[c2c]

I dont know if jacksons get skinny if they dont eat. Do they? my Leo was pretty skinny when i got her. now that shes eating a lot shes filled out nicely.
Their basking temps i would say are in the mid to high 70s. Im probably going to get 65watters instead of the 40s i have now. its slightly warmer but not too much.
i dont know the exact because thermometers are few and far between around here right now. i cant find any at my local pet shops. im going to check again this weekend.
The biggest sized cockroach that I have in the cup is as long as their head is wide. Too big?

 

[amanda509]

I dont know if jacksons get skinny if they dont eat. Do they? my Leo was pretty skinny when i got her. now that shes eating a lot shes filled out nicely.
Their basking temps i would say are in the mid to high 70s. Im probably going to get 65watters instead of the 40s i have now. its slightly warmer but not too much.
i dont know the exact because thermometers are few and far between around here right now. i cant find any at my local pet shops. im going to check again this weekend.
The biggest sized cockroach that I have in the cup is as long as their head is wide. Too big?

their basking temp needs to be around 80 at least and if im correct, jackson's have a fatty pouch at the base of their tail, other members should help clarify, but if the base of their tail is nice and thick, theyre good..if it starts to thin..they need food. and yea, that dubia should be okay..

 

[c2c]

from what ive heard, no food wider than the space between their eyes, or longer than their head...but ive seen a 4 month old veiled take on a full adult sized cricket no problem...anyways, it is normal for them to not eat, and also, they may not be used to cup feeding. some chams that have never been taught how to eat from one, wont eat from one right away, or some chams are picky about their cup, for example: if a cham is used to a red solo cup, they may not eat out of a clear one etc. find out how they were fed at their last home a personal example, when i first got my linus, he ate from a red solo cup the second day i had him. he only ate from that cup for 2 weeks..after that he refused..so i free ranged the crickets and now he eats, he now refuses the cup completely...so it all depends on the specific cham..if your worried they will starve, just keep posting pics of them on here and the members here will tell you if theyre looking skinny or not, otherwise, chillax jackson's can go a lot longer than other chams without food

LOL thanks
They were free ranged for sure. i forgot if they were fed any othe way. they see the food but arent interested

 

[c2c]

their basking temp needs to be around 80 at least and if im correct, jackson's have a fatty pouch at the base of their tail, other members should help clarify, but if the base of their tail is nice and thick, theyre good..if it starts to thin..they need food. and yea, that dubia should be okay..

ok ill take a look when i get home. I will also post a pictue here at the same time

 

[Solid Snake]

Please do post a picture

The most likely reason for them not eating, is that they cant digest food.
Thats what they need the heat for(mainly).

The warmth lets them be able to move around.

If your internal body temp was 70-75 you wouldnt be eating much either

A basking temp of 80-85 is recommended for a jackson.

85F should be the highest it ever gets.

Ambient temp of 65-75F.

 

[amanda509]

LOL thanks
They were free ranged for sure. i forgot if they were fed any othe way. they see the food but arent interested

mine thinks eating food is a game if its in a cup, its too boring for him

 

[c2c]

Please do post a picture

The most likely reason for them not eating, is that they cant digest food.
Thats what they need the heat for(mainly).
The warmth lets them be able to move around.
If your internal body temp was 70-75 you wouldnt be eating much either
A basking temp of 80-85 is recommended for a jackson.
85F should be the highest it ever gets.
Ambient temp of 65-75F.

Ok ill stop by home depot tonight then.

mine thinks eating food is a game if its in a cup, its too boring for him

can i move them to a different enclosure just to eat?
my cage is 4ft high and they stay in the top 2ft
if i free range the food will stay on the bottom 2

 

[amanda509]

Ok ill stop by home depot tonight then.



can i move them to a different enclosure just to eat?
my cage is 4ft high and they stay in the top 2ft
if i free range the food will stay on the bottom 2

ur feeding dubia, right? yea, you can move them into another place for eating...thats what a friend of mine does with his veiled (he uses a 15 gallon tank with screen lid and reptile carpet, just lets the bugs and cham run around in there for 20 minutes), but if you use crickets, they will gather in the top edges towards the warmth, they dont like the cold..

 

[Solid Snake]

I dont "free rang" dubia.

I dont like the risk

They also hide, as stated, whereas crickets explore(eventually).

If you leave a few in a cup, near the bottom, or in the middle area of the enclosure, they will find them.

A TON of dubia in a cup can intimidate them, so just putting a minimum amount at a time is better.

The only success Ive had with "cup feeding" is using a larger tupperware type thing instead of a cup, or "bin feeding".

I used one 3" deep, and about 8" long(square).

Mine have always been scared/suspicious of cups and things.

The larger receptacle seems to not bother them as much, and also gives more room for the food to disperse.

They WILL eat if they are hungry/can find food.

 

[c2c]

ur feeding dubia, right? yea, you can move them into another place for eating...thats what a friend of mine does with his veiled (he uses a 15 gallon tank with screen lid and reptile carpet, just lets the bugs and cham run around in there for 20 minutes), but if you use crickets, they will gather in the top edges towards the warmth, they dont like the cold..

ok cool i have 2 10gallons not being used. i can put some vines in there and some repti-carpet.

I dont "free rang" dubia.
I dont like the risk
They also hide, as stated, whereas crickets explore(eventually).
If you leave a few in a cup, near the bottom, or in the middle area of the enclosure, they will find them.
A TON of dubia in a cup can intimidate them, so just putting a minimum amount at a time is better.
The only success Ive had with "cup feeding" is using a larger tupperware type thing instead of a cup, or "bin feeding".
I used one 3" deep, and about 8" long(square).
Mine have always been scared/suspicious of cups and things.
The larger receptacle seems to not bother them as much, and also gives more room for the food to disperse.
They WILL eat if they are hungry/can find food.

yea i dont want them getting out in my house. that sounds like this http://www.glad.com/products/food-storage/containers/potluck-size/

 

[Solid Snake]

Thats pretty much exactly what I used
Worked ok for me.

I actually just had the feeders for that day in it, sitting on the window sill in my panthers FR.
He took an interest in it, so I let him sit there and pick them off.
Ive used it a few more times since then...

 

[c2c]

thats cool. i think youre right about the temp though. should i have a heat source at night? or is the drop in temp ok?

 

[amanda509]

thats cool. i think youre right about the temp though. should i have a heat source at night? or is the drop in temp ok?

the drop in temp at night is beneficial for jacksons

 

[c2c]

the drop in temp at night is beneficial for jacksons

really, why is that.
also would smaller prey stimulate feeding more so than large prey?

 

[amanda509]

really, why is that.
also would smaller prey stimulate feeding more so than large prey?

basking temps, and night time drops are beneficial for their digestive system..i dont know the details tho all i know is 60 degrees is usually what the temps should drop down to, but there are a few members who keep theirs outside and the temps can get as low as 40, but any lower will prob kill them..but if you research where theyre from (supposed to be mountains in kenya) but most are from Hawaii..they have daytime highs and night time lows which are perfect for them, which is what were trying to replicate and jackson's go for fast/flying prey the best, if one is on a hunger strike, blue bottle flies usually do the trick..but if the prey is too small, they wont bother..

 

[c2c]

Awe those are gross. I get those every summer and have to swat sometimes 100 a week
I wish I had silkworm moths already. Mine are still worms

 

[amanda509]

Awe those are gross. I get those every summer and have to swat sometimes 100 a week
I wish I had silkworm moths already. Mine are still worms

the worms are meant to be eaten while theyre still worms the moths lay eggs and die, then the cycle starts all over again! but dont feed too many moths, their wings arent very healthy..and in the summertime, instead of killing the flies, catch a few and start your own colony but remember, wild caught insects do carry a risk for parasites..which is why you should breed them at least a generation if you want to use them as normal feeders