Lazy eater

FraserTheVeiled

New Member
So my veiled is beyond lazy when it comes to eating. He HAS to be hand fed or he simply ignores him food. It’s entirely my own fault for hand feeding him live food and the occasional bit of melon as a juvie to try to bond with him (worked wonders as you can tell…)

Whilst this isn’t as issue as I work and study from home, this won’t last forever.

Any hints on getting Fraser to actually hunt for his food? (Preferably without feeling like an even guiltier owner haha!)

Will add pics of lit up enclosure tomorrow as his lights are off atm.

Dual bulb cover only has a heat lamp in it on a heat controller plus a t5 12%. Misted twice daily.

Fed locusts, crickets, wax worms (treats), staple greens as he’s a leaf muncher and he’s a melon lover.

As said, all advice is welcome
 

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Welcome to the forum!

Can you post a couple of photos of him please...and if the cage setup too...including the lights.
All added. Please excuse the benjamina looking decrepit. I’ve just switched out the rubber tree as it was too big and the Benjamina was dying without the grow lights
 
Your cham doesn't look obese, but he could stand to lose some weight. He will come to eat when he's hungry. When it comes time to feed him, show him the bug but hold your hand far enough away where he will need to move to get to it. Chameleons can go a long time without food. And you don't have to feel guilty making him work for it. If he really becomes hungry, he will move for his food. My jackson's chameleon used to be the same way. I overfed him for a bit, but once I realized this, I reduced his feeding to three times a week (only feeding him two food items per feeding). It's been well over two years and he's a super healthy weight. And whenever he sees a bug, he runs over to me and shoots it out of the cup I hold.

Don't feel like you are torturing your cham. He has four perfect legs and he will get the food if he moves for it.:) I wouldn't suggest starving him for a week. But once he gets hungry, he will start to move for his food. And when he does get back to eating again, I would only give him two food items a day. If the food is very small, you can obviously feed more. But also you don't want to feed two very large dubia roaches or it defeats the point of limiting the feeders. Chameleons have a completely different metabolism than us, so don't feel bad if he isn't motivated enough to get up and eat his food. He'll get there on his own time.
 
Also, hand feeding is perfectly fine. It's actually a good way to bond with your cham as they begin to associate you with food. The problem arises when you overfeed. Then they become lazy. You can still hand feed, but make him work for it.

Hand feeding can lead to tongue issues if you end up holding onto the feeder insect too long. If this happens, it may result in a sprained tongue. This can take a while to heal. But it sounds like he has no problem shooting insects, correct? Does he miss a lot? I think cup feeding by holding a cup with insects in it is just as beneficial for bonding yet leaves out the riskiness of a sprained tongue. You don't have to change your feeding style. But if he ever does get a strained tongue, it's best to move to a cup. It's possible that you will never run into issues with hand feeding. Hand feeding hornworms are way better than placing them on a branch because hornworms have insane grip and can cause a tongue sprain if the cham cannot get the worm off the branch.
 
Also, hand feeding is perfectly fine. It's actually a good way to bond with your cham as they begin to associate you with food. The problem arises when you overfeed. Then they become lazy. You can still hand feed, but make him work for it.

Hand feeding can lead to tongue issues if you end up holding onto the feeder insect too long. If this happens, it may result in a sprained tongue. This can take a while to heal. But it sounds like he has no problem shooting insects, correct? Does he miss a lot? I think cup feeding by holding a cup with insects in it is just as beneficial for bonding yet leaves out the riskiness of a sprained tongue. You don't have to change your feeding style. But if he ever does get a strained tongue, it's best to move to a cup. It's possible that you will never run into issues with hand feeding. Hand feeding hornworms are way better than placing them on a branch because hornworms have insane grip and can cause a tongue sprain if the cham cannot get the worm off the branch.
No issues in missing his food, I’d no idea they could even get a sprained tongue! Thank you I’ll definitely keep an eye out for that
 
Your cham doesn't look obese, but he could stand to lose some weight. He will come to eat when he's hungry. When it comes time to feed him, show him the bug but hold your hand far enough away where he will need to move to get to it. Chameleons can go a long time without food. And you don't have to feel guilty making him work for it. If he really becomes hungry, he will move for his food. My jackson's chameleon used to be the same way. I overfed him for a bit, but once I realized this, I reduced his feeding to three times a week (only feeding him two food items per feeding). It's been well over two years and he's a super healthy weight. And whenever he sees a bug, he runs over to me and shoots it out of the cup I hold.

Don't feel like you are torturing your cham. He has four perfect legs and he will get the food if he moves for it.:) I wouldn't suggest starving him for a week. But once he gets hungry, he will start to move for his food. And when he does get back to eating again, I would only give him two food items a day. If the food is very small, you can obviously feed more. But also you don't want to feed two very large dubia roaches or it defeats the point of limiting the feeders. Chameleons have a completely different metabolism than us, so don't feel bad if he isn't motivated enough to get up and eat his food. He'll get there on his own time.
Thank you, I’ll try to get his lazy little bottom moving. I did think he was a little plump. Thanks for your great advice!
 
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