Meal worms freak my baby panther out

[slegay]

I've had a baby nose be for 3 weeks (about 3.5 months old). He seems happy, his colors are bright, he hunts and eats the crickets I put in the cage. I'd say so far, so good.

He's shy though, won't climb on my or my daughter's fingers. I got some meal worms as I read they make a good treat and are a good way to tame chams by hand feeding them. However, every time I bring a wiggly meal worm in front of him, he turns completely black, gets on his hind legs, opens his mouth and sometimes even attacks my fingers and bites me. One time I managed to drop the worm in his mouth, he ate it, but they still freak him out.

If I extend a hand under him or get my fingers close to his face without a worm, he looks at me and sometimes walk away, but never turns black or bites.

Is that normal??

 

[Andee]

I've heard of chams not liking certain foods, like being afraid of them and stuff, though I'm not sure if these chams attack over them. HE also may still be settling in and not ready to eat from your fingers, but I wouldn't really force the meal worms on him anyway. Though they are okay for treats I personally don't feed them as they are mostly exo and fat, and are strangely addicting for our little ones. XD If you want to try hand feeding him try a worm that is brightly colored like a silkworm or a hornworm. Just find a place to unload the hornworms first if you decide to go that route because they grow fast and large... and it's not smart to let them go out in the wild because they are such pests. But I bet he's just not ready to eat from your fingers yet, it takes a while for them to trust that much.

 

[slegay]

Thanks, that's helpful!

 

[Andee]

Of course ^^ and don't worry there all have their favorite foods and once they are ready to take that step and eat from your fingers, they will always eat that food and then you will be like all powerful to them XD I am known as the green squirmy thing provider (hornworms) to my Ryker (7 month panther boy)