New Panther Chameleon

[Surfrat]

Hello, all its been a few days, but i've noticed the day i bought the crickets and meal worms was tuesday and when i put them in a feeding cup he ate almost in no time, and i left some in there, about 2 crickets, 3 dubias, and like 2 small meal worms(I'm not going to continue to use meal worms i just left those in there from last time) and everyday i check there still there? This was tuesday and its now friday few hours off saturday, is this normal? Is he just not hungry? Also im hoping he drinks? Cause when the mister comes on he moves away from it but i tend to look about 5 minutes or so after it goes off but never see him coming over to drink, but maybe he does drink after the 5 minutes of me looking? Those two problems seem to be concerning me i waited a few days and decided today i'll post since still no new eating or me seeing any drinking

You should not leave feeders in the feed cup for more then 12 hours or so. It only takes about 24 hours for them to become nutritionally depleted. A young male should def be eating more then what you say he is. Try free roaming some crickets he may not like eating out of a cup. Some don't.

 

[Jamal319]

You should not leave feeders in the feed cup for more then 12 hours or so. It only takes about 24 hours for them to become nutritionally depleted.

Wow thanks for that tip, what extacly do you mean by that, the Calcium i put on them?

I left about 2 crickets free roam only thing seems to be the main plant makes everything so dense i'm wondering will he even be able to see/find any, cause those 2 crickets hid i couldnt even see them myself. But i'll try tomorrow to have one try to crawl up the screen but once they jump off its like boom vanished somewhere in the plant.

 

[Jamal319]

Another small update: I free ranging some crickets/dubias not sure if hes really eating them or what not but some how there was a cricket on the plant like not moving for 5 minutes not moving and i managed to catch him eat it. Not sure if he drinks also im guessing he does? I do know when the mister comes on he runs away i do know that much. But hes been pooping like once a day is that any good signs? It looks like regular poo blackish

 

[sandrachameleon]

Wow thanks for that tip, what extacly do you mean by that, the Calcium i put on them?

In order to make them as nutritious as possible, You should be feeding the crickets (and other insects that you feed to your chameleon) prior to feeding them to the chameleon. Doing this, and selecting food for the cricket based on what nutrients the chameleon most needs, is called gutloading.
The longer the cricket is in the cage/cup uneaten, the longer the cricket goes without food, the less nutritious it is.

Additionally, the calcium powder will come off over several hours.

You will want to remove any uneaten crickets and roaches from the cage before nightfall. Crickets and other bugs have been known to nibble on sleeping chameleons, causing harm/wounds. If the crickets are dissapearing in the cage, and youre not sure what is being eaten or escaping or still crawling around in the cage somewhere, sounds like cup feeding is something for you to consider.

 

[Jamal319]

Yeah I always feed, the feeders and gutload just never came to mind about the longer there in the age and me not feeding them part.

Also this guy is a bit weird his feeding habits I'm trying to understand I'm still confused. First day after a few minutes of shaking a dubia he shot his tounge at it. Ever since will NOT touch them. Waited about 2 days later still didn't touch the dubias bought small meal worms(know there not too good to feed but yeah only bought them that one time) and bought crickets. Put the crickets,dubias, and meal worms(some not a lot of course) in a feeding cup. He ate a few meal worms and about 3 crickets. Next day I added more to the cup. days went by and I mean about 4 days he didn't touch nothing from the cup? Yesterday I think it was or the day before I put about 5 crickets just to roam and some dubias and meal worms. Some how a cricket mananged to be sitting on one of the plant leaves and I saw him eat it ! Today tried a few meal worms didn't know what extacly to do since I felt as if I was running out of ideas so I put about 3 meal worms on a leaf.. and boom he started shooting at them one at a time ! Now he seems to want to free range!? first he accepted the dubia than didn't. than he accepted cup feeding now won't. I bought 10 wax worms and some crickets today. I put 2 wax worms on the leaf and of course they move 2 steps and fall off so I'm putting it back on the leaf constanly finally before they manage to crawl off he ate them both ! Now I'm hoping he won't change his ways and not accept free range... the only hard thing is getting the bugs for him to see them I can't sit there all day placing a worm/cricket on a leaf and picking it up after it falls off. I mean the crickets do climb the screen sometimes but I've also seen some just hiding down low. So yeah I guess he isn't making this too easy for me.

 

[FAIL]

i've read that mealworms for small chameleons=bad...something about their shell they cant digest...maybe thats why now?

 

[Jamal319]

I purchased him some more crickets yesterday and 10 wax worms, he ate 2 wax worms but havent been touching the crickets yesterday/today, also im a little concern'd maybe i shouldnt be. Yesterday and today i've been seeing him gaping his mouth open a little for about a second or two and closing it every now and than and today hes been doing it again. He seems to sometime when he opens it make a little noise than closes his mouth, i've heard it a few times. Than i notice i NEVER see him drink like literally never and i will watch when the mister comes on and about 5-10minutes after when its still wet but its starting to dry up.. Is that normal for me to not see him drink? Makes me think he doesnt even drink, i've even tried ice cubes on top incase that mister is really scaring him but no luck with the ice cubes either. Thanks all