non living food options????

[sandrachameleon]

so for those of you who do not know i have a 1yr old veiled wqho lost his tounge about 5 m ago he has recover very well and is such a trooper.
well due to the fact that he has no tounge he pretty much eats his food whole and is not liking moving bugs anymore i think they get stuck in his throte. so am trying to figure out how i can get him the propor nutrition with people foods. he loves fruit and veggies and i can dust them with his suppliments but i am wondering what else he needs that he gets from the feeders ie, protine ect, i am thinking small slivers of boiled or baked white meat like fish or chicken but not too sure. so.......any ideas

as always thanks

hoj

Chameleons are insect eaters, not meat eaters. Avoid providing him with chicken, fish, beef, etc.
Cup feed. He will have no trouble grabbing live insects from a small bowl.
In the unlikely event it prefers dead food, remove the heads from the crickets and roaches, crush the larva heads.

 

[Aminah Undone]

Since he does not have the mechanics of his tongue, to help smoosh and chew his food.. simply do that part for him and maybe add some minced greens to the bug slurry. With the greens incorporated into the bugs, roll small portions into balls that he can handle and see if he will take those balls of food with more ease.

I realize this may seem a little gross or even too much work, but following your story with Camo, I think you are prepared to do whatever it takes to help him survive. You could make a few on one day of the week and keep them refridgerated or even frozen, for later use.

I've done similar things for various rescues in my care. One tip I learned with most of my "kids" is, don't supplement before you store the food... instead, supplement just before you intend to feed it. I'm not sure why they don't like the food that has been stored with supplements on it, but none of mine do.. no matter what the species.

Good Luck!

 

[Hoj]

hey thanks alot i have no problem with extra effort to make this guy healthy.

Sandra if you read my second post in this thread i try to explain why i belive he wont eat them and why cup feeding is not working great for the same reason. but thanks for your responce, i basically am doing what you suggested and it is working, he just always wants to eat fruit or veggies in stead of crickets and worms, and i know butters are his fav, so there has to be some reason hes not wanting them, instead of fruits and veggies. i just dont want his missing valuable nutrients from not gettin insects.

thanks everyone as alway keep the suggestions and ideas coming i apprechiate them all

hoj

 

[Echoezra]

maybe a squished bug mix injected into a piece of fruit??