Not eating crickets

[CHScrusader]

My cham refuses to eat crickets. I don't normally feed him crickets any way, I only feed him mealworms or super worms. Because he doesn't like crickets. Every time I buy them they go to waste and die. Is it normal for a Cham not to like crickets? He stares at them and watches them but doesn't make an attempt to eat them. But then I'll put some worms in and he will go right down to the bowl. He has only had probably about 5-10 crickets In his lifetimes. He's 3 months old.

 

[tkilgour]

This normal. Especially if you are feeding your chameleon strictly superworms and mealworms. I would avoid mealworms as they have a high fat content. Then stop feeding your chameleon for a day or so and introduce crickets back to it's diet. Be sure to keep the feeder insects diverse. For example, feed a variety of insects, like crickets, superworms, hornworms, silkworms, and blue bottle flies. Your chameleon will no longer be an addict.

 

[Psychobunny]

Crickets should be a diet staple.
They are excellent vehicles for gut loading (you cant gut load a mealworm!!)

Also good are roaches.

Instead of mealies, I use silkworms or hornworms.

 

[CHScrusader]

I realize that mealworms "unhealthy" but I live out in the country and going to the store every 3 days for crickets isnt too easy for me. More less mealworms are easier and I mainly feed him super worms I give him 3 supers and 2 meals daily and he eats them all. Crickets however.. Different story. I have thousands of worms so I'd rather use them first. I bought some crickets just to see if he'd bother with them.

 

[Zubi]

you shouldnt be feeding him supers everyday. They should be used a few times a week, as they are high in fat. Crickets, Roaches, Silkworms should be used everyday with an occasional super or meal worm.

 

[CHScrusader]

Well I have supers and meal worms.. Hundreds of each, so that's all this Cham is getting loll.

 

[Zubi]

Not to be rude or anything but that is a very poor attitude towards chameleon ownership. They need variety, and meal and super worms shouldn't be offered daily, they aren't staples

 

[tkilgour]

Crickets should be a diet staple.
They are excellent vehicles for gut loading (you cant gut load a mealworm!!)

Also good are roaches.

Instead of mealies, I use silkworms or hornworms.

Avoid a "staple". Go with diversity and not one thing in specific.

 

[tkilgour]

I realize that mealworms "unhealthy" but I live out in the country and going to the store every 3 days for crickets isnt too easy for me. More less mealworms are easier and I mainly feed him super worms I give him 3 supers and 2 meals daily and he eats them all. Crickets however.. Different story. I have thousands of worms so I'd rather use them first. I bought some crickets just to see if he'd bother with them.

Superworms can be gutloaded pretty easily. I gutload my supers with dinofuel and organic vegetables all the time. The mealworms should be given more as a treat. Your cham will eat crickets, just stop feeding it for a day or so. Then re-introduce crickets.

 

[creddjobs]

They can be funny. My chams eating habits are very funny. He eats when he wants to right now. I am currently feeding crickets and Dubias. He has been real shy eating in front of me. I walked in on him crunching on a dubia the other day. I am also looking into some different feeders other than worms.

 

[Psychobunny]

Chams love flys too.
You can get blue bottle maggots at Grubco pretty cheap and feed them on bug burger honey and bee pollon.
The are nice for a change, and gives your chams some excersize and sharpens their hunting skills

 

[CHScrusader]

Crickets are a pain in the ass.

 

[Rambully]

Crickets are a pain in the ass.

Although crickets are not my favorite things either it is very important to offer chameleons a varity of feeders. My reptile vet says supers and meal worms are no better than feeding a kid potato chips for every meal. There are multiple health related conserns that can develop from a diet like this. If you are totally against crickets you could consider trying roaches and silk worms as "staple feeders" and supers, butterworms, hornworms, etc as treat/variety options. Hope that's helpful... Best of luck!

 

[tkilgour]

Although crickets are not my favorite things either it is very important to offer chameleons a varity of feeders. My reptile vet says supers and meal worms are no better than feeding a kid potato chips for every meal. There are multiple health related conserns that can develop from a diet like this. If you are totally against crickets you could consider trying roaches and silk worms as "staple feeders" and supers, butterworms, hornworms, etc as treat/variety options. Hope that's helpful... Best of luck!

As I agree with you that chameleons need a variety, I would have to disagree with superworms being unhealthy. Also, why only offer superworms, butterworms, and hornworms as treats? Why not just feed a variety of insects all the time?

 

[CHScrusader]

So ive decided to completely eliminate super worms- they are worse in nutrition than mealworms so I am going to continue feeding mealworms and dust then with calcium without d3 and then 2 times a week feed my Cham CalciWorms. My cham is growing just fine and is normal as any other Cham, just at the vet lAst week. I do think that people are overly dramatic about how "unhealthy" mealworms are. They are just higher in fat. Other wise they 20% protein is fine. Super worms are 17% protein. To me, mealworms are fine and easy feeders. And I'll keep using them