Picky eater!!

[Mansfield]

Hi All,
My man Percival is the pickiest eater these days. I mean, I am so thankful to have crickets removed from his feeder rotation, so don’t get me wrong. I have tried to basically keep 3+ feeders available to him each feeding. He has been getting BSFL (and the flies that are leftover), Silkworms and Dubias. I dust with Rapashy Calcium Plus LoD. Here’s my concern: For the past month or so I have been noticing that he will eat the silkworms (3-4 depending on size), and he LOVES them, a few BSFL (maybe 5 or so), a few BSF just for sport (he loves to hunt them), but ZERO Dubias. He ate maybe 4 Dubias his entire life. After that he basically just bobs his head at them in the feeder dish (I have separate feeder dishes for each feeder type). So, I’m left with 90% of the Dubias I bought early July and just rotate them everyday in the feeder dish and their little roach cages. I even have 2 roach cages now just to make sure I don’t put the same roaches in more often than another, call it “feeder stress management”. lol. I guess I am just learning how to keep a roach colony now? Is a diet of Silkworms and BSFL + BSF fine?

 

[coastal_chameleon]

so you saying you have separate feeding dishes ? have you tried to mix them all in one cup ? this is the only way I can get some of my chams to eat dubia . they move more when they are in a cup mixed with other feeders or sometimes they get eating by accident .

 

[RescueMom]

I'm sure you'll get a lot of input on this subject. Honestly, I would be thrilled if my Panther would eat bsfl and silkies! Those are 2 excellent feeders, low in fat, high in the calcium.

 

[Mansfield]

Yeah, I tried putting them in with other feeders into one of those feeder dishes from Full throttle. Unfortunately, they always tend to just cram themselves into the edge of the bottom. My little dude never saw them, or at least that’s what I assumed, so I started putting them in a more shallow dish that makes them much easier to see. They also tend to move around more in it. It could just be he doesn’t like them haha.
Also, I am happy with what feeders he IS eating regularly, I just know variety is a key to any diet ?, and there isn’t a fiery chance in hell I will EVER buy crickets again! Ever.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

A varied diet doesn't necessarily mean multiple feeders in the same meal. It sounds like he's just decided he likes the silk worms & BSFL, and is holding out for more of those. This is more common (TMK) with reptiles getting a superworm habit.

I'd just offer him dubias alone for a few days until he gets hungry enough to eat them.

See: How to get my chameleon to eat the correct food.

 

[coastal_chameleon]

I notice my chams don't have a problem once they are adults ... they love the males with wings for some reason .

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I notice my chams don't have a problem once they are adults ... they love the males with wings for some reason .

Extra crunchy!

 

[MissSkittles]

Don’t know if maybe a Shooting Gallery feeder would help make the roaches more visible and appealing. Discoids climb the screen and I assume dubia would too. https://tkchameleons.com/products/shooting-gallery

 

[coastal_chameleon]

Don’t know if maybe a Shooting Gallery feeder would help make the roaches more visible and appealing. Discoids climb the screen and I assume dubia would too. https://tkchameleons.com/products/shooting-gallery

They do but the dubias tend to stick together in a corner and don't move !

 

[jackthejellydragon]

If you mix his bugs together he will accidentally hit a Dubia. Sometimes you just need to offer Dubia and if you do that he will start being like '' Well it's all I got.'' so he will then start eating them. Mine would not eat BSFL so I offered him just that he ate them, and now its one of the first things gone in the bowl. He might like hornworms and super worms, they are treats so do not do it daily. They are both pretty fatty but the hornworms are juicy and hydrating.

 

[Ramrod]

I notice my chams don't have a problem once they are adults ... they love the males with wings for some reason .

Mine prefers them white- right after thier shed?

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

They do but the dubias tend to stick together in a corner and don't move !

Yeah, they've got a "playing possum" behavior, and they also clump that way in egg crates.
In the feeder bowl, they use it to "World War Z" their way out and escape.
Strange bugs... ?

 

[MissSkittles]

If you mix his bugs together he will accidentally hit a Dubia. Sometimes you just need to offer Dubia and if you do that he will start being like '' Well it's all I got.''

My mind went immediately to this and I had a giggle.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

My mind went immediately to this and I had a giggle.

I haven't seen that in 50+ years, but I still remember it just from the still.