Picky hand feeder...help

[vladdimir26]

Hey guys quick question. I really want to hand feed my 4 month old veiled chameleon. He is very friendly but the only way he gets pissed off is when I try to hand feed him crickets. Wax worms are another story though. He will eat those from my hand! Idk why! My theory is that he does not accept crickets because I have to hold them with my fingers and I get the feeling that he gets the idea that my hand takes the shape of a "predator" when I have to hold a cricket so it won't escape from my hand(pretend you are holding a cricket and look at your hand from the front view ) But with worms(have only tried with wax worms only once a week as a treat) I am able to just put it on my palm and he will just shoot his tongue and take it right out of my hand. Since he is friendly at the moment, he is not afraid of my relaxed hand when I go to get him out of the cage, I get the feeling that this is the reason why he feels comfortable taking the worm out of my hand. He has learned that my stretched hand is friendly and not dangerous.

 

[jcarlo17]

With my cham I hand feed various type of worms and I cup feed crickets. Just in case he doesnt eat them all its easier to take the crickets out. Anywho your cham is young im sure itll get use to your hand sooner or later you know how stubborn chams are.

 

[vladdimir26]

Yeah maybe! Let's see what other people say!

 

[DavidBuchan]

At around that age I moved my male into his bigger viv and he stopped eating crickets out of my hand, but would still take waxworms.......I gave him a few too many I think, which caused a bit of hunger striking (he's over it now, just had 3 big crickets from his cup ). Funny thing is he still won't eat crickets from my hand, but usually a locust is enough to get him hand feeding now.
So mine definitely doesn't think I'm a predator, he just wants some foods more than others ........
I do think that nearly all male Veileds are picky and funny about eating habits though, they all have little quirks and go through phases where they don't like their usual food which is why giving a variety of things is so important. Mine will nearly always eat a few of the new things and then refuse them afterwards.
Not like my female though, she'll eat anything that moves

 

[vladdimir26]

I just tried hand cup feeding him crickets and he loved this method. He ate about 7 adult crickets then he was full. I was satisfied with this because I was still able to "hand feed" and if this is the closest method I will get to hand feed with crickets, them I'm totally satisfied with it.

 

[jcarlo17]

nice

nice i just do anything that wont stress my lil dood out