Preventing insects from going to the top?

DABRUTE

New Member
The dubia roaches and crickets are always up to the top and I don't think my 4 month old Cham can get to them. Any suggestions?
 
You can cup feed.

How far away are your branches from the top? Chams will find a way to get what they want. ;)
 
take a paper towel or piece of toilette paper and rub a little bit of dish soap into it. Rub a thin layer onto the metal, sreen, wood, ext... where the feeders are collecting. This works pretty well for me but am uncertain of what sort of health problems this could cause if your cham decides to start licking these areas.

You can also use a heat lamp or element near the bottom as heat is what attracts these insects. I had problems with temperatures while using this method which is why i switched to soap.
 
take a paper towel or piece of toilette paper and rub a little bit of dish soap into it. Rub a thin layer onto the metal, sreen, wood, ext... where the feeders are collecting. This works pretty well for me but am uncertain of what sort of health problems this could cause if your cham decides to start licking these areas.

You can also use a heat lamp or element near the bottom as heat is what attracts these insects. I had problems with temperatures while using this method which is why i switched to soap.

i HIGHLY recommend you do not do this!! You dont want your feeders to eat this, then the chameleon eating it and pretty much eating soap gut loaded feeders.

You also dont want the feeders at the bottom. Chams naturally stay more toward the top. They will see the feeders on the top of the screen and still eat them. If you make it warm for the crickets to stay at the bottom, they will find ways to hide and will not be eaten.
 
The feeders will not eat the soap. Every care sheet on this website encourages you to spray down every plant and item that will be inserted into the enclosure with a diluted solution of dish soap and water. Every care sheet for every plant that I have read ecourages you to spray down plants that may have an insect infestation. Typically spider mites and aphids, however this repels nearly all insects. Surfactants taste bad to everything.
The residual soap left embedded in the plants is partly the reason most insects do not spend much time there and prefer the warm screen.

I am honestly more concerned of the feeders getting into the soil and eating bacteria or nutrients that is then potentially consumed by my cham.

I have the top and bottom frames inside the enclsoure coated in generic green apple antibacterial soap. No health problems, not yet at least. The feeders collect in the shade of the highest branches, right below or above the soaped region and in the spaces between the rocks of the plant pots. The cold floor is avoided by every bug that has spent more than 5 minutes in the enclosure.


However this is a great point.

Before making any of these changes I did obtain a grape vine wreath and ran a circle around the top of the cage, allowing her to easily access every single part of the ceiling. Problem with this is the radiant heat the screen emits from being beaten on by the lamps and her desire to crawl upside down on these hot spots. The air 3" away from the top may be 85ºF where the screen itself is well above 100º. To test this place a piece of black tape on a probe and place in between the light and the cage. This is slightly hotter than the hottest possible place your cham could get. Black because this is the darkest you cham can possibly get.

Like I said, the feeders are attracted to the heat. Maybe the best sollution is the addition of a very low temp heating rock placed above the very bottom and away from potential chameleon poo with space for feeders to nest. Keeping small tea bags of their food up in the vegitation encourages them to wander into the higher regions where they will be eaten.

I think cup feeding was designed to combat all of these issues.
 
The feeders will not eat the soap. Every care sheet on this website encourages you to spray down every plant and item that will be inserted into the enclosure with a diluted solution of dish soap and water. Every care sheet for every plant that I have read ecourages you to spray down plants that may have an insect infestation. Typically spider mites and aphids, however this repels nearly all insects. Surfactants taste bad to everything.
The residual soap left embedded in the plants is partly the reason most insects do not spend much time there and prefer the warm screen.

I am honestly more concerned of the feeders getting into the soil and eating bacteria or nutrients that is then potentially consumed by my cham.

I have the top and bottom frames inside the enclsoure coated in generic green apple antibacterial soap. No health problems, not yet at least. The feeders collect in the shade of the highest branches, right below or above the soaped region and in the spaces between the rocks of the plant pots. The cold floor is avoided by every bug that has spent more than 5 minutes in the enclosure.


However this is a great point.

Before making any of these changes I did obtain a grape vine wreath and ran a circle around the top of the cage, allowing her to easily access every single part of the ceiling. Problem with this is the radiant heat the screen emits from being beaten on by the lamps and her desire to crawl upside down on these hot spots. The air 3" away from the top may be 85ºF where the screen itself is well above 100º. To test this place a piece of black tape on a probe and place in between the light and the cage. This is slightly hotter than the hottest possible place your cham could get. Black because this is the darkest you cham can possibly get.

Like I said, the feeders are attracted to the heat. Maybe the best sollution is the addition of a very low temp heating rock placed above the very bottom and away from potential chameleon poo with space for feeders to nest. Keeping small tea bags of their food up in the vegitation encourages them to wander into the higher regions where they will be eaten.

I think cup feeding was designed to combat all of these issues.

Very good point. Cup feeding all the way.

Cup feeding provides a lot of advantages, but one critical disadvantage.

Pros to cup feeding
  • You can easily count the amount of feeders the chameleon has consumed
  • Feeders are less likely to become lost in the enclosure and die/escape the enclosure and infest your house (ex: crickets..)
  • Easily accessible any time your chameleon is hungry

Cons to cup feeding
  • Hinders your chameleon's ability to hunt
  • Less excersize for the chameleon, and the chameleon might become lazy if you start free ranging bugs after cup feeding for a long period of time
 
How about using that Slippery Feet stuff on the cage instead of soap. I think it would do the same thing, and you wouldn't have to worry about it being toxic. I'd just put vines/perches closer to the top. I've seen my guy shoot at crickets while hanging upside down on the screen. If they want it badly enough, they'll get it.
 
He doesn't eat from a cup. I tried! Lol he is still afraid of me. He is almost 4 months.

You need to make a different feeding cup than. My first two that I made, my guy would not eat from. The next two however he loved eating from them right away. Use a clear juice container or clear soda bottle. Cut an opening and put screening on it for the feeders to climb on so the cham can then shoot them. You use hot glue to secure the screen and make sure there are no sharp parts.
 
Yes, it's recommended to wash them with soap. But to rinse it all completely off after washing it. This obviously won't be washed off.
 
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