should I worry?

[lysinlight87]

Neelix has gone from eating everything in site last week, to being reluctant to eat anything this week! Last week he was polishing about 10 locusts and a wax worm everyday.
This week I'm lucky to get him to eat 1 medium cricket, 1 medium loctust and a wax worm.
I got some calci-worms yesterday & they turned out to be ridiculously small. Today he has eaten 1 cricket, 1 locust and about 15 of these tiny calci-worms worms. Is that enough? I'm just worried cos he's growing boy (4.5 months old)

I have a number of ideas of what might be causing his reluctance:-

-He shed on Sunday
-I just upgraded him from small crickets and locusts to medium
-He wants wax worms but I'm trying to cut back on those. He's being stubborn?

Should I worry about fluctuations in appetite or is this normal? I'm gonna try and get some large calci-worms on Friday and he's got some dubias in transit.

 

[jastate09]

How old is he? It sounds like he's eating pretty good to me.

 

[lysinlight87]

He's 4.5 months. My worries were unfounded it seems, cos he ate about 8 locusts today & a load of baby calci-worms

 

[Kate]

Greedy little piggy.lol

 

[DavidBuchan]

Sounds like he's eating plenty to me too. My boy didn't like the calciworms so you're lucky, and mine also got a bit fussy about not eating his crickets because he prefered locusts.
I think you should cut down on the number of waxworms at least (one a week would be much better), and keep an eye out that he doesn't go off his crickets and only go for locusts and worms. Try to limit his favourite foods a bit so if he gets bored you can give him a treat. Male Veileds are often pretty fussy eaters.
Anyway, in case you haven't seen it here's a great all-round caresheet on Veileds - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/395-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet.html

 

[lysinlight87]

I can't get him to eat the medium crickets & the ones he did eat, he pooped out undigested He ate the baby ones fine. I have dubia roaches for him & I'm thinking of ordering some silkworms too

 

[DavidBuchan]

I can't get him to eat the medium crickets & the ones he did eat, he pooped out undigested He ate the baby ones fine. I have dubia roaches for him & I'm thinking of ordering some silkworms too

I know the problem. It doesn't get any easier, my boy is 18 months old and he's not been hungry this week . Mine likes silkworms, but this time I got some black ones (Bombyx mori) for a change and he won't eat them. What an ungrateful little beast.......

 

[lysinlight87]

I know the problem. It doesn't get any easier, my boy is 18 months old and he's not been hungry this week . Mine likes silkworms, but this time I got some black ones (Bombyx mori) for a change and he won't eat them. What an ungrateful little beast.......

lol ungrateful beast is right. Someone very kindly posted him the dubias & he's only eaten 1!

 

[ealizard]

if they wont eat the biger crickets , pull the back legs off, and then feed them, should work ,I found if you take the back thigh part of the cricket leg and squeeze it it should pop off, works with tweezers good, good luck

 

[DavidBuchan]

lol ungrateful beast is right. Someone very kindly posted him the dubias & he's only eaten 1!

I know, right? My boy ate one or 3 Dubia then only gives them funny looks. He ate about 5 Calciworms but then just stopped noticing them. One or two soldier flies and he ignores them now. This week it was one black silkworm, no more .

 

[Trillian]

I was so excited about replacing the stinky crickets with dubia, but none of my guys will eat them! Hoping my chameleon will eat them when she arrives this week, otherwise I have a big box of creepy pets...

 

[Trillian]

When I say none of my guys, I obviously mean the geckos and the dragon. The tortoises would DEFINITELY eat dubia if they had the chance, I've seen them eat a slug (ewww) and a woodlouse and unsuccessfully stalk ants. The snake wouldn't be bothered.

 

[lysinlight87]

if they wont eat the biger crickets , pull the back legs off, and then feed them, should work ,I found if you take the back thigh part of the cricket leg and squeeze it it should pop off, works with tweezers good, good luck

I'll try that- but I truly hate them lol they remind me of spiders & I scream and run away if one escapes. Neelix will eat 1 if I offer it first thing, but I'm worried that he didn't seem to digest them.

For some reason, there's a dead one in the cat food bowl, the cat does not approve either!