Soon To Be Owner Needs Feeding Advice

[TommyTsunami88]

A few simple questions that I am sure are posted at other places in the site. But I have yet to see a straight out answer so here we go.
1. How much should you feed your cham? How many crickets? I am just starting out so I have healthy gut loaded crix.
2. What schedule should be followed when dusting crix with supplements? I have heptavite and calcium supps.

Thanks In Advance
Tommy

 

[veildowner]

mon - fri calcium without d3
sat nothing
sun calcium with d3
multivitamin once a month

thats what schedule i use what chameleon are you geting

 

[carol5208]

How old will the cham be that you are getting?. It makes a difference what age they are and how much to feed.

 

[sandrachameleon]

A few simple questions that I am sure are posted at other places in the site. But I have yet to see a straight out answer so here we go.
1. How much should you feed your cham? How many crickets? I am just starting out so I have healthy gut loaded crix.
2. What schedule should be followed when dusting crix with supplements? I have heptavite and calcium supps.

Thanks In Advance
Tommy

No one can give you a good answer without a lot of additional information

What type of chameleon? Male or female? How old is it? are you only offering crickets? what specifically do you feed the crickets (and other bugs)? What type of lighting do you use?

you may find this blog entry regarding supplementing informative:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/65-supplements.html

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum!


Here's some information I often post for newbies...
Exposure to proper UVB, appropriate temperatures, supplements, a supply of well-fed/gutloaded insects, water and an appropriate cage set-up are all important for the well-being of your chameleon.

Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light.

Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects before you feed them to the chameleon with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it.

If you dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. (Some UVB lights have been known to cause health issues, so the most often recommended one is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light.) D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it.

Dusting twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while.

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs....so its important too. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.

Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200604210...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/