Transition from juvenile to adult feeder question

Hello everyone,

I am a novice Panther Chameleon owner; I received my boy in May. He was born in January, meaning he is approximately 10 months old.

This is my first post on the forums, and I am excited to become a part of this community!

I've been researching the quantity and the consistency to which I should feed him through these transition periods; however, I've found plenty of contradictory information.

My question is, when is the optimal time to transition from the juvenile quantities of 8-10 bugs per day to 4-6 bugs every couple of days? (If these quantities are incorrect, please let me know).

As well, if there are any tips for beginning this transition, they would be greatly appreciated.

I'll attach a picture of Juno from a couple of months ago to show him off because I am a very proud dad :)
 

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Hi there. Welcome to the forum. So at 10 months old you want to kick him over to an every other day feeding schedule of 8-10 bugs. At 11 months old going from 8 feeders I start then transitioning down by reducing 1 feeder a week. This way by the time they are 12 months old they are eating 4 feeders every other day. As an adult we recommend Panthers get 3-4 feeders every other day. Unless they start showing signs of obesity. Let me know if you have any questions. :) He is a handsome boy.
 
Thank you for the quick reply Beman! So I should begin the transition now in terms of lowering the quantity of feeders. Other than this, is there an exact science to lowering the amount of bugs per feeder?

Also, what are some ways to determine signs of obesity? If I recall correctly, it has something to do with the shape of their cask?

I look forward to hearing from you again.
 
Thank you for the quick reply Beman! So I should begin the transition now in terms of lowering the quantity of feeders. Other than this, is there an exact science to lowering the amount of bugs per feeder?

Also, what are some ways to determine signs of obesity? If I recall correctly, it has something to do with the shape of their cask?

I look forward to hearing from you again.
So if you are doing 8-10 insects a day you now want to go to every other day feeding of 8-10 insects. Then at 11 months you will reduce by one feeder a week so that once he is 12 months you are roughly at 4-5 every other day. Then your looking at taking him to 3-4 feeders every other day.

And yes we look at casque and cheeks for fat storage. You do not want them overly puffy. cheeks should be flat and smooth with no sign of a fat pad. :)
 
Hi and welcome! Just want to say that your chameleon is very beautiful! Love his blues! 🥰
Thanks so much! I'm very excited to learn from this forum.

So if you are doing 8-10 insects a day you now want to go to every other day feeding of 8-10 insects. Then at 11 months you will reduce by one feeder a week so that once he is 12 months you are roughly at 4-5 every other day. Then your looking at taking him to 3-4 feeders every other day.

And yes we look at casque and cheeks for fat storage. You do not want them overly puffy. cheeks should be flat and smooth with no sign of a fat pad. :)
I understand. I just have a few follow-up questions. In relevance to the amount of insects you are referring to, I began feeding Juno 3/4 inch crickets rather than 1/2 inch crickets. Will this change the number of insects I should be feeding him due to size? Also, what would be a relatively healthy weight for a chameleon around 10 months? I will look into purchasing an instrument to weigh him this week.

Thanks again!
 
Thanks so much! I'm very excited to learn from this forum.


I understand. I just have a few follow-up questions. In relevance to the amount of insects you are referring to, I began feeding Juno 3/4 inch crickets rather than 1/2 inch crickets. Will this change the number of insects I should be feeding him due to size? Also, what would be a relatively healthy weight for a chameleon around 10 months? I will look into purchasing an instrument to weigh him this week.

Thanks again!
So I would stay with the 3/4 inch and not go any larger. But I also do not like feeding larger insects. The amount would be the same with these. Weight is going to vary quite a bit just because genetics and overall husbandry provided from hatch date plays a part in it. So the longer they are tip of nose to tip of tail the more weight they can hold where as a smaller cham would need to be at a lower weight.

You can buy a kitchen gram scale to weigh him. I bought a Tamura Designs weight stand for my boy to use on the scale. It works very well.
 
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