When can veiled chameleons eat pinky mice ?

[jack77772010]

Hi ,
I have a 5 month old veiled chameleon and would like to know when you can start feeding them pinky mice ? , I heard that if the chameleons head is bigger that the pinky it can eat it , is this true ?

 

[beeze]

I never feed pinkies to my veiled, it's not needed.

 

[jack77772010]

ok thanks ! , but i would like to try her with one for a change of food

 

[Julirs]

There is absolutley NO reason to feed them pinky mice. If you want to try her with a change of food get different insects. How many pinky mice do you think are hanging out in trees? Not intending to start yet another war style argument-but it just makes me think that people want to watch their chameleon eat something like this.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

As said already, chameleons are not carnivores, they are insectivores. A diet too high in animal proteins (from pinkies or dog/cat food gutload) leads to kidney failure and gout because they are not supposed to have them. Some veileds like to eat veggies (collard greens, mustard greens, etc.) so you could use those for variety. My guy loves his veggies and runs over to eat them almost immediately. Or you can try silkworms, hornworms, butterwrms, superworms, (not mealworms), dubia roaches, or mantises. All of those are good feeders for variety. Stick to bugs and greens!

You can find evidence of people feeding pinkies on the internet (of course, what can't you find on the internet?!), but who's to say they have any idea what they're doing at all? Their chams may die a few months afterward from everything else that's probably wrong with their husbandry practices too. Pinkies do not offer benefits, only risks. It's definitely not recommended.

 

[jack77772010]

ok thanks , its just i was told by several people that you should feed them pinkies !

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Yeah there is a lot of poor information circulated about chameleons unfortunately, especially from pet stores. The forums are great because you have many people who have been working with chameleons very successfully for a very long time (not really me, but lots of others!) so misinformation isn't very common. You are getting tried and true advice.

 

[jack77772010]

ok thanks !

 

[Hoj]

there are vids on the net of this and the chams doing it are huge from what ive seen, as prev, said i would totally avoid this if you want some variety go with ferrits suggestions.

 

[jack77772010]

yea , ok i will !

 

[Ookamii]

My cham was fed a pinkie ONCE, not by me either, but by the LPS where she came from. im surprised she does not have any heath issues from it now. Pinkies are to high in fat and can cause fatty liver disease. Just a helpful tip.. not trying to be rude, and sorry if it sounded like it.

 

[jack77772010]

no , thats fine thanks !

 

[AsiaKauffman]

My cham was fed a pinkie ONCE, not by me either, but by the LPS where she came from. im surprised she does not have any heath issues from it now. Pinkies are to high in fat and can cause fatty liver disease. Just a helpful tip.. not trying to be rude, and sorry if it sounded like it.

I just came across your post.
Where did you find out pinkies can cause fatty liver disease?????

I have a thread i just started a few days ago and my vet thinks my panther has a fatty liver and he is recommending pinkies as a source of nutrition. Panther has never had a pinkie until 2 weeks ago.

Thank you!

 

[Chamero]

Ive fed my guy a pinky mouse once...
Ive a tried a few other times, but I think he recognizes it as non-food for some reason.
Anyways, I wont do it anymore because he doesnt eat them anymore.

As for size...i would say if he wieghs around 150 grams. Lizards can eat pretty big prey...

Do you have a pic of your cham?

 

[MATT2504]

Chamero,

your signature is AWESOME! tried finding a weather forcaster like that for the UK, but had no luck

 

[Carlton]

I just came across your post.
Where did you find out pinkies can cause fatty liver disease?????

I have a thread i just started a few days ago and my vet thinks my panther has a fatty liver and he is recommending pinkies as a source of nutrition. Panther has never had a pinkie until 2 weeks ago.

Thank you!

Your vet's recommendation makes absolutely no sense to me. With all the problems he has going on it seems like a bad idea as it just complicates the issue.

 

[sandrachameleon]

pinkies are unnecessary and provide very little in the way of nutrients. They are mostly cartiledge and fat.
Anything a pinky might provide is better provided through more natural prey choices IMHO

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

I have a thread i just started a few days ago and my vet thinks my panther has a fatty liver and he is recommending pinkies as a source of nutrition. Panther has never had a pinkie until 2 weeks ago.

Thank you!

That was bad advice, and imo you should not follow it. More problems will arise from that and it sounds like your Cham is having enough problems as it is. They are not a good source of nutrition for insectivores. What makes your vet think your Cham has fatty liver?

 

[Dave Bull]

Chameleons do not naturally eat pinky mice as said insectivores Only Crazy people who like to video these things feed them mice!! Veileds come from Sudan Desert originally ffs. Eat insects and insect Larvae...... ok i calm down now

 

[shakes]

In the wild Veileds have been observed eating other lizards smaller then them, bird eggs and yes mice they aren't picky. Some live in a climate that does not see rain in years. And also the temps at night would go below freezing. Large Panthers also have been observed eating little chicks in the nest. These guys will eat pinkies to mice to obtain protein. It is not their staple diet but they size it up and if the glove fits..I personally feed my guys a pinkie a month along with gol. worms gut loaded cricets with fruit and trader joes baby food. Also once a week I like to give them pedisure water for electrolytes.