Won’t eat any bugs

[Mkinleigh]

Hi y’all! I’m a new chameleon owner of a juvenile female veiled chameleon (her name is Kiwi). I got her a little bit over a week ago and I try and cup feed her wax worms, black solder fly large, horn worms, and super worms, I’m currently waiting on a shipment of tiny dubia roaches. No matter what I put in her cup she will not eat any of them but she will eat sugar ants that find there way into her enclosure. I was just wondering if anyone knew what to do to get her to eat her feeders and what to do about the ant problem. Thank you

 

[Mendez]

I got my guy started on crickets. They move a lot which catches your cham's attention and they are easy to gutload. Just hang up a cup in the cage, put in the crickets (with proper supplements ofc), and then walk away. If your cham is new, then she might be shy to eat in front of you. But by the sounds of it, she is eating ants in front of you. Ants never stop moving, so if it is the movement that she likes, then crickets are your best bet imo.

 

[Mkinleigh]

Thank you! I will get some and hopefully she’ll like them, but won’t they jump out of the cup?

 

[ERKleRose]

Red runner roaches are great, too! They move tons, are the size of crickets, don’t stink, are brightly colored, can’t climb, fly, or jump, and most chams love them! What size feeders are you currently feeding her? Has she gotten tested for parasites?

 

[ERKleRose]

Also, if you didn’t know, waxworms should only be fed as treats, and superworms and hornworms shouldn’t be fed as staples, either. Here’s a great feeding chart, too!

 

[kinyonga]

How big are the insects....could they be too big for her?
Be careful with her eating ants...they contain formic acid....and I don't know if that's ok for them.

What is the temperature in her basking area? The rest of the cage?

 

[Shanar808]

Congrats on your new little one and welcome to the fam. Your baby is adorable! To answer your question about the crickets a clean and smooth sided 6”+ deep Tupperware or containers are what I’ve used for “cup feeding” but if the sides get wet or dusty they will climb, smaller crickets seem to have higher jumping capabilities so be ready to have some escapees. You may want to fill out the husbandry form so the experienced members can best help you not just solve your current issue but help you prevent future ones. (https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/)
Also she seems small enough for fruit flies but try the pinheads since they can be dusted. Good luck

 

[ERKleRose]

Congrats on your new little one and welcome to the fam. Your baby is adorable! To answer your question about the crickets a clean and smooth sided 6”+ deep Tupperware or containers are what I’ve used for “cup feeding” but if the sides get wet or dusty they will climb, smaller crickets seem to have higher jumping capabilities so be ready to have some escapees. You may want to fill out the husbandry form so the experienced members can best help you not just solve your current issue but help you prevent future ones. (https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/)
Also she seems small enough for fruit flies but try the pinheads since they can be dusted. Good luck ☺

Fruit flies can and should be dusted, too. I was thinking the same thing

 

[Shanar808]

Fruit flies can and should be dusted, too. I was thinking the same thing

I keep forgetting about the flightless ones yes please do dust them. Make sure you know what supplements to use and how often of each. The Chameleon Academy and CaskAbove websites have great info on that if you are unsure of the dusting schedules.

 

[Mkinleigh]

Red runner roaches are great, too! They move tons, are the size of crickets, don’t stink, are brightly colored, can’t climb, fly, or jump, and most chams love them! What size feeders are you currently feeding her? Has she gotten tested for parasites?

Her feeders arnt any bigger than her head and yes I have she is clean of parasites

 

[Mkinleigh]

How big are the insects....could they be too big for her?
Be careful with her eating ants...they contain formic acid....and I don't know if that's ok for them.

What is the temperature in her basking area? The rest of the cage?

Her basking area is in the low 80s and the rest of her enclosure is in the 70s and the lowest point is in the high 60s

 

[ERKleRose]

Her feeders arnt any bigger than her head and yes I have she is clean of parasites

They should be smaller than the space between her eyes. More small feeders are better than one or two big feeders
Edit: her feeder insects, not the ants due to the formic acid concerns @kinyonga stated

 

[Mkinleigh]

Thank you for your help! I also picked up the smallest crickets I could get today as well.

 

[ERKleRose]

Make sure to properly gutload and supplement her feeders too! Here’s the gutload chart for reference (if you haven’t seen it)