Just an nervous new mom here. Getting worried that Chewy isn't drinking enough even though I am misting 2 per day and have a dripper going all during his waking hours. That being said, I have yet to feed the little man worms- this is only his 4th day with us. Would feeding him superworms help to keep him hydrated? I know meal worms are bad and these two are the only ones I can find locally in a pinch. Any advice? He will not let us near him without getting really stressed and turning his green spots black, so I hate to put him in the shower. Thank in advance.
Worms for moisture?
- Thread starter Vt1btb
- Start date
Do you have a Veiled or a Panther chameleon? How long is he fro nose to tail tip? What have you fed him so far? Feed him appropriate sized crickets, most pet stores have medium and large.
Feeder insects will not meet the hydration needs of a chameleon, Brownie 64 was correct; he will have black waste and the other should be white. If he is lacking hydration the white will be light orange, if really dehydrated, it will be dark orange. Kidney damage from lack of hydration is serious, make sure the dripper is hitting leaves where he is sitting.
Silk worms are not easy to find on the web, but horn worms are, and are 85% water.
Your basking temperature needs to be about 85 degrees, or he won't be able to digest food and will stop eating.
CHEERS!
Nick
Feeder insects will not meet the hydration needs of a chameleon, Brownie 64 was correct; he will have black waste and the other should be white. If he is lacking hydration the white will be light orange, if really dehydrated, it will be dark orange. Kidney damage from lack of hydration is serious, make sure the dripper is hitting leaves where he is sitting.
Silk worms are not easy to find on the web, but horn worms are, and are 85% water.
Your basking temperature needs to be about 85 degrees, or he won't be able to digest food and will stop eating.
CHEERS!
Nick
Chewy is a male veiled cham. He was supposed to be around 7-8 inches long at arrival but I'd say he's more 9 inches from nose to tail tip. Skinny- can see rib bone at times. I've been feeding him med sized crickets. He's been eating between 9 and 11 per day. Yesterday I gave him his first superworm which he ate. I caught him pooping today. The urate looked half orange/ half white. Poop was black. Trying really hard to get him to take in enough water. We saw him snap at droplets on the top of the cage yesterday. Yesterday he was the most active we have seen him when we were actually looking at him. I'm hoping he's becoming more comfortable w/ us. In love with this little guy already and trying to care for him stresses me out at times. One day at a time.
Rib bones show at times, not to worry. Provide lots of leaves under the dripper with several horizontal branches at different levels for him to lick water off of the leaves. Real plants are best, but if the cage is lacking LOTS of leaf surfaces for the water to land on, fake large surface leaves can be used. Are his eye turrets round and bulging out, or are they sunken in? If they are rounded, hydration is fair, if sunken, it is more critical. Spray the leaves whenever you walk by to encourage drinking. You will know if his hydration is improving when the orange fades to pore white.
At his size, he can eat most feeders. You will need to buy on the web to get the variety needed to keep him healthy. Right now I would focus on Horn Worms as they are the best for hydration. There are sponsors on the Forum you can buy feeders from, and I have some ads in the classifieds section here.
CHEERS!
nick
At his size, he can eat most feeders. You will need to buy on the web to get the variety needed to keep him healthy. Right now I would focus on Horn Worms as they are the best for hydration. There are sponsors on the Forum you can buy feeders from, and I have some ads in the classifieds section here.
CHEERS!
nick
Eyes look good, I would say with more misting and leaf placement under the dripper, he should go from orange to white soon!
CHEERS!
Nick
CHEERS!
Nick
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