WOW! Overload....so much information

Tara

New Member
I have read over so many of your post! So much information!
Please do not get annoyed with me for asking repeat questions. My 2 new baby veileds arrived early friday morning so this is all very new to me.
Ok, I do not have many options close for purchasing food. I have a pet store about 30 minutes away that has crickets. Expensive though 10 for a $1. When I asked them about mealworms..they were like "huh" and when they found them they were a black color. Nooooo way. A few store near me have some mealworms they sell for fishing bait. I used them for my water dragons when I ws ina jam, but they are way to big for the baby chams...ok, I'm just gonna list my questions....
1) what are the nutrients my chams need to be healthy? What nutrients are a "must" for their diet?
2) Is ReptoLife Plus Multi-Vitamin & Mineral Formula for all reptiles a good choice for my chams? Is this the only type of supplement needed to sprinkle on their food, or do I need something with more calcium or more specific to chams? Also, how often should it be used?
3) How often should I feed my babies...and how much...Like once a day with how many crickets, or every day or more than once every day? I really have no idea.
4)What different types of foods are best for baby chameleons? Just crickets with powder for now? Is there anything else that is small enough for them to eat? I want them to have more than just crickets, but I am not sure what to start with.
The night before my babies were supposed to arrive I went and bought 100 crickets at my local pet store. When arrangements were changed and my veileds did not arrive until a week later, all but three crikets were dead. Is this normal and they only live about that long?
I have saved all of the links I found in your posts for future food purchases as I see you can get 500 crickets for $10 and I paid the same price for 100.
Since I am still perfecting my veileds new hme I am not ready to move onto a home for crickets just yet. Althought when I do....I really loved that rubbermaid setup! It was mentioned that the food needs to be kept fresh and I am curious how often the veggies need to be changed for the crickets in a setup like that?
5) What foods work best when ordering them? Do they last long after arrival? I guess I need to know how much they will eat so I know how much to order so I don't get to much. Any suggestions?

Thanks to all who take the time to read this any help me out. I'm sorry for so many questions. I want to get this right and feed them properly. Nite All!
Tara
 
Hello there Tara, very detailed info:)
Im a longtime veiled Cham owner and I will tell you from experience,
For the crickets, you can breed them yourself to save money, there are plenty of videos and articles on how to do it.
1)They will get Nutrience from a varied diet. Crickets, mealworms, houseflies,etc will give them their main food source but adding veggies like romain lettuce and fruits like watermelon or apple will give them extra vitamins. See what your chats like best. Also buy some calcium powder to give them the little extra they need and avoid diseases like MBD.
2) Im pretty sure its fine for chats. I use Calci-Dust and I dust the food every feeding.
3)You should feed them everyday starting with a cricket or two and feeding them more and getting larger sizes and different foods as they grow.
4)As just babies you can also feed them fruit flies which you can buy but theres not much else you can feed them.
The crickets you need to have a plastic tub to house a bunch and you need to clean it regularly removing dead ones and uneaten foods. I recommend every two days. Also feed them a variety of foods(gut loading) so they live longer and have more vitamins in them for your chams.
5) Its best to buy them yourself if you have time so you can see the box if theres lots of dead or not and try to get fresh deliveries so the last longer.
No worries!:)
Good luck
 
I have read over so many of your post! So much information!


Thanks to all who take the time to read this any help me out. I'm sorry for so many questions. I want to get this right and feed them properly. Nite All!
Tara
Hi there... See my feedback in red bold.

Please do not get annoyed with me for asking repeat questions. My 2 new baby veileds arrived early friday morning so this is all very new to me. Are you housing them together? How old are they?
Ok, I do not have many options close for purchasing food. I have a pet store about 30 minutes away that has crickets. Expensive though 10 for a $1. When I asked them about mealworms..they were like "huh" and when they found them they were a black color. Nooooo way. A few store near me have some mealworms they sell for fishing bait. I used them for my water dragons when I ws ina jam, but they are way to big for the baby chams...ok, I'm just gonna list my questions.... No mealworms they are very low in nutritional value. Do not get feeders from bait stores or you risk infecting your reptiles with parasites. See image for feeders. you can order crickets from places like rainbow mealworms and they ship them to you. Much cheaper.
1) what are the nutrients my chams need to be healthy? What nutrients are a "must" for their diet? You will be properly gutloading your feeders with a variety of veg or using a commercial gutload. See image.
2) Is ReptoLife Plus Multi-Vitamin & Mineral Formula for all reptiles a good choice for my chams? Is this the only type of supplement needed to sprinkle on their food, or do I need something with more calcium or more specific to chams? Also, how often should it be used? Is the mineral the indoor or outdoor version? If it is the outdoor version you can use this at every feed. If it is not then get some Repcal without D3. Lightly dusting your feeders then feeding them. Then you need a multivitamin. I recommend reptivite WITH D3 this should be given 2 times a month every other week. This has your multivitamin and calcium with D3.
3) How often should I feed my babies...and how much...Like once a day with how many crickets, or every day or more than once every day? I really have no idea. If they are under 3 months they eat as much as they want 15 or so a day. You will be feeding very small crickets. If 3 months old or older they should be eating 12 feeders a day. Feed in the morning so they have all day to digest.
4)What different types of foods are best for baby chameleons? Just crickets with powder for now? Is there anything else that is small enough for them to eat? I want them to have more than just crickets, but I am not sure what to start with. Depends on their age... Very tiny hornworms, BSFL, can be fed as well. See image on feeders.
The night before my babies were supposed to arrive I went and bought 100 crickets at my local pet store. When arrangements were changed and my veileds did not arrive until a week later, all but three crikets were dead. Is this normal and they only live about that long? If they were not being cleaned, housed, and fed properly then yes they will all die off.
I have saved all of the links I found in your posts for future food purchases as I see you can get 500 crickets for $10 and I paid the same price for 100.
Since I am still perfecting my veileds new hme I am not ready to move onto a home for crickets just yet. Althought when I do....I really loved that rubbermaid setup! It was mentioned that the food needs to be kept fresh and I am curious how often the veggies need to be changed for the crickets in a setup like that? Food should be changed every day.
5) What foods work best when ordering them? Do they last long after arrival? I guess I need to know how much they will eat so I know how much to order so I don't get to much. Any suggestions? What do you mean by this question?


chameleon-food(1).jpg
chameleon-gutload.jpg
 
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