veiled chams and veges

[recycling goddess]

how essential is veges to chameleons? mine isn't interested in them at all. if they don't move... she doesn't want to eat them.

i'm feeding her roaches, silkworms, crickets and superworms... dusting with vitamins and with calcium...

help cham-gods... i'm confused.

[qiksilver]

someone with more experience should come along and answer better, but I think as long as the insects are supplemented then there is no need for vegetation... maybe? *I think I heard* that chameleons eat vegetation in the wild only infrequently and usually if it's just taken in with a bug and they didn't actually mean to snag it. Again, if I'm wrong someone please correct me.

[daniel1983]

Vegetation is more of an 'adult' thing with veileds...but that being said, my male gets crickets dusted with vitamins and calcium everyday....nothing else.

I would not be concerned with the vegies....they are not necessary from what I have read. But feed'em some bugs and they grow fast

[recycling goddess]

thanks! she is wolfing down the bugs! there was a fly on the outside of her enclosure and she was trying to catch it as well LOL

how old are they when they change from twice a day feedings to once a day? i thought i read once every two days feedings, but if you are feeding daily i'll do that as well. she's 4.5 months now.

[daniel1983]

I really don't know about the 'once a day' or 'twice a day'. My veiled always has access to crickets. I keep several in a tall container (large critter keeper) in his enclosure at all times....that way, he can have a snack if he feels like it..ha ha. They can't excape the container, so no real issues

The only warning I can give about what I do is be careful not to use a reflective clear container (I skuffed the plastic critter keeper up so it was not reflective), because the Cham can mistake an insect reflection for an actual insect....and once a cham ends up with a sprained tongue...they do not do too well.

[recycling goddess]

ohhh good advice daniel, thank you.

my glass is very very very water stained. it's not a new enclosure and i left the stains on when i saw the bit about the reflection earlier. i also have a lot of hanging vines in there. i will sit and see if i can see a reflection anywhere and i'll use some SOS pads to scuff up any areas i see a reflection

i soooo appreciate your assistance.

[SiscoReptiles]

If you have chams, you could safely allow a few crickets to be loose in the enclosure. As your cham eats them you could add more. I would keep a baby carrot in the bottom of your enclosure (hidden by some vines if you wish) as this will allow any loose crickets to eat and drink. This will keep the crickets alive and healthy, as well as keep them from nibbling at the veiled.

Keeping the crickets in a open cricket keeper inside the enclosure may function, but my concern would be if a small veiled fell into the bin of always hungry crickets and the veiled was not able to climb out. If the crickets didn't kill the cham by eating at it, I am sure the stress of crickets crawling all over it with no way to escape would have a detrimental effect.

Note that this is just my opinion and my concern.. I would consider making a 1/2" hardware cloth cover for the cricket keeper. Something the cham can eat through without being able to fall in.

Rick

[recycling goddess]

good point... i let a few crickets go in the enclosure... i keep the roaches in a container which is wide open so no change of her falling in and not getting out (rectangle tub with roaches in it, with olive oil all over the sides)