Food, Diet, and Supplements

Venus Animated GIF Archive - www.usa.venus.co.uk

It is amazing to see a chameleon's tongue fly out of its mouth and grab its food. One of the main diets for chameleons is crickets. Crickets can be purchased by large amounts such as 1,000 at a time. When buying crickets at this amount, it will arrive in a big crate. Be sure to have an arranged place for the crickets, and take note that crickets make noise. This may be a disturbance. I have a few 10-gallon aquariums that I house my crickets in. The aquarium that houses the crickets should be cleaned out weekly, and the food for the crickets should be changed at least once every two days. In order to provide drinking water for the crickets, you should put a moist sponge inside the aquarium in the corner and this will allow the crickets to drink from the sponge. You should put a variety of paper towel rolls, and egg carton bits inside the aquarium to provide standing room and hiding places for the crickets. Another way to buy crickets is to go to your local pet store, and buy them at any amount you desire. Crickets are not too expensive no matter which way that you purchase them. If you have a baby chameleon, about twelve to twenty (12-20) small crickets each day is a sufficient diet. Babies always need more nutrition and food to help the growth process. If you have a juvenile chameleon, about five (5) medium to large crickets each day is a sufficient diet. However, it is very easy to over-feed your chameleon during this stage of its life by mistake. Do NOT feed the chameleon just because it keeps on eating the crickets, you must limit him/her to about 5 per day. *Note: chameleons grow at they're fastest rate when they are babies; when they are juveniles, they grow at a very slow rate. If you over-feed them during this stage of life, their bones will become weak and brittle, and they will develop Metabolic Bone Disease. For more information on MBD please refer to the common illnesses and symptoms section. If you have an adult chameleon about four to five (4-5) large crickets each day or every other day is a sufficient diet. Pregnant chameleons should always have a few more crickets than their regular diet to give them the extra nutrients and food that they need to stay healthy. However, crickets are NOT the only thing you should feed your chameleon. Chameleons need a variety of insects to get the proper vitamins and nutrition. I feed my chameleon: grasshoppers, small butterflies, moths, houseflies, super worms, and wax worms. You can even feed roaches to your chameleon; they provide an excellent amount of protein! Most insects can be purchased the same way that crickets are (either shipment or pet stores). But, as long as the weather permits, I catch all of these insects outside. When feeding your chameleon insects from outside, you must make sure that they are NOT located in an area where there are any pesticides or diseases. You should always remove any loose insects within the chameleon's cage at night because they can nibble on the chameleon, and they can disturb a chameleon's sleeping pattern. Some chameleons will eat fruits and vegetables, but fruits and vegetables should not be a regular diet for a chameleon. Most chameleons won't eat fruits and vegetables because they aren't alive and they don't move like insects do. If you decide to try this method of short-term feeding, just put a few small pieces of apples, grapes, or carrots inside a clean medium sized butter container. Then put the butter container inside, near the bottom of the cage. Fasten it to a branch by using a twisty or rubber band. If your chameleon doesn't eat them in a few days then remove them from the cage because it obviously doesn't want them.

"Gut Loading" and Supplements for Your Feeder Insects

An important aspect of feeding your chameleon insects is gut loading them. To gut load your insects, feed them a variety of food such as small pieces of apples, oranges, cereal, collard greens, dry dog food, and spinach. Another very important thing to do is to use two dusting products made by Rep-Cal. The first product, called Rep-Cal with Calcium and Vitamin D3, is a special dust for insects that is full of the proper vitamins and minerals to make your chameleon healthy. Dust the crickets with the Rep-Cal with Calcium and Vitamin D3, six days out of the week, right before you feed them to your chameleon. The second dust is called Rep-Cal Herptivite (with Beta Carotene) and should be used once a week (on the day that you don't use the other dust). When chameleons reach their adult stage, you may cut back on the dust intake to 3-4 times each week because they do not grow very much during the adult stage. In order to dust the crickets you will need to purchase an insect duster, which can be found in local pet stores. For more information on this product, please go to the supplies page. NOTE: If you use another product to "gut load" your insects, make sure that it is Phosphorus free. Make sure to clean the enclosure that you are keeping the insects in at least once a week; this will prevent the insects from getting bacteria and diseases. By having healthy insects, it creates a healthy chameleon.