What to Feed Your Chameleon  
Chapter 4:
Dietary Guidelines


Variety is Key

Offering your chameleon a variety of vegetation and insects will promote a healthy appetite. Chameleons become bored with the same bugs day in and day out, so it is crucial that you "mix it up" and offer them a variety of insects! If not, they may go on "hunger strikes"; refusing to eat. Many insects you may be able to find around your house are toxic (i.e. ladybugs) or have been exposed to pesticides so beware.

Offering your adult chameleon food about three times a week keeps them interested in eating. If a constant supply is provided, they tend to get bored and stop eating. Hatchling/Juveniles will however, require a constant supply


Insects:

  • Hissing and other various tropical cockroaches
  • Hornworms
  • Fruit Flies (wingless) and house flies
  • Meal worms (tenibrio)
  • Superworms (zoophoba)
  • Preying mantice
  • Silk worms
  • Slugs
  • Stick insects
  • Waxworms (No nutritional value. Just high sugar/fat, like candy for your chameleon! Good for a treat.)


Tips:

  • Any insect you offer your chameleon must be bred as "food" to ensure quality and sanitation. Insects you may find outside may have been exposed to pesticides!

  • Most pet stores do not "gut-load" their insects, as they are unable to have an extensive variety of fresh ingredients on hand. Therefore, it is that you do not offer them to your chameleon until you flush out systems and "gut-load" them for at least 24 hours!

  • Never offer your chameleon a dead, unhealthy insect or one that escaped and you found wandering around the house. After all, they are what they eat! An unhealthy cricket will be dark in color, inactive, and dehydrated (wrinkled). Crickets that have ingested poison etc. may look fine initially, so discard any you "find" outside the bug cage or enclosure.

  • Ensure you feed your bugs small amounts of food frequently. Offering them a large quantity will only lead to mould and rotting food items. If your bugs eat this, it can make your chameleon ill, not to mention producing an offensive odor! Remove any uneaten, shriveled wet/fresh food every other day. Try to spread it out. Layering it will only produce mold.

 

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