What
to Feed Your Chameleon |
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Chapter
4:
Dietary Guidelines
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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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