How to Feed a Chameleon
Buy live crickets., Vary the chameleon’s diet with other insects., Gut load the insects., Dust the insects with vitamin supplements.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Buy live crickets.
Crickets are the primary food given to chameleons in captivity.
This is because crickets are easy to feed and breed.
Chameleons also enjoy hunting crickets in their cage.
You can find live crickets at a pet store or at a store that specializes in lizard and reptile care.
These insects will probably not be fed, and you cannot feed your chameleon these straight from the pet store.
They must first be gut loaded and dusted.
Crickets should be no larger than the width of your chameleon's head.Baby chameleons can be fed every day.
Chameleons up to three months old should be given as many small crickets as they can eat.
Depending on the species, you can start feeding them every other day when your chameleon is between six and twelve months old.
Most adult chameleons will eat between five and twelve crickets per feeding. -
Step 2: Vary the chameleon’s diet with other insects.
While crickets will form the bulk of your chameleon’s diet, you can add other insects to the mix.
These insects will be bought, raised, and gut loaded just like crickets.
These other insects should serve as occasional treats to your chameleon to supplement their cricket diet.
These include:
Silk worms Mealworms Wax worms Flies Moths CockroachesLocusts Hornworms Butterworms, Gut loading is the process of feeding the insects certain foods to boost their nutrition value to chameleons.
To properly gut load the food, you should feed them nutritious, high calcium foods a few hours before they are to be fed to the chameleon.Some good foods to use include:
Leafy greens such as mustard greens, alfalfa, watercress, collard greens, and dandelion leaves Sweet potato Carrots Oranges Mango Broccoli Apples, It is important that your chameleon receives proper nutrients.
You can boost their vitamin and calcium intake by coating the insects in special dust.
This mineral and vitamin dust is specially formulated for lizards and can be found in most pet stores.
Mist the crickets with water, and gently sprinkle the dust over the crickets.
Do this immediately before feeding.For young chameleons, you will need to dust their food with calcium supplements two or three times a week.
You can use a general multivitamin dust once every two weeks.
Mature chameleons may only need their food dusted with calcium once a week.Chameleons are susceptible to Vitamin A deficiency.
While gut loading insects with foods high in Vitamin A might be sufficient, you can also add a vitamin A supplement dust to the insects.A good calcium dust will contain twice as much calcium as phosphorus.Read the label to make sure that there is a good ratio.
Different brands have different ratios of vitamins.
Always read the label to find the right dosage for your chameleon. -
Step 3: Gut load the insects.
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Step 4: Dust the insects with vitamin supplements.
Detailed Guide
Crickets are the primary food given to chameleons in captivity.
This is because crickets are easy to feed and breed.
Chameleons also enjoy hunting crickets in their cage.
You can find live crickets at a pet store or at a store that specializes in lizard and reptile care.
These insects will probably not be fed, and you cannot feed your chameleon these straight from the pet store.
They must first be gut loaded and dusted.
Crickets should be no larger than the width of your chameleon's head.Baby chameleons can be fed every day.
Chameleons up to three months old should be given as many small crickets as they can eat.
Depending on the species, you can start feeding them every other day when your chameleon is between six and twelve months old.
Most adult chameleons will eat between five and twelve crickets per feeding.
While crickets will form the bulk of your chameleon’s diet, you can add other insects to the mix.
These insects will be bought, raised, and gut loaded just like crickets.
These other insects should serve as occasional treats to your chameleon to supplement their cricket diet.
These include:
Silk worms Mealworms Wax worms Flies Moths CockroachesLocusts Hornworms Butterworms, Gut loading is the process of feeding the insects certain foods to boost their nutrition value to chameleons.
To properly gut load the food, you should feed them nutritious, high calcium foods a few hours before they are to be fed to the chameleon.Some good foods to use include:
Leafy greens such as mustard greens, alfalfa, watercress, collard greens, and dandelion leaves Sweet potato Carrots Oranges Mango Broccoli Apples, It is important that your chameleon receives proper nutrients.
You can boost their vitamin and calcium intake by coating the insects in special dust.
This mineral and vitamin dust is specially formulated for lizards and can be found in most pet stores.
Mist the crickets with water, and gently sprinkle the dust over the crickets.
Do this immediately before feeding.For young chameleons, you will need to dust their food with calcium supplements two or three times a week.
You can use a general multivitamin dust once every two weeks.
Mature chameleons may only need their food dusted with calcium once a week.Chameleons are susceptible to Vitamin A deficiency.
While gut loading insects with foods high in Vitamin A might be sufficient, you can also add a vitamin A supplement dust to the insects.A good calcium dust will contain twice as much calcium as phosphorus.Read the label to make sure that there is a good ratio.
Different brands have different ratios of vitamins.
Always read the label to find the right dosage for your chameleon.
About the Author
Isabella Fox
Experienced content creator specializing in hobbies guides and tutorials.
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