one more question please....

[labomb]

how many crickets should this 4 month old veiled be eating,,,,,will he know when he has had enough, or do they gorge? he's so funny, he shows off all puffed up when I am in the room too close to his cage, but if I have crickets in hand he tries to get close as possible to me and shows no attitude. but even when it isn't feeding time for him and I get the crickets out to feed my cresties, he comes close and waits for some to come his way again. I had to block his view from the cresties aquariums when I realized he was watching the crickets I gave them. I read that they can eat as many as a dozen a day, but he no doubt would eat more. so do I feed him till he stops, or will he eat too many? I got rid of the feeder cup, he grabs the crickets before they leave my hand.

[peterm15]

i juus always put about a dozen in there then if there all gone add 2 or 3 more to the cup.. like a snake for later.. how close is he to you cresties.. i dont think he should be close enough to view them.. it may stress him a little.. you should maybe think about blocking his veiw perminatly.. oh and my adult does the same.. pissed unless i have food

[meow_mix450]

usually a dozen is good, but one they reach adulthood feed them ever other day

Meow

[peterm15]

what???? every other???? every sorce i have read states that veilds must be fed daily..

[meow_mix450]

nope once they have reached adult hood, they eat less as they get older, its only when there young that they should be feed every day because of there fast grow rate they need all the food. But as they get older they stop growing so you dont need to feed them every day

Meow

[peterm15]

wow.. ok... well how old in your opinion is adult hood.. i have noticed that my cham isnt eating as vigerously as he used to.. i knew they slowed but i havent witnessed him cup feed in a long while.. he take from my hand fine so i know hes eating, but i used to put the crix in his cage and before i could even close the door hed be eating..

[tHeGiNo]

At four months, I would say it is probably alright to let your chameleon eat as much as he wishes, as he is still growing. Also, the number of crickets you 'should' be feeding is relative to the size of the feeder insect.

Meow is right, once they are older you are going to want to cut down on the amount you are feeding to a mature veiled. Overfeeding will lead to obesity, which creates a whole world of problems in itself. When to slow down the amount you are feeding can depend on a few factors, but usually around a year is when your going to want to start thinking about putting in a set amount of crickets. This also is dependant on the sex of your chameleon. If you have a female, your going to want to feed less, because the more she eats, and thus the bigger she is, the more eggs she will lay. Egglaying is extremely harsh on their system, and big clutches constantly can lower their lifespan quite dramatically.

[meow_mix450]

ummm i would say 8 months to a year

Meow