Cricket Size

[dank7oo]

how large should the crix be for my 4 1/2 month old panther cham? he is currently on half inchers ... or ones that are slightly larger .. when should i move on to the next size?!?!

Jason

[Wuntu Menny]

The standard guideline is not to feed crix that are longer than the animal's mouth is wide. Chams do chew their prey up more thoroughly than some other herps, but better safe than stupid I always say.

WM

[dank7oo]

yes ... i know that rule - lol

i was just wondering because he was going thru those like no tomorrow, and was still hungry afterwards ...

i have uped the size of the crix a little bit to see if that satisfies his hinger - lol

[Wuntu Menny]

Young chams go through a phenomenal number of crickets if they're given the chance. I've always been one to feed them as much as they want when they're young and taper off to a maintenance diet as they mature to adults. Obviously, some common sense will have to be followed as there is a line between a growing chameleon and a case of overindulgence.

You probably can upsize a bit without creating a problem. Have you tried any alternative prey yet? Some appropriately sized roaches can put a good dent in their appetite.

WM

[dank7oo]

i have trieda samll silie and a waxie, but nothing more ... ROACHES?!!! ... i think not - LOL

[Wuntu Menny]

Why not? The Madagascar hissing roach is a natural prey item for pardalis. Both species range over the entire island through almost every biotype. I found there to be a strong response from all my Malagasy chams toward the hissers.

WM

[dank7oo]

lol - i dont think that would go over well with my parents ...