Basics: Feeding Chameleons

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Basics: Feeding Chameleons

Summary: Feeding Your Chameleon

Chameleons eat live food
Chameleons are insectivores but will take vertebrate prey
Chameleons need variety in their food
Beware of obesity. High quality – low quantity
Feed smaller prey items rather than larger
It is not necessary to feed veiled chameleons plant matter
Remove uneaten food items from cage

You can watch a high level video summary of this page here! But come back to read as there is more detail here!

Wild Chameleon Diet: What They Eat in Nature (and Why It Matters in Captivity)

In the wild, chameleons will eat anything that can be caught and eaten. If it fits in their mouth it goes in their mouth! This includes any number of insects, arthropods, and even small vertebrates including lizards, birds, and mammals. What is important for us to realize is that chameleons in the wild are getting an incredibly diverse diet. Each insect species will have a different plant they feed on, each bee that is eaten will have pollen from a different flower, and there are rich stores of nutrients that are in baby lizards and birds which are not found in insects.

Another thing that is important for us to realize is that chameleons eat insects and animals that come out during the day. These include grasshoppers, bees, flies, butterflies, and beetles. They do not include crickets, roaches, and grubs. This becomes important when we talk about what is available to us in captivity. Diurnal insects (insects that come out during the day) have a different nutritional make-up from nocturnal insects so we should gravitate towards diurnal insects as much as is possible.

Captive Chameleon Diet: the Hidden Risks

In captivity we have only a shadow of the diversity found in the wild. The good news is that, through gutloading and supplementation we have figured out how to keep chameleons healthy for many years. The reason why we can’t just pat ourselves on the back and go on is because we know we are not working with a natural diet. The bulk of feeders available to us are nocturnal feeder (insects that come out at night). Insects like crickets, roaches, and super worms are easy to mass produce because warehouses more replicate conditions for nocturnal insects. But they have a different nutritional make-up. This is why we chameleon keepers get excited when grasshoppers, house flies, and black soldier flies are available. They are insects that come out during the day!

On this website you will learn how we compensate for this. We have done a good job, but, for those of us that love pushing our husbandry forward, we keep working on better feeders and better nutritional awareness!

One thing to be aware of is that insects from commercial breeding facilities or your pet store may not have the greatest of nutrition. So, the section below on gutloading is important!

Chameleon Feeding Frequency by Age and Life Stage

Feeding chameleons isn’t as straightforward as dropping bugs in a cage. These creatures, especially veileds, will literally eat themselves into health problems if we let them. Healthy feeding frequency and amount varies significantly based on life stage.

Adult Chameleon Feeding Guidelines: Your typical adult chameleon does well with 3-5 appropriately sized feeders every other day. Though this is just an average starting point. The key is being mindful of caloric intake. Obviously, three dubia roaches have much more on them than five houseflies!Veiled chameleons are particularly prone to overeating. Females will supercharge egg production if overfed, producing 60-100+ eggs instead of a healthy 20-30. This can be life-threatening. Thus it is important with adults to not feed as much as they will eat. This is difficult for us as loving keepers, but this is case where love means keeping their body weight healthy.

Juvenile Chameleon Feeding Guidelines: Most people acquire 3-4 month old juveniles. These growing machines need daily feeding—as much as they’ll eat. Their job is to grow big as fast as they can. You’ll need to watch for that transition point when they stop growing longer/taller and start growing wider. That’s when you shift to adult feeding schedules. I’ll talk about what that transition point is at the end of this blog

Baby Chameleon Feeding Guidelines:I give my baby chameleons constant food availability. I maintain fruit fly cultures, feeder cups with pinhead crickets, and supplement with bean beetles every afternoon. Babies are growing machines! Now, to be accurate, how quickly they grow depends on species. Panthers and veileds grow quickly. Parson’s are more leisurely about it. I have had Ambilobe panthers explode in growth and Ambanja panthers take four times as long! So, I can share general guidelines, but keep a look out for individual growth patterns. Baby chameleon care is specialized enough that I wrote an entire book about it—Tiny Dragons, available on Amazon. (Note: I am an Amazon affiliate so a purchase from this link supports the Chameleon Academy)

Gravid Female Chameleon Feeding Guidelines: Here’s where timing becomes critical. Never overfeed females before they start developing eggs—that triggers those dangerous oversized clutches. But once they’re gravid? Feed daily. They’re building 20-30+ eggs or bodies and need the nutrition. As eggs develop and fill the body cavity, appetite naturally decreases. I continue generous feeding for about a week post-laying to aid recovery.

The podcast episode below is especially for keepers of female veiled chameleons. I talk with Mari Joki who is one who is experimenting with diet vs heat to find a way to keep female Veiled Chameleons healthier. We don’t have the answers yet, but we are working on the answers!

How Do I Know if my Chameleon is Overweight?

Each chameleon species will show weight gain differently, but a common method is in their casque and general body shape. Body shape is tricky because you have to know what a healthy chameleon looks like first! The best way to do this is to look at pictures of chameleons in the wild to get a sense for what a healthy chameleon looks like. The most reliable method for species like panther chameleons and veiled chameleons is to look at their casque. That is the top of their head, or, in the case of the Veiled Chameleon, the thing that sticks up! The fleshy part should be relatively level. If it is sunken in then the chameleon is underweight. If it bulges out the chameleon is overweight.

If you chameleon is underweight then increase the nutritional feeding amount. If your chameleon is overweight, you guessed it, decrease the nutritional feeder amount. But do not skip meals. Weight goes on slowly and you want weight to come off slowly. Reduce feeders to just two to three every other day for adults and weight should start to come off.

Chameleon Feeding Problems: Understanding Picky Eating

It is common for a chameleon to refuse to eat certain foods. And there are a few possible reasons.

Your Chameleon is not hungry – We typically feed chameleons in captivity many more calories than they need in their safe cages. They are not having to hunt for food or evade predators! This means they just might not be hungry! And, what do we do when we are not hungry? We eat the food that is fun to eat! So, if your chameleon is not hungry they may still eat the worms or flying insects, but ignore your crickets or dubia roaches. This is not something to panic about. This is just a response to being well taken care of! If they refuse food then that is a sign you can skip a feeding and try your dubia roach again the next feeding to see if their pickiness has lessened.
Your Chameleon got used to crickets – Chameleons can get used to a certain food and not feel the need to change. Usually, chameleons are excited about seeing a new feeder insect. But, every chameleon is different. And sometimes they will eat the same thing for months and then, suddenly, be open to something new. If your chameleon gets stuck on a certain feeder then let them eat that feeder (as long as it is nutritious) but keep trying variety. Eventually, they switch over. Two things to keep in mind. First, chameleons have been raised their whole life on gut loaded and supplemented crickets so, if that is their choice, you do not have to panic. Second, if they are addicted to something not nutritious (such as wax worms or mealworms) then you do have to wean them off.
They had a bad experience – Feeder insects sometimes fight back. If your chameleon got bitten by a feeder insect they may be scared to try and eat it again. For example, this can happen with a super worm if your chameleon catches it by the tail instead of the head for that first bite.

If your chameleon starts refusing food then first, go to the schedule published above. If they still turn their nose up at what you feed them then skip a feeding or two until hunger comes back. A healthy chameleon can easily go a week without food. They can go longer in times of hardship, but a week without food is usually enough to get them back to a state where they eat because they are hungry. Once you break the hunger strike then continue to feed in a sparse manner.

Chameleon Feeding Techniques: Cup, Hand, Free-Range & Controlled Release

To feed your chameleon, put gutloaded feeder into a cup or bag that has the proper supplementation powder and given a tumble to coat the insect with the powder. These feeder insects are then put in the cage with the chameleon. There are a variety of methods to feed your chameleon. The three main approaches are Feeder Run/Bowl Feeding, Controlled Release, and Hand Feeding.

Another thing to take under consideration is how long you leave your feeders in with your chameleon. Ed Kammer of Kammerflage Kreations gives some advice that he uses in his breeding operation.

Feeding Your Chameleon with a Feeder Run Cup

Bowl feeding is where you place a container in the chameleon cage where the feeders cannot get out, but the chameleon has a clear shot for its tongue. These can be as simple as bowls or plastic mini tote boxes with a branch network above. A Chameleon Feeder Run Cup is a modification on this idea where a vertical side is extended so the feeder insects will climb up and be much more visually stimulating to get the chameleon’s attention. These can be made cheaply or else nicer professionally produced versions are available.

Feeding Your Chameleon by Controlled Release

Controlled Release is where you release one or a couple of feeders up the screen side of the cage. The insects scatter and you chameleon hunts them down. This is the method of choice for chameleons that just don’t embrace a bowl feeding. Though, this is also a way of insects hiding and coming into contact with poop.

To produce a hunting response, feeder insects are released in the cage for the chameleon to hunt down. Usually this takes the form of releasing the insects to climb a wall that is near the chameleon. To do this, I place my feeders in a deli cup that has the appropriate mineral/vitamin powder, gently shake to get a coating of powder, and then tip the cup up against the screen side of the cage. I sometimes give a tap to get the feeders to go to the cup opening. The feeders will generally start climbing the screen and you just let them climb up. I do this in tongue range of the chameleon, but as far away from him as possible. Ideally, this is done below him and the feeders are allowed to crawl up the screen. Doing it below him will make the activity less stressful as chameleons have a security when they are looking down on things. The main challenge with this method is the stubborn feeders that decide they want to climb down. Dubia roaches can have this tendency. Of course, you can simply place the feeder on the screen with your fingers and let it go.

Adjust your application as needed!

Obviously, this method is problematic in that the feeders can then come in contact with poop and possibly spread any parasites that are in the cage. Use Controlled Release with careful thought and supervision.

Feeding Your Chameleon with Hand Feeding

Hand feeding is an enjoyable interaction you can have with your chameleon. It is a way to get him to be comfortable with your presence. Do this with a special feeder treat and hold the treat between you and the chameleon. This way, your chameleon is not distracted by having to keep one eye on you and one eye on the feeder.

Feeding Your Chameleon Vertebrate Prey

Chameleons will take vertebrate prey such as lizards, pinkie mice, and small birds. If it moves, and can fit in their mouth, then it is fair game. Depending on the size of your chameleon, occasional vertebrate prey is a benefit. Obviously, the larger the chameleon the more likely that they will eat another lizard or even pinkie mouse. We generally don’t make a regular occurrence of feeding vertebrates, as you could easily give their bodies too much of a good thing. But an occasional feeding of an appropriately sized vertebrate is acceptable. There is no determined schedule as to how much is too much. A bi-monthly vertebrate feeding has worked well for me for my larger chameleons. If you are unsure, then stick with an insect diet. You cannot go wrong with that choice.

Do Chameleons Eat Leaves and Plant Matter?

A very few chameleon species will eat the leaves of the plants in their cage. Most notably, the veiled chameleon. There are many ideas as to why they do this. Nutrition and hydration really don’t make sense considering what they eat and when they eat it in the wild. The one explanation that does make sense is that they use the leaves as roughage to help their digestion. This idea was put forth by Petr Necas as he observed veiled chameleons in Yemen eating leaves when there was ample food and water around. Their poop showed leaves undigested, but wrapped around the poop. This made sense because, as babies, they would eat a great deal of caterpillars and roughage was needed to pass the soft waste.

In captivity, there is no need to feed vegetation and, especially, do not feed fruit. This has been a common practice, but not for the right reasons. Veiled chameleons are programmed to eat anything and everything to grow up as quick as possible before the dry season comes and kills them all. Just because they eat something doesn’t mean it is good for them.

But, if your chameleon does take bites out of your cage plant then do not worry. It is just nature’s programming. With the exoskeleton feeders we feed in captivity our veiled chameleons are not as dependent on roughage. They apparently had no need, in the wild, to ever not eat plants. The cynical among us would point out that that is the effect of living only one season. Living for years is a new dynamic on their evolutionary development. But this does highlight that if you have a veiled chameleon, replace any plastic plants with real plants as plastic leaves may be eaten and cause health issues. Since the veiled chameleon does not have much in the way of discernment, we need to make accommodations. Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) has been shown to be a safe plant for veiled chameleons to live with and nibble on. Though it is listed on the dog and cat toxic lists as toxic due to oxalates in the leaves, decades of veiled chameleons eating them without an issue tells us that either the shortened throat of the chameleon is immune to oxalates or that Veiled Chameleons do not eat enough to be affected.

Summary:

1) Feed insects, not plant matter, to your chameleon

2) Use live plants, especially with Veiled Chameleons

3) Do not feed fruits to your chameleons

4) Don’t worry if your Chameleon chomps on your plants. This is natural.

What to Do With Your Chameleon's Uneaten Feeders (and Why It Matters)

Remove uneaten food after 30 minutes. All of your gutloading and supplementation dusting efforts go to waste if the insect is eaten after it is starving and has lost its coat of powder. For many reasons, it is best to remove the feeders if they are not eaten. And do not put the feeders back in the feeder bin with all the other insects. The feeder may have picked up a pathogen or parasite in the chameleon’s cage and you do not want that spread around. These feeders should be destroyed and not reused. This is especially true of feeders that have had any contact with poop. This is the exact way that parasites rely on to be spread. Your goal is to have everything you offer be eaten. If you are constantly having uneaten food then it is time to reduce the number of feeder insects offered.

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This seminar is part of the introductory course Chameleon Basics which, in turn, is a module within the even larger Term 1: Getting Started With Chameleons.

In the next module we will study how to make the feeder insects as nutritious as possible. When they come to us from the reptile food supply company they are usually fed enough to be alive. It is up to us to gutload and supplement them to make them worth eating.

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Basics: Feeding Chameleons