Well, let me tell you about my experience with feeding chameleons. I’ve had both veiled and panther chameleons, and let me tell you, they can be quite picky eaters. But don’t worry, I’ll give you all the details on how many crickets you should feed them.
When it comes to chameleons up to six months old, they are growing rapidly and need a good amount of food to fuel their growth. So, during this stage, you should aim to feed them between ten and twelve crickets a day. Yep, that’s right, they have quite the appetite!
As they reach the six to twelve-month mark, their growth slows down a bit, and they don’t require as much food. At this stage, you can decrease the frequency of feeding to every other day. So, they should still be having ten to twelve crickets, but now it’s every other day instead of daily.
Now, once your chameleon reaches adulthood, which is typically over a year old, their feeding requirements change again. Adult chameleons have a slower metabolism and don’t need as much food as when they were younger. So, for adults, you should aim to feed them between seven and ten large crickets every other day.
It’s important to note that these feeding guidelines are based on crickets as the primary food source. However, it’s always a good idea to vary their diet and include other feeder insects like dubia roaches, mealworms, or waxworms. This helps provide a balanced diet and prevents them from becoming too reliant on one type of food.
Also, remember to gut-load your feeder insects before feeding them to your chameleon. Gut-loading means feeding the insects nutritious food, so your chameleon gets all the necessary nutrients when it eats them. You can do this by providing the insects with a nutritious diet like fresh fruits, vegetables, and commercial gut-loading products.
So, to sum it all up, veiled and panther chameleons up to six months old should have ten to twelve crickets a day. Between six and twelve months, they should have ten to twelve crickets every other day. And once they are adults over a year old, they should eat between seven and ten large crickets every other day.
I hope this helps you in feeding your chameleon! Remember, every chameleon is unique, so it’s always a good idea to observe their behavior and adjust their feeding accordingly.