First of all, I did not suggest having plants in the cage to provide food for the loose crickets...I suggested that a jar lid of things that I use to gutload the crickets (greens like dandelions, mustard greens, collards, kale; veggies like diced red pepper, squash, slightly cooked sweet potato, carrots, etc.) be placed in the cage. Its almost the same thing that I would give the crickets as a gutload...so when the crickets eat it they would be almost fully gutloaded...would not lose much of their nutritional value and do not deteriorate. I have done this for years....and no harm has come to my chameleons and my cages have not been full of baby crickets.



Admittedly I could have also said to dust the food in the container with some calcium powder and said that I also provide a branch in the cage that the chameleon can/will sleep on that the crickets can't get to.



If this is done properly, there shouldn't be a build up of crickets in the cage, since the chameleon should eat some of the "excess crickets"...which can be encouraged by not adding a lot of new ones at a time. (I also did not say not to try to keep the numbers of excess crickets down.)



You said..."Loos crix also destroy plants. They chew on them and leave unattractive dead spots on the leaves"...when they are provided with proper food in the jar lid, I have never had crickets destroy my plants. I have had some female veileds that strip leaves off my pothos plants though.



As far as reconsidering my husbandry views...I have been keeping chameleons since the late 80's and breeding them since the mid 90's...my veileds now live for over 6 years (females included), my hatching rate for veileds' fertile eggs is close to 100%, my survival rate for my hatchlings after two months is 95%...I've kept quite a few of them for their whole life and they are/were healthy too. I have had good survival with fischer's, panthers, deremensis, C. chameleons (all WC's)...just to name a few.I have not had a CB chameleon to the vets for over 5 years now (maybe longer)....and that's because none needed to go, not because I neglect them.



Just explaining a few things...no offense intended. Not saying that I do everything "perfect". There are still not things that I have to learn about chameleons....I will always have more to learn. People can make their own choices concerning the advice I give...and take it or not.



Lele and Will...thanks for the words of defence!

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