Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just looked in my incubating box and I have babies. They have been incubating since October 21. I do not have any fruit flies or crickets for them. I read on the innernet that I could feed them baby food and let them eat off the leaves. I also read the that they can eat romaine lettuce. I am ordering them the flies tomorrow. It will take several days to get here. Please let me know as soon as possible if the baby food and lettuce is ok. Thanks if anybody can help.

HI there, I've never hatched out babies before myself.. BUT, I'm not sure they would go for the baby food. They are soo tiny it would be hard to get them to eat that way and you can't spray them with it since it could mess with their eyes. Most Chameleons won't eat greens until they are older,, BUT you never and I would not count on that a staple diet for them.
-----
TFFF
(Tootie Freakin' Fruity Feenie)

I'm not awake yet. What I was trying to say... is you never KNOW, if it would work or not (feeding greens), but it's worth a try until you can get some yummy bugs for them. If you live in the country or can get access to wild bugs with no poison sprays close by, but I think pin head crickets and Fruit flies would be best. Where are you getting them (insects) from? How old are the babies? Keep us posted! and oh ya... we love baby pictures!!
-----
TFFF
(Tootie Freakin' Fruity Feenie)

As of this morning I have 21 babies and 9 more to go. The first stated hatching last night. My husband ordered me frut flies and pinhead crickets this morning. I was so excited I could not sleep. I stayed up until midnight watching them hatch. and this morning I had six more in the incubator.They are the cutest little tiniest things I ever saw. They are about the size of a penny. WE have our digital camera charging and I will let my husband help me take pictures and tell me how to post them.

As small as a penny? That sounds small for a veiled...unless you don't mean an American penny?

With them hatching all at once, did you have the eggs quite close to each other in the incubation container?

I've never heard of a newly hatched veiled eating/licking food from a leaf, so I have no idea if that will work. As was already posted...they usually don't become omnivores until they are several months old.

Generally newly hatched veileds won't eat for a day or two anyhow. They should have enough nutrition left from their egg sacs for a couple of days.

You should make sure that you gutload the crickets and dust them lightly with calcium powder before feeding them to the hatchlings. If they are not in the sunlight for a while each day but are under fullspectrum/UVB lights instead, then they will likely need some D3 powder a couple of times a month too.

Good luck with them! Baby chameleons are so cute!

just make sure to keep them Hydrated very well too. I agree, I heard that sometimes babies won't eat for upto 2 days, so you should be o.k. until the Fruit flies come, They'll be hungry little monster by then!!!
-----
TFFF
(Tootie Freakin' Fruity Feenie)

I called my vet. She is a reptile vet. She told to only feed them pinhead crickets. As for as incubating them .I had about 28 to a rubbermaid container shoe box size. We used 2 parts vermiculate to 1 part perlite. The same formula you use for incubating snakes. I have been having trouble getting them to eat. I purchased some fruit flies from Petco. I will give it afew days since they just hatched today and yesterday. They are just the cutest little things. They are climbing all over the cage.