Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi was just wondering if this advice "feed pregnant cickets to gravid chams "was worth following and how do you obtain or identifiy them?
many thanks for any input
choppy

Pregnant crickets are perhaps a bit fatter. Other than that I can think of no particular reason to single them out as feeders. Pretty much any mature female cricket is bound to be pregnant. So any large cricket over five weeks old and with a noticable ovipositor is likly preggies.
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Sandra
BC Canada

Thanks,that is very handy to know,while i am her can i ask how you feed roaches to your Chams .Mine has never had them before and when i put them in his feeding cup ,he just totally ignored them ,and i am afriad to let them free roam the viv in case they escape
cheers choppy

Hi

You asked: "how [do] you feed roaches to your Chams. Mine has never had them before and when i put them in his feeding cup ,he just totally ignored them ,and i am afriad to let them free roam the viv in case they escape "

Most of my chameleons are really good eaters, so their prey doesnt last long. And they really like roaches to these go fast. For those, I can put the roaches right on a vine to walk around - they get eaten near immediately, so I just watch to make sue this happens.

For those who take their time eating, who are less aggressive hunters, I put them in a feeder cup directly under their favourite perch. They will eat when they get around to it. But as the roaches can climb the sides of the cup, I remove the head from the roach. Sounds awful, I know. And I suppose it is, for the roach. The roach will continue to live and move for more than a day without a head. But I can be sure it won't live forever, so if it happens to get out of the feeder cup and out of the cage uneaten, it'll be found dead and vacuumed up or tossed when the cage is cleaned.

Are the roaches you're offering an appropriate size for your cham? Does he eat other bugs from that cup? What colour is your feeder cup? Some chams dont like to eat out of a white cup or anything metal or shiny.
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Sandra
BC Canada

Hi
i might try just one free roaming and watch if that gets eaten
Perhaps once he gets the taste he will be a bit more enthusiastic. These ones cannot climb plastic or glass .I did try an assortment of sizes for him, and yes he always feeds from this. It is an opaque measuring jug .I just hook the handle through the jungle vine beneath his favourite perch and he tucks in.
Cheers Choppy

sounds like a plan - good luck!
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Sandra
BC Canada