Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I bred Orion last Wednesday for the first time. She looks ok, but she hasn't been too interested in eating her crickets. I'm going to get some silkies and waxworms and mealies tomorrow, but I was just wondering if this anyone else has had this happen. I'm thinking it may be just stress from the first time... but thought I'd mention it in case it is something I should worry about.
Also, I'm dusting with mineral-O every third day, and using liquid calcium (either dropped on the crix, or injected) in between. Does this sound ok?
Thanks!
~Lindsay

oops

Your supplements sound ok, but I would throw a Multivitamin in there also twice a week for a gravid girl. I don't use liquid calcium either so I don't know about that (rep-cal Calcium, multivitamins and calcium D3, plus Miner-All O, even though I'm mostly indoors, I give D3 once a week through the Rep Cal). I don't know what species you're referring to, but usually the females eat like crazy the first few weeks after mating. Has she shown gravid colors yet? Is she still living with the male? He may have roughed her up a bit while you weren't looking. I'm actually in a pretty similar situation right now. I'm just making sure she's hydrated. She seems to be eating, just not real energetic, but I did see the male rough her up. I think it just stresses them out maybe she's nervous for a few days. Also, it seems more and more, I'm not using crickets, silkies and mealies. I haven't used mealworms ever since probably 3 years ago. From what I understand, there's no nutritional value. My chams have become spoiled to superworms, roaches, houseflies and waxworms, and they eat crickets once or twice a week. Half of my chameleons won't even eat crix anymore. Maybe try some other foods. I gave up on Silkies a while ago and they're just bored of crix. All my chams love superworms try some of them. Also, Hissing roaches are becoming one of my favorites, they just take a while for colonies to get going enough.
-----
Tyler Stewart
Las Vegas NV
1.2 Nosy Be Panthers
2.2 Sambava Panthers
1.0 Tamatave Panther
1.0 Nosy Be X Unknown Cross
1.1 Veiled Chameleons
0.0.2 CBB Desert Tortoises
0.0.1 Sulcatta Tortoise

Thanks. She is usually ok with crix... but since she was mated, not so much. BUT he was about four times her size, and he basically squashed her lol. Maybe she is a little freaked out. I give her mealies for a treat b/c she goes NUTS over them. She'd chase my hand around the cage for just one if she had to lol. There isn't a store around here that sells "superworms" just king mealworms (are they different from the small ones nutritionally?). I have to wait for a bit until i can order roaches... even then, my dad REALLY doesn't want me to. (Yes, I still live with my father, don't poke fun). We live in an apartment... and my cat got into my cricket tub a few days ago... and the thought of roaches escaping would keep him up at night lol. Thanks for the info though, it's good to get feedback. I am a little nervous b/c this is the first time breeding for me. I was also thinking about getting some stick bugs in a few weeks to try and raise. Have you done this? I'm curious to knwo how it they would be... Unfortunately she'll probably have laid by then.
What kind of mulitvitamin do you use? I thought mineral I was a multivitamin?

How old was this female that you just bred? If he was 4 times her size, she way WAY too young. If it's a veiled or panther, they shoulda been 8 or 9 months old. I hate to lecture (I let my first panther female breed at 6 months out of sheer excitement), but it is hard on them especially young. I think the large mealworms are the same thing as the small ones, but the superworms are something different. They move around alot more and can't be refrigerated. Cat got in the cricket tub huh? Ouch LOL. Yeah roaches would be bad. I'm still trying to figure them out myself but so far my chams love them. Plus, if you buy them and feed them off, you're paying like 2 bucks per roach. That makes his lunch more expensive than yours. I just got like 25 adults and have been feeding the young. I'm getting more adults this week to keep up with my feeding. If you scroll back to September 5th in these forums, I kinda walked someone through the egg laying process (took me over a half hour to write it all out) but it worked out perfectly. So if you need help in a month or so check it out. Maybe even print it so you don't lose it when the time comes. That was for a panther, but veileds lay basically the same way. I've never used stickbugs, but I've heard of them being used. Go for it. I like using grasshoppers also. I work construction here in Vegas and we're out in the middle of a desert right now and they all make fun of me as I chase after these grasshoppers on my lunchbreak. But they're also very good for chams and high in Calcium. The multivitamin I use is from Rep-Cal and it's just called a multivitamin. I think Miner-All is Minerals, which are a little different from muitivitamins. I use all Rep-Cal supplements with Miner-All O twice a week for gravid girls or chams under 6 months old.
-----
Tyler Stewart
Las Vegas NV
1.2 Nosy Be Panthers
2.2 Sambava Panthers
1.0 Tamatave Panther
1.0 Nosy Be X Unknown Cross
1.1 Veiled Chameleons
0.0.2 CBB Desert Tortoises
0.0.1 Sulcatta Tortoise

She's just over ten months. Four times may have been a bit of an exaggeration lol. He was probably about 2.5 or 3 times her size. He seemed really big to me, b/c I've never seen a full grown male before. He was HUGE!
Thanks, I'll check out the post you did around Sept 5

Lindsay-

I have noticed with my F. pardalis females (if I remember correctly your chameleon is a panther) they will change there food intake and what they will eat. Just offer a good verity, supperworms (zophobas morio) are a favorite, but should be fed in moderation not to cause an impaction. I would be very careful with any vitamin supplement, to much can cause edema especially with gravid females. Calcium is important during egg production and they need a constant supply of it. That said you don't want to over do it. If you are housing her indoors under a 5.0 bulb make sure you use a calcium/D3 dust. What kind of liquid calcium are you giving? I dust with a calcium everyother feeding and once a month with a vitamin. The gutload is KEY, make sure you are using a high quality one like www.cricketfood.com . There is an excellent article on egg laying in the E-zine Egg Laying Hope this helps!
-----
John @ Chameleon Paradise
1.1 Ambilobe Panthers
1.1 Nosy Be Panthers
1.1 Sambava Panthers
1.2 Rhampholeon uluguruensis

Yes, she's a panther (good memory). I THINK she's a blue ambanja... but I'll have to see her babies to know for sure.
The calcium is just a liquid kind from the drug store. I was going to just dust every day, but she likes to free-roam crix, and I figured it would be easier to see her eat one injected worm/cricket than making sure she gets enough dusted ones.
How often should I use the minerall? Should I use calcium dust instead? I have a 100 watt mercury vapour bulb for her uvb.
thanks John!

Hi-

Well the reason I ask what kind of calcium is because there are a few forms of it. Some are more easily absorbed then others. On the bottle it should say calcium _______? If the calcium is more easily absorbed then the intake may need some adjustment. Liquid calcium is often used with medical problems like MBD to speed up the absorption of calcium. The minerall is a combo of calcium carbonate, vitamins and minerals. I would NOT use it while she is gravid. There is some speculation over the necessity of D3 with MV bulbs. I don't use D3 but I also expose my chameleons to natural sun light and use MV bulbs indoors. I would dust with a vitamin no more then once a month, and calcium/D3 dust with every other meal, but depending on the liquid calcium, you may not need to dust with calcium. The only problem is the D3 is mixed with the calcium, so you may be better off just using a dust. The calcium is KEY to producing well calcified eggs that don't bind together causing dystocia. Now all this said dusting has always been a touchy subject, and my way may be different then your way. For this reason there is no real set in stone way of dusting, because my setup will differ from yours. Hope this helps!
-----
John @ Chameleon Paradise
1.1 Ambilobe Panthers
1.1 Nosy Be Panthers
1.1 Sambava Panthers
1.2 Rhampholeon uluguruensis

Thanks, you are great! Do you live on here lol? I should get you on my msn... that would just be easier lol.
Anyway, the bottle says "Life, Calcium Liquid, sugar free (lol), promotes bone health, and minerals" the label says each 5 mL contains 540 mg calcium gluconate and 385 mg of calcium lactate (providing 100 mg of elemental calcium. Does that help?
Also, am I not supposed to use the Mineral b/c of the D3 in it, or the minerals? Would it be better to get calcium with D3? I used to just dust her crix about once a every 7-10 days with the minerall, and she seems fine. I try and open the window so some natural light gets in her cage for a few hours every day, but now it is getting cooler here. I could maybe get her in it on the warmer days... and skip the D3. The MV bulb is new... So many things to consider!! BAH! lol Iwas just worried about her vitamins b/c she is not QUITE full grown (she's 10 months, at 8/9 she was weighed at 43g) so I didn't want her growth to suffer from laying...
Given the type of calcium, if I just stick to using the calcium every other day, how much should she get? I can measure it with the needle I have...
Oh, also, I use the adcham cricket gutload recipe. My dad says that my crix are fed better than I am lol. The only thing that was missing was the algae and the dried egg. I wasn't about to buy a 5L thing of egg (that's the only one I oculd find) for my crix lol. I'm not QUITE that obsessed yet... give me a few more years...

N/P
-----
John @ Chameleon Paradise
1.1 Ambilobe Panthers
1.1 Nosy Be Panthers
1.1 Sambava Panthers
1.2 Rhampholeon uluguruensis

Hi Lindsay!

Hope Orion is okay, as for Shrek he is always ready for a female as you know! Anyways I dust my crix daily with Jurassi-Cal powder supplement. This is 100% Calcium no Phosphorous and no D3, and I have had no problems. I also use a 100W Mercury Vapour Bulb. Orion is a little over 1 week gravid right, I think she should be eating like a little pig. Hey if you need help let me know, I now have a investment in Orion! lol I don't know whats available in Brantford, but if you want I can possibly take you to Petsmart in Ancaster thats where I get all my supplements.