Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have a problem. i dont know how to feed my crickets to my veiled. i have one of those exo terra cricket rocks, but they rarely come out of it. could i feed her in a seperate cage? shes currently housed in a 65 gallon reptarium and is about 3 months old. any help on feeding her would be great because i have a kitty litter box on one end of the enclosure where i keep most of the plants except for the ficus and the waterfall for added humidity. im thinking of just a seperate cage. any help would be great.

I'd suggest hanging a large cup from a side of the cage. Place the crickets in there. Make sure your chameleon has a perch above and near it so it can get them. If you don't have one that the crickets will not jump out of, you can always clip their jumping legs. I hope you have a filter and/or change the water in that waterfall daily. They're a breeding ground for all kinds of nasty germs that will make your cham sick.

Taking her in and out for feeding will be much too stressful and she won't eat probably. You can either use a feeding bin (a plastic box placed in the cage where she can get down to the rim), hand feed her, or let the crix roam free. I don't like free ranging crix for several reasons, but others prefer it. A bin is a larger version of a feeding cup...I like it because the cham gets more of a chance to select and "hunt" the insects moving around in it, you can leave some gutload in the box, and it does help keep the tongue exercised. The key is to remove the box when feeding is over. That way you won't end up with drowned crix if you spray, the cham won't just sit on the box waiting for food, etc.