Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently got a new little girl and she wants nothing to do with the crickets in the cup. Could it be where the cup is or is she just picky. She will eat crickets if they are walking around just not in the cup.

Any suggestions on how to change her mind or is it a lost cause and I should just let her eat free range.
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Thanks Dawn
1.1 Veiled (Moe and Isis)
0.1 Helmeted Iguana (Louie)
0.2 Southern Toads (Tiny and Bubba)
1.0 Bearded Dragon (Joker)
3.1 Cats (Buffy, Spike, London, and Lilly)

I have had the same problem with one of my veileds in the past. I tried placing many cups in many different places in the terrarium with no luck. So I found a big (14' diameter) tupperware top that the crickets could not climb out of (plastic saucers that go under pots would probably work too as long as the crickets can't climb out.) I placed it in the cage near the spot where she typically basks, but out of the hot beam from the heat lamp. I made a "feeding perch" by making a branch come and hover over it so that she had easy access to the crickets. This pretty much solved the problem. Also, the crickets lasted longer in the saucer too. I placed some cricket food chuncks in the saucer so they could eat instead of starve to death. This way I didn't have to clean out a bunch of dead crickets out of the dish every day. I suppose you could train her to eat out of a cup by using a smaller saucer every week until she's eating out of the cup, but I never saw the need to do this.

try placing the cup in different places high and low in the cage. Also try not feeding her for a day then put crickets only in the cup. maybe start with a more taisty food like silkies.
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From Sunny Florida
Jovana's kids listed below
1.0 Veiled
1.1 Ambanja Panther
1.1 Tamatave Panther
0.1 Ambilobe Panther

Hi Dawn,

I found that if I put the crix in the cup and then hold the cup up to Luna she will eat (if she's hungry). After consuming a cricket or two I hang it on her screen so she would make the connection between the two. Sometimes she seems to "forget" and I go thru the process again. once established I usually keep the cup in one of two places. I am sure others like to to move it around so the cham can hunt more, but I guess with all we just went thru I wanted to make things easy for her

Don;t feed her for a day or tow and then try holding the cup for her and see if that works.

lele

>>I recently got a new little girl and she wants nothing to do with the crickets in the cup. Could it be where the cup is or is she just picky. She will eat crickets if they are walking around just not in the cup.
>>
>>Any suggestions on how to change her mind or is it a lost cause and I should just let her eat free range.
>>-----
>>Thanks Dawn
>>1.1 Veiled (Moe and Isis)
>>0.1 Helmeted Iguana (Louie)
>>0.2 Southern Toads (Tiny and Bubba)
>>1.0 Bearded Dragon (Joker)
>>3.1 Cats (Buffy, Spike, London, and Lilly)
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica the j sisters were sent to freedom last month
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia (MIA
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

Try placing the cup near her favorite spot. Also, place several feeding cups in the cage until she is used to it. It takes a bit of time to get them trained, but they all take to it eventually. Good Luck.

Vincent

I saw a cool cup design somewhere that might work for your cham:

Get a milk or water jug and cut away the top and two of the sides, leaving the bottom tall enough to keep crickets etc inside. Glue (using a hot glue gun or safe silicone like aquarium silicone) a piece of wire screen to two sides. Make sure the piece of screen doesn't go too high up the side, or the crix can jump out, an make sure it doesn't go too far to the side of the cup wall or they will climb right off. Make the screen go to up to about 2 or 3" from the top of the jug so they fall off the side back into the bottom or they will go backwards when they get there. There will be some escapees, but mostly the crix will just climb up and fall back in.

Hope that works!

One thing that helped me was using a cup that was white on the inside. Just a small plastic cup, nothing special. Other cups, my cham wouldn't care for. (maybe he just likes the Incredible Hulk logo on the outside of this one. lol) I guess the big dark crickets stood out a lot more and he noticed them easier. I cup feed him mostly now, which I never liked doing. Easier to monitor what and how much he eats. But I'll throw in a couple a day for him to stalk.

never thought about the contrast in using white but it makes sense. I happen to use white containers (cottage cheese mainly). One note is to not use clear plastic. The cham does not understand "transparency" and will shoot right AT the cup which is not goods for the tongue.

lele
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica the j sisters were sent to freedom last month
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia (MIA
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

for some reason, none of my animals likes to eat from a bowl, except my big male veild. He hates me, unless I have a deli cup of something that moves. Then, I'm his best friend.

Only the newly imported female deremensis will eat from a bowl, and only crickets. Everything else demads that I hold it in front of them... I have tried every variation on a "bowl" possible, the large, the small, the gallon milk jug cut in half with screen on the back so the crickets climb up it....none of it works...-