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Since ive had my adult male hes never eaten a cricket. I have to hand feed him some sort of worm every time. I either have to hold it out it front of him with tweezers for a long time or i have to make it grab onto the screen (which is a pain in the behind) to get him to eat it. Also he wont eat from a cup. Every now and then ill put several crickets in there and they walk around in front of him but they usually just die at the bottom of the cage. How can i get him to eat by himself and better yet eat crickets?

Hi,
Im not quite sure what kind of chameleon you have, but crickets make up a BIG part of a chameleons diet, if you want a healthy chameleon. Too many of any kind of worms can be unhealthy for a chameleon, and shouldnt make up a large part of their diet. If I were you, I would would mix about 6 of those worms and 6 crickets in a clear plastic deli cup. Dust them with calcium, or a multivitamin and offer them to your chameleon. If he is interested in the worms, than he may go for one, and catch a cricket too. But if he seems uninterested, tie the cup with crickets and worms to a vine, or the inside of his cage. After a day or two, he will probably get hungry, and go for the food in the cup. It worked for me. Some chameleons get "tired" of the same food everyday, so they need a varying diet.

Michele
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2.0 veiled chameleons (zebu and godzilla)
4.0 cinnamin blue face button quail

Just for clarification, the reason it seems crickets comprise a "big" part of a chameleon's diet is not that they are a particularly good food for chameleons, but because they are (1) easy to handle for keepers; (2) easy to gutload. Crickets themselves actually are so unbalanced in the vital calcium-to-phospohorus ratio, that bulk diets of undusted, poorly gutloaded crix will hasten declines in general health, not to mention predispose a chameleon to metabolic bone disease (chronicly too much phosphorus, too little dietary calcium). Crix are not key to a healthy chameleon, and should not be fed as the sole component of a cham's foodsource, if possible. It is argued that silkworms may be the ultimate foodstuffs for chameleons, but that's just opening up a can of worms Strive for variety of feeders and utilize top-notch gutloads when you do feed crix.

~Kerry

Hi,
I didnt nececarily mean that crickets are healthy for a chameleon, but just reccomended that they in fact do make up a large part of a chameleons diet becuase they are conveinent, easy to care for, you can gut load them with healthy foods, and are very innexpensive. I just took my Adult male veiled chameleon to a vet who specializes in herps, and he said too many types of worms are bad for a chameleon, becuase they contain alot of fat, and little needed nutrients...Although silkworms and some other worms can be healthy and have advantages. He also said crickets SHOULD make up part of a chameleons diet, becuase there is no one bug that provides chameleons with all the nutrition they need. You are correct when you said that a chameleon needs a varying diet, but many chameleon breeders supply their chameleons with mostly crickets and many other types of bugs for the same reasons I do. So I do reccomend using crickets, just take proper care of them and gutload them, also use other insects and food in a chameleons diet. Thanks,
Michele
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2.0 veiled chameleons (zebu and godzilla)
4.0 cinnamin blue face button quail

It is always nice when our chameleons do eat crickets with no hesitation, for all the convenience reasons mentioned. Unfortunately, while it is not the norm, it is also not uncommon to see a chameleon, and more often its the male of the species, become hooked on eating a certain type of bug, or refuse a specific type. A chameleon that otherwise had been a good cricket eater may one day decide it will no longer eat crickets, while ravishing other bugs. I have seen this in many chameleons, and in many cases, they do not return to being cricket eaters. It is very possible for a chameleon that had been a cricket eater, to then refuse them, to the point of death if other types of insects are not offered. And in some cases, they will switch back. You may have some luck presenting a white, just molted cricket, or I think as mentioned earlier, a dusted cricket, as color does matter. Mealworms and superworms are easy enough to gutload, and readily available as possible alternatives. Hope things work out. Jim at The Chameleon Company

Sorry to say it but your vet all correct about crickets making up most cham diets, but not even close to all of the diet. I have a adult male panther cham that refuses to eat crickets. As most people will tell you variety is the key with chams. My panther hasn't eaten a cricket in over a year and he just keeps growing. His diet staples are Silkworms, Horn worms, slugs, and super worms. Keeping him happy and ofering a veriety is the key. You can get them to hunt the first 3 from that list in there cage. Superworms must be dusted and placed in a cup by one of his high traffic areas. If he continues to require hand feeding remember to place the food item a good distance from his head. it is important to force him to use his Tongue so he will not develope lazzy tongue. Hope this helps.
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Scott & Mary Ann
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1 panther chams
2 jackson cham
2 leapord gecko
1 cat
1 dog

Sorry I messed up the first line of the message earlier. what i ment to say was your vet is correct however not all Chams will eat crickets.
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Scott & Mary Ann
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1 panther chams
2 jackson cham
2 leapord gecko
1 cat
1 dog