Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have read so many of all of your posts, followed recommendations, set-up my cage, lighting, etc. but when little Thraxxis arrived he is much tinier than I ever imagined. Very friendly little guy. Walked right onto my finger. he is CB, bred and cared for wonderfully, but since this is my first chameleon, I'm scared I'll starve the little guy. I have a clear plastic cup anchored to a vine and put the calcium/vitamin powder in it and put very tiny superworms and 1/4" gutloaded crickets in the bowl. He has climbed past the bowl during his cage perusal but I didn't see him eat any. I also put a few crickets in the cage to roam the vines/plants. Will he actually eat from my hand or will it scare him away? He is gorgeous but so frail looking that I am afraid I'll do something wrong. Any suggestions? I just got him yesterday BTW via Overnight UPS and he was alert and very happy to get out of the cup and into his cage. Thank you.
-----

dianedfisher@yahoo.com

My 3 CWD-Avanyu, Tripod and Drago

The first thing I would do is double check with his breeder to see what type and how he offered food, and what size of cage he was in. Then, try to recreate that. If he was fed on fruit flies and pinhead crix, it will be best to do the same. He will probably roam his new cage for a while, it being a huge change from home. He may forget to eat until he settles in a bit. If he's healthy he can go a couple of days without eating much at all. If your cage is bigger and more "complicated" than his original cage he may be intimidated by it and sort of lose track of the cup. Chams are not rocket scientists and can get overwhelmed by change. Don't put too many feeders in at once. All the motion can be confusing and he'll just sit and stare at it all.

Thanks for the response. I emailed a pic of my set-up to the breeder before he shipped him so he could recommend changes if necessary. he was cup feeding him 1/4" crickets so I got small crickets locally-my internet order of fruit flies and 1/4" crickets got screwed up (anyone else have a problem getting insect orders shipped correctly AND to the right address??) Lately it seems like ALL my internet orders are screwed up.
As long as he can go a day or so without eating anything I'm O.K. with it. Tomorrow I don't have to work, so I can watch his eating and drinking and activities. I just didn't want to starve him the first day in his new home.
-----

dianedfisher@yahoo.com

My 3 CWD-Avanyu, Tripod and Drago

Here is a picture of my new little cham. I have never seen him shoot out his tongue. Do the babies do this or doesn he need to be older?

-----

dianedfisher@yahoo.com

My 3 CWD-Avanyu, Tripod and Drago

They can shoot as soon as they start feeding. Depending on how used up the yolk sac is they may not eat right at birth.