Currently chameleons feeding is no longer a problem. In any pet store that is dedicated to reptiles can buy an assortment of different insects to chameleons. Do not feed them insects captured in the wild because of the danger of possible contamination with insecticides, as well as ecological reasons.
The cheapest way to get live food is to farm them yourself, although this may be an activity that requires much dedication and often require much space, and an initial investment in containers and food for insects. However, if you breed your own insects, you know good and nutritious food that will be providing live their chameleons. Because the range of insects that you can breed in captivity is low compared with the amount in nature, we must pay special attention to give a varied diet chameleons and complete. Only then can have a balanced diet.
There are many books about raising live food, but none about the "rational breeding of food" because many of the descriptions in the literature are very complicated and laborious for the normal fan of reptiles.
An inexpensive type of live food that can serve as a supplement to the main live food (crickets, grasshoppers and cockroaches) is large flies. The easiest way to get pets is to buy a package of larvae in a shop selling fishing bait and keep them in a warm place to allow larvae to pupa or chrysalis state, from which to emerge after 14 days the flies. The flies were kept in plastic containers after (in a volume of about 3 liters, at least) for at least three days and fed with a mixture of molasses, powdered milk, cereals and water vitaminized children. Finally, fortified with a vitamin and minerals and are fed to chameleons. Some species of chameleons become literally mad by flies.
An excellent live food is the green cockroach (you can use other species but there is potential for leakage and contamination so that it is appropriate to use a sensitive species, more tropical, if an accident occurs), because in certain circumstances can simplify the maintenance of chameleons. The colony of cockroaches green (possibly Panchlora species) is kept in a tightly closed terrarium with a substrate of soil or cat litter about 10 cm deep. This substrate must always be wet. Be careful when working in the rearing container, because the adult cockroaches can fly. On the substrate is one or two packets of eggs and some banana peels, to be changed once a week. Furthermore, it should always give some honey. The more cockroaches have, such as many banana peels or banana chunks to put there. Always remove the old food, because of the danger of a proliferation of mites in the breeding container. You have to keep the temperature constant at about 38 ° C. The reproductive cycle is very long, but your patience will be rewarded because you will live a very popular food and attractive. Should give to the chameleons with tweezers or with a dissecting needle. Breeding is not as productive as it is with other species of cockroaches.
In general, all kinds of chameleons eat live insects, including crickets, cockroaches, grasshoppers, flies, moths, mealworms, blowfly larvae, larvae of black beetles, slugs, isopods and spiders. As a first food for a baby chameleon give fruit flies (Drosophila) and the smaller size crickets. Some species of large chameleons eat little mice babies. You can not however recommended for obvious reasons, some live food. For example, females of Chamaeleo pardalis gladly eat small species of gecko. A captive female panther chameleon eating juveniles GUE view of Epipedobates tricolor. Chamaeleo fischeri eats small specimens of Anolis. The real eating lizards, Chamaeleo brevicornis as Chamaeleo melleri and not let out a gecko. It is known that the chameleon veiled, Chamaeleo calyptratus, Bradypodion pumilum eat in captivity. In several regions of Madagascar natives lso put in their gardens and houses large specimens of Chamaeleo oustaleti to eat the pests.
Problems of food
Unfortunately, some species of chameleons become very fussy eaters when in captivity. After a short transition period, it may reject any type of food, but their favorite foods. You should never let things get to this point. The problem can be avoided by giving the animals a diet as varied as possible. Almost all chameleons like green insects. Even the most fastidious copies to eat, as they usually are animals that have just been imported to give the green light of a cockroach or a green grasshopper. Chameleons eat daily, fasting one day a week. The amount of food needed depends on each species.
It is often said that chameleons in captivity suffer from obesity problems. However, when investigating these claims, it is often the animals in question, perhaps because they have drunk a little water, have developed kidney fat or something, dying later from it. We know only a few cases of true chameleons obesity caused by excess of vitamins. In one case the animal had become so obese that had grown deformed bones. In general, slow-moving species are more prone to obesity than the most active species. With regard to obesity, we must take special care with females. As a general rule, chameleons only eat what they need.
Based on our observations, the most favorable time to feed the chameleons of land is in the morning, and for true chameleons is in the afternoon, when the chameleons have warmed sufficiently. The great chameleons have to get used to the clips that are given the food or the feeder where they can hunt insects. Not all copies are accustomed to this, and very shy animals must be left live insects in the terrarium for chameleons can catch them at will. With the small species and small animals inside the terrarium we take an adequate amount of Drosophila or small crickets once a day.
Unfortunately, there are times that chameleons have to be force fed. With many species this is relatively easy. As the chameleon is removed from the cage opens his mouth, and you can get food and medicine to the bottom of the jaws. If the animal does not open his mouth willingly, rubbing may irritate the nose, mouth or hitting lightly squeezing her eyes to force him to open his mouth. If the chameleon insists on refusing to eat, you can put in sight of one of his fellows. If this does not succeed, should leave the animal alone.
It is often said that chameleons eat only insects, or at least they are carnivores. This is not true. Henkel filmed a Chamaeleo brevicornis grazing freely in the wild yellow flowers of a bush. In the terrarium, Seume was the first to observe a regular eating Chamaeleo lateralis Zebrina pendula leaves. Our initial suspicion that this was only an isolated instance of a chameleon not confirmed. The same plant is eaten regularly for other Panther chameleons and carpet. Therefore, we recommend to Zebrina pendula as very suitable plant for the terrarium. In addition, it has been observed to Chamaeleo brevicomis eating fern in the terrarium. Examination of stomach contents of wild chameleons also revealed the presence of plant debris and seed. This shows that you need to study the issue further.
Supplements
We now turn to an important issue that is often discussed in the literature, calcium supplements and vitamins. Copy will avoid many common formulas and instead briefly describe our own formula for the benefit of those who do not already have one. Anyone who has been successful and raised chameleons for years should continue to use their own formula, because certainly there is no universal formula.
All we really mean-and all without exception, the animals must be fed to chameleons have to be well dusted with a mixture of calcium and vitamins. In addition, each week is given to the chameleons to 5 drops, according to the size of a compound, liquid multivitamin, directly in the mouth. Drinking water (in small and young chameleons, water that is sprayed) is added more liquid multivitamin, a teaspoon of calcium gluconate per 5 liters of water, and less of a drop of iodine solution two times per week. In addition, chameleons must have a shield plate with sepia or a calcium supplement for reptiles. It has seen copies of chameleons actively and repeatedly ingesting calcium.
Water
Basically we meet the water needs of chameleons with spray. There are only two exceptions. In larger animals, from the size of an adult Chamaeleo lateralis (total length about 15 cm), given water with a pipette twice a week. A chameleon that they voluntarily drink water sprayed directly into the mouth water. In addition, animals in quarantine terrariums must be given water by hand, because there should be sprayed to prevent further autocontagiarse with pathogens. A chameleon in quarantine must be given water on alternate days. You have to get used to using a pipette separately for each chameleon and clean every time you use it. Only thus can avoid the spread of disease. Also do not forget to put a drinking fountain for chameleons. Many are accustomed to drinking water in a trough or container. Moreover, some chameleons only drink tap water, apart from the droplets. To this has proved very useful to use an indoor source (of which facilities are used for hydroponics). Many chameleons drink also water dripping. Use a jar type IV (available at hospitals) and vacuum regulator suitable infusion. The bottle is filled with water and hung on the cage, then sets the regulator infusion and adjusted to the drip rate. You do not need water to drip all day, an hour in the evening enough. Unfortunately, usually there is not enough space above the terrarium and also the room where the cage is just having the appearance of an intensive care unit. Some chameleons can get used to drinking water from automatic waterers sold for small animals, but unfortunately very few. Anyway, the owner may be interested to do some tests.
A tip about the plants. Some plants, such as ferns, which favor the formation of large droplets in the bottom of the foliage after spraying, since the droplets are hanging from the leaves during a rather long time. These plants are especially suitable for the terrarium. Almost all chameleons like to drink in the leaves. Unfortunately, also like to defecate there, which causes rotting of the plants.
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