Guide to Feeding Your Veiled Chameleon

Tips for Providing Your Pet Reptile With a Nutritious Diet

Are you the proud soon-to-be parent of a new veiled chameleon? Congratulations! Veiled chameleons, with their bright and bold coloration, are a docile species that make great pets. As with any new pet, we recommend taking the time to understand your chameleon’s dietary needs and prepare for his meals. Here are a few tips for providing your veiled chameleon with a nutritious, healthy, and satisfying diet:

Think insects, insects—oh, and more insects.

There will not be a need for any fancy culinary skills. Your veiled chameleon will subsist mainly on a diet of insects. Many chameleons eat primarily crickets. Just remember that if you choose to feed your chameleon crickets, you will need to gut load them prior to serving them. Gut loading means feeding your insects nutritious foods before you feed them to your pet.

As an alternative to crickets, try Dubia roaches. 

Unlike crickets, Dubia roaches are naturally gut loaded and nutritious. Plus, roaches offer a few other advantages to crickets: They are notoriously cleaner, they carry far less risk of parasites, and they are easier for your chameleon to eat. They will not jump or fly away!

Whether you serve crickets or Dubia roaches, you will need to provide dietary supplements. 

Because most veiled chameleons eat only insects, it is important to dust those insects with additional nutrients to ensure your pet has a well-rounded diet. We recommend dusting your chameleon’s insects with calcium and vitamin D3 supplements.

You can introduce plant matter to baby veiled chameleons. 

While most chameleons will refuse to eat plants, some may eventually begin to enjoy some safe plants, vegetables, and fruits if they are introduced early on. If you choose to feed your chameleon some non-insect entrées, do your research first. Some foods, like iceberg lettuce and onions, can be harmful to reptiles due to their difficulty to digest.

Remember to mist. 

Veiled chameleons will not drink from a water bowl, but they still need to stay hydrated. The best way to do this is by regularly misting your chameleon and its environment, including any plants. And here is a fun fact: That ridge on their heads is not just for show. It diverts moisture down to their mouth! In addition to misting, you can also invest in a drip system. A drip system will serve as a backup to misting and provide a constant water source.

Map out your feeding schedule. 

It should be simple to remember. A baby veiled chameleon should be offered fresh food every day as he continues to grow. An adult can be fed every other day. Veiled chameleons—no matter their age—should be misted several times a day.

If you have questions about feeding your veiled chameleon, we are here to help! When you are ready to shop for live Dubia roaches, make sure you order from ABDragons. We offer the highest quality of feeder insects for your reptiles.

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