When arranging habitats for chameleons it’s important to offer them enough space and choose the appropriate cage. What’s also important is to feed your chameleon with all the nutrients it needs, and sometimes this may imply feeding it fruits. So here are some fruits that your chameleon should and should not eat.
Chameleons should be interested in apples because they contain much-needed nutrients. These include calcium, phosphorous, sugar, fiber and water. One important thing for chameleons’ diet is the ratio between calcium and phosphorous. So for every part of phosphorous, there has to be an equal part of calcium or more.
Apples contain more phosphorus than calcium and that means they can be eaten by chameleons; however, due to this disproportion and the high sugar content, they shouldn’t be fed to the little animals too often. Chameleons will do fine with just a few pieces once or twice a week.
When feeding the apple to your pet make sure you strip away the seeds, core, and skin. You also need to cut the pieces very small so they can fit into the animal’s mouth with no problems. Chameleons don’t usually eat apples in their natural habitat, so if you want to make it easier for them to eat, grind the apples into a paste.
You can buy commercial baby foods made of apple or natural applesauce, but make sure they don’t contain preservatives, sugars or any additives. Apples are a great source of supplements in a chameleon’s diet, but they should make for an additional source of food, and not the main one.
As in the case of apples, watermelons can be consumed by chameleons but only in small amounts. Watermelons contain a high proportion of water, some salt, and fat and they also have a disproportionate balance between phosphorus and calcium. Too much water is bad for chameleons.
Because the watermelon is not too acidic, it won’t hurt their stomach, so that’s good. Your pet will enjoy this fruit if you cut it in small pieces, maybe 2 or 3 of them. Watermelons also help with keeping your pet hydrated, and it’s easy to digest and masticate.
You just have to make sure you take away the seeds and don’t feed any rind to your chameleon. Both are toxic for them so you need to be really careful. If you want to feed your chameleon watermelon for the added nutrients and the pet doesn’t want it, try feeding the insects with it and then give those insects to your chameleon.
Certain insects will keep the nutrients in them for a few days so you can take advantage of that. Dubia roaches, super worms or mealworms all like eating watermelon and they will be a great source of food for your chameleon. Your pet will get the nutrients from the insect itself and the watermelon too.
Peaches can be an interesting part of your chameleon’s diet. They contain some salt and fat, they are high in acidic content and they have a disproportionate balance between calcium and phosphorous. They also have a lot of sugar in them.
All of that means that they can be consumed by chameleons but only in small amounts. A piece or two per week should be enough. Due to the high levels of sugar and acidic content, peaches will be tough on the chameleon’s stomach.
But they are a good source of vitamins C and E, and that’s why you should consider feeding them occasionally to your pet. You have to prepare them a bit for that though. Cut the peaches into very small pieces; you don’t have to take the skin away. You can grind them into a paste to make it easier for the animals to eat it.
Some chameleons don’t like the taste of peaches and the acidity, but you can use the gut-loading method to feed them the nutrients needed. This method implies feeding insects with the fruit and then feeding those insects to the chameleon. If you feed your chameleons this way, they will basically eat the peach without consuming it directly.
Give the peach to the insects a few days before feeding them to your chameleon. They will eat it with great pleasure and that will make them full of rich nutrients.
For chameleons, strawberries have similar characteristics to peaches. They are highly acidic, have a disproportionate amount of calcium and phosphorous and contain salt and fat. They also contain great amounts of water and some sugar.
What this means is that chameleons can eat strawberries, but one or two of them per week should be enough, as their acidic content is too much for the little animals. Eating too many may hurt the chameleons.
When preparing the strawberry for your chameleon, remove the stem and any other parts that you wouldn’t consume yourself. Wash the strawberry well and cut it into small pieces. You need to be sure any pesticide or bacteria are washed off.
You can use the gut-loading method to feed strawberries to your chameleons if they don’t want to eat the fruits. But they usually like them. Strawberries are rich in nutrients that your chameleon needs, so it’s nice to have your pet eat one from time to time. And because they contain water too, the chameleon will feel hydrated.
The balance between calcium and phosphorous is very good in oranges and they contain a huge amount of water, some sugar and a bit of fat. However, oranges are very acidic, and chameleons don’t like that at all.
They are too sweet and acidic and chameleons that eat oranges can get ill. The peel shouldn’t be fed to chameleons either. Orange juice should not be on their menu either. There are some other fruits that offer similar nutrients and vitamins and aren’t as dangerous for the animal.
Apples and pears are a great example, as they are less acidic while still offering great nutrients. If you want to feed oranges to the insects that chameleons would later consume, that isn’t a great idea either. That’s mainly because the insects won’t eat the oranges for the same reason why chameleons won’t – they are too acidic.
Well, tomatoes aren’t really considered fruits; we see them more like vegetables, but technically they are fruits. Regardless of how you categorize tomatoes, they aren’t good for chameleons. They have an acidic content, no calcium and a huge amount of water in them. They are not safe for chameleons because of these things.
It is advised to never attempt to feed tomatoes to chameleons because they can make them sick. However, you can use the gut-load method to feed your insects with tomato. The acidic content isn’t that high and insects will enjoy tomatoes.
After you feed your insects with tomatoes, serve them to your chameleon. The acidic content will be absorbed by the insects and won’t reach the chameleon’s stomach. Keep in mind, however, that tomatoes aren’t the greatest for your chameleons, and feeding them using this method will mean that no risks can appear, but neither any benefits. So it’s not a problem if you don’t give tomatoes to your pet at all, in any form.
The importance of fruits
In the wild, chameleons’ prey is full of nutrients that come from fruits or vegetables. However, that doesn’t happen with the insects that you feed to your chameleons at home. Crickets and other feeders purchased from stores often lack the vitamin A and that causes a lackluster diet for the chameleons.
To correct this issue, it’s advised to give the insects some kind of fruit, with apples and pears being a great choice. Insects can also eat vegetables like carrots, spinach or sweet potatoes. The more nutrients an insect eats, the more it will provide to the chameleon.