Having chameleons eat apples seem improbable, but it is a helpful essential. Having fruits mixed into a chameleon’s diet is favorable. Chameleons are primarily meat-eaters and are insectivorous. Feeding them apples might balance out their diet, but are chameleons able to eat them?
Chameleons can eat apples as added nourishment. Apples will help them with extra vitamins and hydration. Be mindful that some chameleons might be picky-eaters, not all of them enjoy apples equally.
Apples had always been the go-to fruit or snack option for humans. It offers great benefits regardless of its colors. Read ahead to learn how apples are good for chameleons and how they can devour them.
How Are Apples Good for Chameleons?
Apples are loaded with nutrients that boost your chameleon’s wellness inside out. Below are some of apple’s nutrients and how it benefits your pet chameleon.
Dietary Fiber – Fibers improve their gut’s health and fullness. Insoluble fibers stay in your chameleon’s digestive tract to process foods faster. Soluble fibers such as Pectin increase the good bacteria in their gut.
Potassium – It is both an electrolyte and a mineral. Potassium balances out the fluid in chameleons’ bodies. As well as prevent muscle contraction and regulate nerve function. Avoiding cases like spasms, cramps, and abnormal heart rate.
Vitamin C – Vitamin C has been proven to reduce the risk of hyperkeratosis. Hyperkeratosis in chameleons happens when fungus is infected through a skin lesion, caused by the poor environment they live in. Vitamin C helps stabilize skin regeneration.
Quercetin – An antioxidant that developed in many plant foods. It helps reduce the risk of inflammatory disease and controls your pet’s glucose level. Moreover, Quercetin also has properties like anti-cancer and anti-allergy that kill harmful cells in their body.
Should Apples Be Fed to Chameleons with Skin On?
Though it can be appetizing to eat a freshly peeled apple. Eating only the flesh doesn’t contribute to as many nutrients as a whole apple.
In fact, apples with skin on tend to have more nutrients combined with their flesh. So, should chameleons eat apples with the skin on? The answer depends on the sources of apples you bought, so it’s a yes and maybe.
Yes, if the apples you bought were from an organic source. Maybe, if the apples are bought from a commercial source. The answer is supported by how organic versus commercial apples are harvested.
That being said, it is very unlikely for your chameleon to get sick over commercially harvested apples, it can be harmful in some other ways if they were not cleaned well.
On the other hand, organic apples don’t have to be cleaned thoroughly before they were eaten. That is because their skin doesn’t contain as many pesticides as a commercially soiled apple.
Commercial apples are sprayed with various chemicals to prevent spoiling in storage and bruising during transport. Apple skin holds multiple nutrients but they also tend to hold multiple toxic chemicals.
Organically sourced apples avoid pesticides and focus more on healthy soiled products. Their skin is free from any chemical penetration and can be eaten just after one wash.
Apples are best purchased organic as the skin and wax layer of them might potentially harm your pet. You can worry less by feeding your chameleons organic apples.
Apple skin provides extra fibers and flavonoids, which you don’t want to miss out on feeding to your chameleon.
How to Feed Apples to Chameleons?
First off, you should clean your organic apples well. Use a soft brush and running water. If you already have non-organic apples in your home, use the soft brush along with baking soda.
Baking soda will penetrate the skin and cleanse through the skin layer better. Moreover, make sure to remove the seeds within the apples because chameleons can’t digest them.
Chameleons can be picky when it comes to fresh produce, so make sure to test out what they like firsthand. Not all of them enjoy apples in particular. Chameleons may enjoy the apples in two shapes, bite-sized bits, or blended paste.
Bite-sized Bits
The first method is to feed them in bite-sized bits. Cut the washed apples, best away from the core, into smaller bits that fit in your chameleon’s little mouth. Then, they’re ready to be chomp on!
Blend Into Paste
The second method is to blend them into a paste. Apples in paste form make it easier to be eaten and digested. To do that, cut the apples into regular sizes, put them in the blender and blend them normally.
Add a few drops of water to start the blending process if needed. However, make sure to not grind them too much that they turned watery, it should be a snack, not a beverage option.
Apples should be given after your pet’s mealtime, best to not rush and wait a couple of minutes. Then, see whether your chameleon would like some snacking. Make sure to feed them fresh apples, not the leftover ones.
How Often Should Apples Be Fed to Chameleons?
Feeding an apple 3 to 4 times a week is sufficient, depending on how much your chameleon enjoys them. Be careful not to overfeed them as too many apples may harm your pet since they’re high in sugar.
Chameleons that consume too much sugar could lead to Hyperglycemia, a disease caused by elevated blood glucose levels. Apples are juicy, sweet, and nutritious and have at least 84% of water content.
This means that they can be the water source to hydrate your chameleon as well, either directly or through gut loading. Apples are hydrating and nutritional gut-loaders.
Don’t overfeed or mistimed their feedings. Feeding apples to your chameleons a few times a week is adequate and enough to balance out their diet.
Conclusion
Chameleons can eat apples and it isn’t uncommon. Instead of focusing on just feeding them worms and crickets, apples can be a good added supplement.
Though be mindful as chameleons are picky-eaters, not all of them like chomping on apples. That being said, apples can be a great start to gut-loading and are worth giving a try.
