Oustalet’s Chameleon Diet (Malagasy Giant Chameleon)

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A malagasy giant chameleon diet centers on live feeder insects. Fruit and, in one documented population, small lizards are eaten opportunistically in the wild. Furcifer oustaleti is better known as Oustalet’s chameleon, and it is one of the largest chameleon species alive.

Its size lets an adult tackle prey that would choke a smaller lizard. This guide covers what the species eats in nature and what to feed a pet. It also covers a feeding schedule by age, gut loading and supplements, hydration, and why pinky mice do not belong in a regular rotation.

What Oustalet’s Chameleons Eat in the Wild

The most detailed published diet study on this species looked at 37 Furcifer oustaleti. They came from a naturalized population living in avocado groves in southern Florida. Researchers dissected stomach contents and found at least six prey types.

Imperial moth caterpillars came up most often. Geometrid moth larvae, grasshoppers, other moths and an Asian tramp snail followed. That study, by Krysko and colleagues, appeared in the journal Reptiles & Amphibians in 2012.

Two stomachs also held Cuban brown anoles, a small lizard species. That confirms this chameleon eats vertebrate prey when it gets the chance. It does not stick only to insects.

The Dallas World Aquarium describes its natural diet as large insects and some fruit. Small birds and reptiles are taken occasionally, according to that source.

A University of Florida IFAS extension publication on the state’s introduced chameleons adds two more records. It lists moth larvae as the primary food and small fruits as a documented part of the diet, citing a 2008 study of fruit feeding. It also cites one record from Madagascar of an individual eating a dead bird.

Five of the Florida specimens also held bits of avocado leaf and stem. The study authors believed these were swallowed by accident while catching live prey. Deliberate fruit eating, by contrast, is documented in the species, so a little ripe fruit is not a husbandry error.

As covered in the full Oustalet’s chameleon guide, the species is endemic to Madagascar. It is also one of a small group of Furcifer species still permitted for export under CITES rules since 1995.

That history matters for feeding. A recently imported, wild caught adult may still be adjusting from opportunistic hunting to a set routine. It can take several weeks of steady offerings before it settles in.

What to Feed a Pet Oustalet’s Chameleon

A varied insect rotation from the standard feeder insect list is the foundation of captive care. No single feeder should make up every meal. The table below lists feeders many keepers of large chameleon species use.

These match what the wild diet study found this species already eats on its own, such as moths, caterpillars, and grasshoppers.

Prey size follows a common keeper standard across large chameleon species. Nothing should be wider than the space between the chameleon’s eyes. That is roughly the largest gape it can safely close on.

An adult Oustalet’s chameleon can handle full size adult crickets and large roaches. A smaller pet chameleon could not manage prey that big.

Offer a mix of feeders at each sitting rather than the same insect every time. The wild diet study found this species taking several different prey types even within one population.

Live feeder insects sold as a bulk colony of mixed sizes make it easier to keep a rotation going without running short midweek.

A pair of long feeding tongs also helps when offering larger prey like hornworms or superworms. A chameleon’s tongue strike can catch a keeper’s fingers if food is held too close.

Other large pet chameleon species use a similar feeder rotation, scaled to their own adult size. That includes the Parson’s chameleon and the panther chameleon.

Feeding Schedule by Age

Feeding frequency and portion size both change as an Oustalet’s chameleon grows. Getting this wrong in either direction causes problems. Underfeeding a young, quickly growing chameleon slows its development.

Overfeeding an adult on a daily schedule leads to obesity and liver strain over time. For general enclosure and temperature needs alongside feeding, see the Oustalet’s chameleon care guide.

These intervals are a common keeper standard for large chameleon species that grow quickly. Merck’s lizard nutrition chapter gives the general rule behind them: most lizards should be fed daily (juveniles and small species) or at least every other day. No published research sets exact meal counts for this species, so treat the table as a starting point.

Watch body condition instead of the clock. A chameleon carrying visible fat pads at the base of the tail or along its sides is being fed too often. One with sunken sides or a visible hip bone needs more food.

Gut Loading and Supplements

Every feeder insect should be gut loaded for at least 24 hours before it reaches the chameleon. An unfed feeder insect passes almost no nutrition along to the lizard eating it.

Gut loading means feeding the crickets or roaches a diet dense in nutrients. Merck’s lizard nutrition chapter describes a high calcium cricket diet, about 12 percent calcium as calcium carbonate, fed for 3 days before the insects are offered. The crickets feeder guide covers storage and prep in more detail.

UVB exposure and calcium supplementation work together. Neither one substitutes for the other. Reptile husbandry guidance from the Merck Veterinary Manual notes that UVB in the 290 to 300 nanometer range drives vitamin D3 synthesis in most diurnal lizards.

A UVB tube should sit within about 30 centimeters, or 12 inches, of the animal. It should be replaced every 9 to 12 months even if it still lights up. UVB output fades well before the bulb visibly dims.

This supplement schedule is a common keeper standard built around the UVB guidance above. No published protocol sets exact dusting frequencies for this species specifically.

Keepers commonly dust with a plain calcium powder with D3 once or twice a week. Calcium without D3 covers the rest of the feedings, so vitamin D3 does not build up to excess.

A multivitamin every couple of weeks rounds out the routine. Calcium alone does not cover every micronutrient a chameleon needs.

Drinking Water and Hydration

Chameleons generally will not drink from a standing water bowl. The Merck Veterinary Manual states that chameleons drink primarily by licking water droplets off leaves, and that they frequently become dehydrated when they are not allowed to do so.

Merck recommends timer controlled sprinkler systems or simple drip systems for these fastidious drinkers. In the related Meller’s chameleon, zoo keepers mist for about one hour daily to mimic rainfall.

General chameleon diet guidance across the family follows the same drip and mist approach.

Humidity and drinking water are connected for this genus. General reptile husbandry guidance treats higher humidity as essential for many tropical, arboreal species, chameleons included.

It also warns that cutting ventilation to hold humidity in place often causes skin and respiratory disease instead. Good airflow alongside regular misting is what keeps a Malagasy giant chameleon properly hydrated. A sealed, damp enclosure is not the answer.

Why Pinky Mice Are Not a Staple

For a broader look at what pet lizards eat overall, see what do lizards eat.

Some keepers of large chameleon species offer pinky mice, newborn mice with no fur, as an occasional treat rich in protein. It is worth addressing directly, since this species can physically manage the prey size.

The documented wild diet of Furcifer oustaleti includes small vertebrate prey in the form of a lizard, not a mammal. It is built overwhelmingly on insects.

Pinky mice carry a fat content and a protein load that do not match an insectivore’s needs. The Merck Veterinary Manual states that primary visceral gout in reptiles is generally caused by excessive protein in the diet, and that gout can leave a reptile unwilling to move, eat or drink.

Obesity is a further risk. Merck notes that limited exercise combined with excess calories can quickly produce morbid obesity and hepatic lipidosis in captive reptiles.

If pinkies are offered at all, that should mean rarely, for a large, healthy adult only. They should never replace a proper insect rotation built on gut loading and calcium dusting.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Malagasy giant chameleon diet based on?

A malagasy giant chameleon diet is built on live insects such as crickets, dubia roaches, silkworms, and hornworms, gut loaded and dusted with calcium. In the wild the species also eats moths, caterpillars, grasshoppers, occasional fruit, and, in one documented population, a small lizard.

What do Oustalet’s chameleons eat that surprised researchers?

A 2012 stomach content study of 37 wild Florida specimens found two individuals had eaten Cuban brown anoles, a small lizard. That confirmed this species takes vertebrate prey when it can, not just insects.

How often should I feed an adult Oustalet’s chameleon?

Adults typically eat every 1 to 2 days rather than daily. Offer 6 to 10 appropriately sized feeder insects per session as a common keeper standard. Watch body condition, since visible fat pads mean the schedule needs to slow down.

Can Oustalet’s chameleons eat pinky mice?

They can physically swallow one given their size, but pinky mice are not part of the documented wild diet. They carry a fat and mineral balance the species is not built to handle often.

Do Oustalet’s chameleons drink from a water bowl?

No, this species is built to lick water droplets off leaves and typically ignores a standing bowl. A dripper or misting system run several times a day is the standard way to keep one hydrated.

Do Oustalet’s chameleons need calcium supplements if they get UVB?

Yes, UVB drives vitamin D3 synthesis but does not supply calcium itself. Feeder insects still need calcium dusting on top of a working UVB setup, most feedings dusted plain and about once a week with added D3.