Can I feed these? New camera.
- Thread starter jacksonchamnew
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jacksonchamnew
Avid Member
Beetles on Potato vine.
Ramrod
Chameleon Enthusiast
I would hesitate to feed any wild caught insects not knowing thier condition.
jacksonchamnew
Avid Member
Some of the tubers for potato vines are toxic and some are not. I don't know about the leaves on the plant.
jacksonchamnew
Avid Member
So the cham can have variability in his food. Wild insects probably have more nutrients. All we have a crickets, roaches and superworms. I looked at hornworms but they were huge. Phoenix larva are small.
jacksonchamnew
Avid Member
I am finding that the beetle is an introduced exotic to feed on the invasive potato vine. I can give you a name.
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
Potato vines are part of the nightshade family. Probably not a good idea to feed anything off that eats toxic plants.
Regarding feeding WC insects. I think it is great practice if you can get some from a good source. I'd hesitate to feed off a lot from suburbs where people routinely poison their yards. It does make me wonder though, if pesticides don't bother an insect at all, why would it be problematic to a chameleon? Not that I want to test it, or recommend it, but probably not something to lose much sleep over in small amounts.
Regarding feeding WC insects. I think it is great practice if you can get some from a good source. I'd hesitate to feed off a lot from suburbs where people routinely poison their yards. It does make me wonder though, if pesticides don't bother an insect at all, why would it be problematic to a chameleon? Not that I want to test it, or recommend it, but probably not something to lose much sleep over in small amounts.
Klyde O'Scope
Chameleon Enthusiast
It has feet on its ass?
Klyde O'Scope
Chameleon Enthusiast
With all the gut loading, supplements, known feeder nutritional data, etc., I don't know why that would be. It may be just as likely (or moreso) that wild insects have ingested plants & substances not-so-good for chameleons.
I think I'd rather have control over what my pets are ingesting vs. unknowns. Should one become ill, it would be difficult to advise a vet what it may have ingested in order to treat it effectively.
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
I get where others are coming from and respect that, but I compare it to something like letting your kid play sports. You could say why would you let them risk injury when they can safely go for a walk to get exercise. The wild insects are more stimulating, it's like letting a cat hunt for its food. Sure there's always a little risk, but the animal gets to live how it has evolved. Seeing a chameleon chase down a wild insects has a very natural feel to it. My personal choice is to let my animals(within reason) live it up while they're here. Can totally get why people wouldn't though and I have no issue with that. To each their own.
I'm also giving you guys a little bit when I say there's a risk to WC insects because to my knowledge there's not many cases of chameleons being injured/sick from eating something. Mostly from hornworms and some bearded dragons have died eating lightning bugs(which I wouldn't feed to anything!).
Lastly, IMO feeding a wide variety of insects>gutload. Many breeders and experienced keepers have reported healthier animals that are fed wild insects. I do agree that gutload is much better in our captivity, but we don't even know for certain how necessary a lot of gutload is. @PetNcs if I remember right has said similar.
I'm also giving you guys a little bit when I say there's a risk to WC insects because to my knowledge there's not many cases of chameleons being injured/sick from eating something. Mostly from hornworms and some bearded dragons have died eating lightning bugs(which I wouldn't feed to anything!).
Lastly, IMO feeding a wide variety of insects>gutload. Many breeders and experienced keepers have reported healthier animals that are fed wild insects. I do agree that gutload is much better in our captivity, but we don't even know for certain how necessary a lot of gutload is. @PetNcs if I remember right has said similar.
The Wild One
Chameleon Enthusiast
But... getting hurt is part of the fun ?
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
Aw now you're just being passive aggressive. I didn't mean it like that you goofball. I'm just saying that's my personal perspective on it, am I not allowed to have one?
lol honestly I was not being passive aggressive. I was attempting to be funny.
You know I am lucky I know what the bugs are that I can buy and what to feed them... I know outdoor bugs to the extent of stick bug and lady bug... or ohhhh pretty butterfly. I would not have a clue what the heck I was catching much less what they possibly could have been eating. And you know with my luck it would be something poisonous that would bite me or one of the boys... And I do not do spiders... Nope nope nope. Tarantula maybe because they are like the Labrador of spiders... But otherwise hell no. Oh and all the flies in my yard like to land on the dog poop and eat that... Like um no.
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