Can my veiled chameleon eat this?
- Thread starter jackolantern
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Andee
Chameleon Enthusiast
I would say no. Just without looking up the insect the black and white coloring often shows signs of either toxicity or bitter taste. It also looks like an insect that could cause serious damage if it bit your cham in the process with it's mandibles. But I will look it up in case someone doesn't answer before.
Andee
Chameleon Enthusiast
From the picture you provided (I would need to see a more direct one from above to say otherwise) it looks like you have a Banded Alder Borer Beetle. Apparently they don't bite if you bother them (not sure about actively being eaten since their jaws are meant to destroy wood) they are however attracted to smells of paint and the chemicals in paint so we don't know where yours has been snacking.
jackolantern
Member
Here you go, and I have no idea what has it been snacking on I caught it an hour ago haha
Twitchet
Chameleon Enthusiast
I'm guessing no too 
but that is such a beautiful beetle!
On a total side note- I would kill to find one like that- toooo beautiful to feed-
I'm beetle mad and paint lots of them- this is an A3 acrylic painting I did recently- Its Stellognatha maculata from the same family as your beetle Cerambyicidae.
but that is such a beautiful beetle!On a total side note- I would kill to find one like that- toooo beautiful to feed-
I'm beetle mad and paint lots of them- this is an A3 acrylic painting I did recently- Its Stellognatha maculata from the same family as your beetle Cerambyicidae.
Andee
Chameleon Enthusiast
It's definitely a long horned beetle. And it has similar markings to the one I mentioned... but I am not sure... the white markings they usually sport from what I understand are much more bright and a bit more... well there would likely be more. But I mean every insect is an individual so maybe this guy/girl isn't like that XD They are one of the species of long horns (native btw) that aren't actually detrimental to trees... If you do feed him/her off, I would try to do a gut purging? They feed on decaying tree matter, usually hard wood is their favorite. But I also would worry more about possible tongue injuries. So I highly recommend just finding a nice tree for that little one to go back to and keep helping the trees in the neighborhood XD. It's suprising you found one though, supposedly they are very shy and hard to find very often.
That is beautiful Twitchet. I have been looking getting back into fruit and wood scarabs. I had a small colony that I had for a few generations for a bit. I ended up having a bad year with them and lost them sadly. I had Chrysina Beyeri scarabs, I have been looking at getting some Glorious, which are very closely related to them, when the store I would buy them from gets them in stock again. I am also interested in getting a few predation beetles.
That is beautiful Twitchet. I have been looking getting back into fruit and wood scarabs. I had a small colony that I had for a few generations for a bit. I ended up having a bad year with them and lost them sadly. I had Chrysina Beyeri scarabs, I have been looking at getting some Glorious, which are very closely related to them, when the store I would buy them from gets them in stock again. I am also interested in getting a few predation beetles.
theintouchable88
Member
Wow, amazing work.I'm guessing no too
On a total side note- I would kill to find one like that- toooo beautiful to feed-
I'm beetle mad and paint lots of them- this is an A3 acrylic painting I did recently- Its Stellognatha maculata from the same family as your beetle Cerambyicidae.
jackolantern
Member
beautiful drawing! you should definitely visit taiwan then because these guys are everywhere especially on the mountains.I'm guessing no too
On a total side note- I would kill to find one like that- toooo beautiful to feed-
I'm beetle mad and paint lots of them- this is an A3 acrylic painting I did recently- Its Stellognatha maculata from the same family as your beetle Cerambyicidae.
Virgil1972
Avid Member
You do a little bit of everything don't you.I'm guessing no too
On a total side note- I would kill to find one like that- toooo beautiful to feed-
I'm beetle mad and paint lots of them- this is an A3 acrylic painting I did recently- Its Stellognatha maculata from the same family as your beetle Cerambyicidae.
Andee
Chameleon Enthusiast
There is this amazing species that is totally legal to keep in the US, called the Warrior Beetle who is an amazing terrestrial predator in the beetle/insect world @Twitchet. They are supposedly amazing at killing pretty much any insect put in their enclosure, and generally touching them in anyway is not recommended unless you have amazing reflexes XD. Absolutely amaze me, I love them. I have also been looking at getting some Arizona Elephant Beetles. One of the few huge native beetles that the US naturally has here. However since they are so rare to keep in captivity, in fact I am pretty sure they have just started having captive breeding successfully in the last few years, that a single larvae is at least 15 dollars. I would want to be much better at keeping giant species before getting them. I love beetles so much. They are one of the few species of insects that I would never feed off to any lizard unless I was desperate. I also have been interested in keeping some snail eating beetles <3 Those guys are adorable and have some amazing predation tactics. They kind of hunt in packs.
Twitchet
Chameleon Enthusiast
Hey Andee, wow, that is so amazing, you really are beetle mad too! Just checked out the snail eating ones, never heard of them, I see they are carabidae, love Carabus sp so they get my vote, and also warrior which are lucanidae? Love stag beetles so they look great too, never kept any scarab family but I have half a dozen xylotrupes larvae at the mo, they are huge, but they have been going for over a year! I had mecynnorhina too, much easier and a bit quicker. My real desire would be goliathus or dynastes Hercules but they really take so care and are £15 here and I'm not that good,
elephant beetles-are they megasoma? Orin mcmonigle has written a book that features a lot on US beetle breeding but the Japanese and Koreans have got it nailed, I'm sure you know they have shops that sell just beetles!
if you like those check out Daniel ambuehl on YouTube, he is Swiss and nothing short of a beetle God, he raises everything. I'll have to stick to painting them, it's wonderful to do as you really study them and I appreciate them far more now, I've been lucky enough to paint weevils, Longhorns, carabus, cicindela, goliathus, and still adding! Google Tabitha beetle and you'll find the site.
Although not a beetle, one of the most amazing and characterful creatures I have ever kept was a Gampsocleis cricket, now she was a monster, huge but would eat anything, great animal.
They sell anthia sexguttata , really tenacious, here which I'd love but think I can't go against my personal wild caught trade ethics, the losses would be too great, their larvae feed on or in anthills so CB is being researched but will be difficult I guess.
This has been really interesting and a surprise departure from chameleons!
Let me know if you add to your collection!
elephant beetles-are they megasoma? Orin mcmonigle has written a book that features a lot on US beetle breeding but the Japanese and Koreans have got it nailed, I'm sure you know they have shops that sell just beetles!
if you like those check out Daniel ambuehl on YouTube, he is Swiss and nothing short of a beetle God, he raises everything. I'll have to stick to painting them, it's wonderful to do as you really study them and I appreciate them far more now, I've been lucky enough to paint weevils, Longhorns, carabus, cicindela, goliathus, and still adding! Google Tabitha beetle and you'll find the site.
Although not a beetle, one of the most amazing and characterful creatures I have ever kept was a Gampsocleis cricket, now she was a monster, huge but would eat anything, great animal.
They sell anthia sexguttata , really tenacious, here which I'd love but think I can't go against my personal wild caught trade ethics, the losses would be too great, their larvae feed on or in anthills so CB is being researched but will be difficult I guess.
This has been really interesting and a surprise departure from chameleons!
Let me know if you add to your collection!
Andee
Chameleon Enthusiast
It's definitely harder to get any species of beetles in the USA that isn't native or is considered... not a pest or uninvasive. The elephants I was talking about is a species of megasoma found wild in arizona, megasoma punctulatus. They are related to the species found in South Africa. Really bulky guys. Absolutely beautiful. From what I understand they were hard to understand their needs for a while, but the last 5 years or so there has been a steady breeding colony established in captivity at least in one vendor. The scarab I would be most interested in getting would be the Chrysina Gloriosa, they are related to the ones I had but with a darker emerald green color, no purple legs, and gold stripes. They can be found in the US. The Flower beetles I am interested in are Gymnetis Caseyi. From what I understand if you are going to do one of the larger species like Goliaths or dynastes (which I can also get here) you want to start out with the dynastes. They are supposedly easier and more.... forgiving XD. They do require a lot of space in my opinion and if I was to get something that large I would very likely do a larger display cage that would replicate a natural habitat. I would likely go not smaller than a 40 gallon aquarium because I could have a male and then 2-3 females without much issue. I may make a naturalistic terrarium for them. Beetles in my opinion are great to do that with especially the scarabs. The snail eaters are absolutely amazing I love their colony aspects. The warrior beetles I am talking about are US species native (Pasimachus sp.) they are one of the largest predator beetles we have here.
Did the species of cricket you mentioned the Gampsocleis cricket, is it a carnivorous one?
Have you ever kept long horned beetles in captivity? I haven't heard tons of success with that at all?
Did the species of cricket you mentioned the Gampsocleis cricket, is it a carnivorous one?
Have you ever kept long horned beetles in captivity? I haven't heard tons of success with that at all?
Twitchet
Chameleon Enthusiast
Hi Andee, great info, thanks, a planted and decorated enclosure is definitely much nicer than a RUB for sure, they are too beautiful to lock away, the meccs were classed as flower beetle i think, I'd didnt know what I was doing but still got 4 out of 4 emerged , as you say they take room and it's difficult to know when you are needing that space, as they are larval for so long,
The Gampsocleis was indeed very predatory, she was a monster, so difficult to find though, only saw them advertised once, would love another. I got her a male, she did attempt to mate with him, never was sure that she collected the spermatophore, then she ate him, she laid eggs but they never hatched, she was 3" or so and bulky too.
The Gampsocleis was indeed very predatory, she was a monster, so difficult to find though, only saw them advertised once, would love another. I got her a male, she did attempt to mate with him, never was sure that she collected the spermatophore, then she ate him, she laid eggs but they never hatched, she was 3" or so and bulky too.
