can silkworms be a staple food

[Tifanydalpont]

i found the nutritinal values of a few foods

------------fat---calcium---phosphorus---protein
silkworms 43--- 0.5--------0.6----------54
mealworm 60-- 0.1--------1.2----------37
waxworm 73-- -0.1------- 0.9--------- 27
butterworm 73--- highest--- 0.9--------- 27
crickets 44--- 0.2------- 2.6---------50

 

[summoner12]

they can be fed on a regular basis..... but chams will need a bit of roughage like crickets or supers. they are healthy to feed... but not the only thing that should be fed off.

 

[Tifanydalpont]

awesome !!!! i usually use well fed cricket but he gets bored of them and love the silkies!!!! i just wanted a better alternetive... i want something simillar thats just as good as crickets... is it bad if i feed him 3days silkies and 4 day crickets

 

[Tifanydalpont]

but do u think feeding the silkies i need to still dust them with phos free

 

[summoner12]

try mixing.... two silks and a few crickets....

don't forget butters, supers, and horn worms. you should check out the SBCK meeting: https://www.chameleonforums.com/march-29th-tues-south-bay-chameleon-keepers-meeting-56127/

 

[summoner12]

but do u think feeding the silkies i need to still dust them with phos free

if you dust crickets... you won't need to do it with silk worms... at least I never have

 

[Tifanydalpont]

i just put the rest of my crickets in hes cage today but i bought a silkworm cup, hornworm cup and 12 butter worm from murberry farms... i relize butter worm are just ase bad as waxies so i'll feed him those as a high calicum treat... i bought calciworms pheniox worms but he pays no attention to thoughts until they turn in to flies....theres just so many silkies in the cup i want to feed them off before they eat all the food and die

 

[Tifanydalpont]

sammoner thanks i wasnt sure about that i wont dust them then thanks

 

[summoner12]

yeah, go ahead and feed him silks... no biggie... i go in waves around the time of the SBCK meetings I have lots of silks... so i feed a lot off. the chams love it. but i mix it up with hornworms and butter worms and crickets... as long as you mix things up, your fine. just remember to dust the crickets.

 

[Tifanydalpont]

another question sometimes ill dust the cricket and pu them i his cage but will notice they'll be in there for a few day before he eats them ... and they lose the powder off them do they still have the gut load during that time or do they lose there nutrients

 

[dagy24]

I think they can be a "staple" or main feeder, and are very nutritious. But, like others said, crickets and roaches are gutloadable with a variety of things and they keep the chams poops from being too runnny.

You could completely substitute crickets with roaches, if you're ok with that. I got a few free from my local petstore and I preferred them. Granted, it was just a few but they don't stink or chirp. More expensive, but each one is larger (just don't give them TOO big of roaches, so they don't choke) so you end up feeding less of them.

 

[Tifanydalpont]

dagy24 ... i cant deal with roaches there just way way to gross for me..... thanks thought !!!...i'll stick with the silkies and crickets

 

[SS4Luck]

I raised my first Veiled almost completely on silkies for the first 7 months of hsi life

 

[Tifanydalpont]

ss4luck did u dust them???

 

[sandrachameleon]

Try to expand the options beyond just crickets and silkies. The more variety the better IMHO. No one feeder should make up more than 20% of the chameleons diet IMHO.
If the silkies will make up more than 20% of your chameleons diet, you will want to dust sometimes with calcium, or use fresh mulberry and grape leaves as the gutload. And summoner is right that some "roughage" is needed, some chinton from crickets, mealworms, supers, roaches, terrestrial isopods, or whatever - you dont want the diet to be all softbodied larva.