Caterpillar / worm question

[Gabriellehernandezxxx]

So my dad went to a pet store the other day, because he wanted to get my chameleon a Christmas treat haha. He said the woman ran back in a room and came out with this caterpillar, saying the chameleon would LOVE it. When he showed me, I had never seen anyone post about these caterpillars on the forums, and I was nervous about the stinger!! plus it was huge compared to her considering she’s still young haha. Needless to say, I didn’t give her it. Does anyone know what these are / if they’re safe for chameleons? (These are pics from the internet of the caterpillar it was)

edit: now I feel silly, I’ve definitely seen people post about hornworms on here, but I’ve never seen a picture of them so I was confused

 

[GoodKarma19]

Hornworm, and yep! The "stinger" is totally safe, and flexible. Won't hurt your cham.

 

[The Wild One]

those are hornworms, yes they are cham safe but can bite so make sure them are the right size for your cham. they are commonly used for hydration, since they are literally bags of water. Yes, most chams love them but they should be used at treats not on a daily basis.

 

[Gabriellehernandezxxx]

Hornworm, and yep! The "stinger" is totally safe, and flexible. Won't hurt your cham.

Oh wow good to know!! I was so scared of it

 

[Gabriellehernandezxxx]

those are hornworms, yes they are cham safe but can bite so make sure them are the right size for your cham. they are commonly used for hydration, since they are literally bags of water. Yes, most chams love them but they should be used at treats not on a daily basis.

Makes sense, thank you!! It definitely seemed too big for mine, maybe when she gets bigger I’ll go and get another!

 

[Kaizen]

So my dad went to a pet store the other day, because he wanted to get my chameleon a Christmas treat haha. He said the woman ran back in a room and came out with this caterpillar, saying the chameleon would LOVE it. When he showed me, I had never seen anyone post about these caterpillars on the forums, and I was nervous about the stinger!! plus it was huge compared to her considering she’s still young haha. Needless to say, I didn’t give her it. Does anyone know what these are / if they’re safe for chameleons? (These are pics from the internet of the caterpillar it was)

edit: now I feel silly, I’ve definitely seen people post about hornworms on here, but I’ve never seen a picture of them so I was confused

Yikes! Horn worms are totally safe...UNLESS THEYVE BEEN EATING TOMATO PLANTS LIKE THE ONE IN YOUR PICTURE.

 

[Gabriellehernandezxxx]

Yikes! Horn worms are totally safe...UNLESS THEYVE BEEN EATING TOMATO PLANTS LIKE THE ONE IN YOUR PICTURE.

That was a picture I got off the internet!

 

[Kaizen]

That was a picture I got off the internet!

Thanks goodness! Then they’re totally safe!

 

[Hashtag ChamLife]

Thanks goodness! Then they’re totally safe!

those are hornworms, yes they are cham safe but can bite so make sure them are the right size for your cham. they are commonly used for hydration, since they are literally bags of water. Yes, most chams love them but they should be used at treats not on a daily basis.

^^^
This. They are VERY bitey! There are plenty of horror stories about bites from hornworms - usually to the mouth or eyes. The worms innate response to being grabbed (or bitten) is to turn and bite. The bigger ones actually hurt too! (I've been bitten a few times)

There's two things I recommend. Either use small pilers and crush their mandibles - they will start to drip a clear/teal fluid if you do it right. Or option two is the feed them when they look like a little piggy! By this I mean when they are trying to molt. They will save their head as the last part and the skull piece gets stuck over their mouth for about a day. They'll usually be away from the food source and it looks like they have a snout - like a piggy!

My guys and gals used to go for the head first, but now have gotten lazy. Even if they do hit it in the head, it can lead to a tongue bite. While it may be somewhat rare, I've had 2 of my chams get bitten, just not majorly. My veiled girl had one get her eye turret and she smashed it against a vine to get it off. Was hard to watch.

Best wishes!

 

[Beman]

I feed these at a much smaller size then Beman could handle due to the fact that they bite. Also I do not think it is safe to feed them huge ones because they can not handle them all that easily. I have never had an issue with Beman being bitten by feeding them smaller. So max length I feed is an inch and a half long.