I'm getting a new Veiled Chameleon. I was wondering if I could feed him/her some insects from my backyard. And Also, whenever my brother buys organic broccoli, he finds some caterpillars in it. I figured since its organic, it wouldn't have any chemicals and it has caterpillars. What do you think? Should I feed those to my chameleon?
Chameleon
- Thread starter SamDoes
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jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
I'm a bit of a chicken when feeding unknown bugs, but I do think wild insects are a million times healthier than farmed insects. I try to feed as many wild bugs as I can but I limit myself to what's available because I just don't know. I tend to only feed grasshoppers, katydids, cicadas and black soldier flies from my compost.
Can you identify the caterpillars? Many toxic bugs are toxic because of what they eat not from a toxin that they produce. For example, you wouldn't want to feed a wild horn worm you found on your tomato plant because tomato leaves are poisonous (part of the deadly nightshade family). One notable exception is fireflies--they are very toxic to beardies.
I do not feed wild snails which can be loaded with parasites. I believe snails are part of lungworms' lifecycle.
You can get parasites from farmed crickets. I have.
Just to be clear, farmed feeders raised on grain-based feed are not without their own risk. Aflatoxins from moldy grain--before or after milling--can kill your animals.
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