Conflicting Messages About Feeders

[MsCham]

Okay, so I'm getting frustrated. Too many sources, too many opinions on the internet, and they are all nicely worded and sound like they have some sound logic. So I want to set this straight.

DO HARD-BODIED FEEDERS CAUSE IMPACTION?

I have no access to silkworms ANYWHERE legit in Canada. Which means the remaining soft-bodied feeders are butterworms and mealworms, which really are not meant to be fed very often... I'll get 15 butterworms/mealworms (each) a month, and the rest of the food will be superworms and crickets, gutloaded, dusted, ya da ya da. But if the healthy "staples" are all hard-bodied, and too many hard-bodied feeders cause impaction, wtf are you supposed to do??

I envy everyone who has access to silkworms...

Sources/reasoning of why you say what you are saying would be appreciated! I guess I just want to speak to the pros here, not anyone who has just owned a few over their lifetime...

If it matters, my boy is an ~8mo veiled.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Montium]

I have been feeding a 95% roach diet for a couple years now with no impactions. I think hydration is key to preventing them, this is just my thinking with no hard evidence. I think that due to irrigation problems that many indoor chams probably get less water than they need. Again, just my idea and nothing I have seen proven, I have noticed tons of great looking chams that are raised indoors so save the poison pen letters lol.

If it's still a worry for you you can try to feed the fresh molted supers and since it's a Veiled you can ty and offer some vegetation as well.

 

[werecat]

Sometimes I go through periods where I am unable to get any soft-bodied feeders and during those times (sometimes a few months) I feed my chameleon only crickets and superworms. My cham's popping becomes less frequent and sometimes rides the line of being a concern, but I've never had a problem with impaction. He just becomes less regular. I'd agree that hydration plays a role. My cham gets plenty of rain.

If you ever get the chance to buy silkworms or hornworms grab the opportunity, but if not, I think you will be ok without.

 

[nick barta]

I think that mealworms are the culprit most named when feeders are being accused of impacting a chameleons digestive tract. In comparison to Super Worms (Zoophobia, not Giant Mealworms), mealworms do have a harder exoskeleton.

Other potential sources of hard surfaced feeders would be some Roaches, Beetles and Stick Insects.

My thoughts on your question are opinions as well, but her ya go:

In the wild, I would think it is safe to assume that chameleons eat a variety of insects that are soft to extra crunchy. During different insect hatches, they probably get influxes of specific insects, resulting in peaks of more (or less) crunchy dining than at other times. So can chameleons in captivity be given crunchy feeders? I would say yes.

Do you want to major in crunchy feeders for your chameleon? I would say no. I think the variety of crunchiness is important, but all hard exoskeletons I think could lead to impaction.

Impaction probably occurs more often in chameleons when they shoot their tongue and ingest a leaf, rock, dirt, or plastic fake plant. The other source of impaction could be the chameleon choosing to eat dirt, leaves, and bark.

Cheers!

Nick

 

[Devokid]

No, they do not cause impaction. My jacksons eat snails all the time, and it doesn't get much harder than that. Chameleons eat hard bodied insects in the wild all the time, in fact, the eating of snails is why Hawaii wants all the jacksons removed. You also said that meal worms were soft, and that is not true. I don't feed my guys meal worms at all as they are not very good for them. I'm not sure what the bug situation is in Canada, but I would try and get some stick insects, horn worms, and crickets.

 

[eacmich]

I have no access to silkworms ANYWHERE legit in Canada.

Curious where you are located in BC? I am in the Lower Mainland, and Aquariums West in Vancouver is pretty decent about getting Silkworms in regularly. Though I am not sure if they ship. Also, I know of the PetSmart in Langley which carries Horn Worms (they usually get a shipment in on Friday's).

 

[MsCham]

Type-O! When I said mealworms I meant to say waxworms... You know, the things that turn into moths. Too many worms to keep track of! >.< When writing this, I totally forgot about hornworms, though my boy definitely gets those as treats! (They are just too expensive otherwise!!)

Thank you all for your opinions! I'm curious how Jacksons and Veileds would differ, though I'm sure its similar!

Eacmich, I'm in Kelowna! PetSmart is where I get the Hornworms too! But I have tried every petstore I know of around here (including Vernon) and I can't seem to find any! I've also tried to order some online... and geesh I am not happy with some of the replies I've gotten!! I had one guy email me the order total, and I cancelled it, saying it was too much and that I'd send in another order with less stuff, and the guy emailed me about the other order (with MUCH less) and he quoted me the same price!! *Rage* I will definately look into Aquariums West, though, and see if they ship! Thanks!

 

[jamjam]

wax worms probably are no better than meal worms those 2 are probably to 2 peopel try to stay away from most. However even in toronto there seems to be some sort of shortage I picked up about 30 2 weeks ago however at the expo this past weekend not a single supplier had silks, I was lucky enough to get several hundred eggs when i picked up a couple weeks ago.

 

[SycoSquirl]

as far as i know dubias dont cause impaction, in fact they are the best feeder for a chameleon because they are high in protein, another soft bodied feeder is a hornworm, just dont let them eat a tomato plant because the plants are toxic to chameleons, plus once hornworms morph into moths chameleons go crazy for them haha
try ordering eggs off mulberryfarm, ive always loved mulberryfarms. Also Nick Barta on here has really cool specialty insects, going to be pricey but he has walking sticks which are so much fun to watch in general lol

 

[bobcochran]

I have to disagree with Devokid: hard body insects exoskeletons are made mostly of chiton ( the alleged source of impaction), snails shells consist mostly of calcium carbonate, a good source of calcium for chams. The rest of the snail is soft body protein.