feeder geckos

[supermrchameleon]

I wouldnt mind feeding mine anoles if he were bigger. For some reason I just really hate anoles with a passion. Only if they were clean though. I plan on breeding leopard geckos and would probably feed deformed babies to them as well and infertile eggs to snakes or something.

 

[Syn]

I wouldnt mind feeding mine anoles if he were bigger. For some reason I just really hate anoles with a passion. Only if they were clean though. I plan on breeding leopard geckos and would probably feed deformed babies to them as well and infertile eggs to snakes or something.

A whole new can of worms has been opened..

 

[Todnedo]

What a lot of people don't, and will never understand is, these are wild animals
Just because you give them a name and put them in a cage don't change the fact that they have instincts.
In the wild they eat a varied diet of anything that moves. Feeding anoles and geckos is a perfect form of calcium. It is unhealthy to feed them just one type of feeder. That's why they go on hunger strikes, because of the lack of variety in their diet.

 

[CHAMaDdIcT]

i think that people should have more self discipline posting threads like this because you KNOW that some people are going to get upset about it, so whats the point in posting it? even if you like watching a cham eat a gecko, you should at least keep it to yourself instead of posting it so everyone can get upset

 

[Rocky]

i think that people should have more self discipline posting threads like this because you KNOW that some people are going to get upset about it, so whats the point in posting it? even if you like watching a cham eat a gecko, you should at least keep it to yourself instead of posting it so everyone can get upset

I don't think it's the posters job to determine the reaction of other people. I think people that are un educated on the fact and have no idea what they are talking about should keep their attitudes to themselves. There are alot of people posting things these days when they have no idea what they are talking about.

Like Todnedo said, feeder geckos are a good source of calcium and you shouldn't assume they have parasites and start attacking someone. It would of been more appropriate to warn that some carry parasites.

 

[Cainschams]

Todnedo, Rocky..................My thoughts exactly. This is why I love threads like this. Its funny for me to see those reactions that are more from a "moral/human feelings" or paranoid standpoint.

 

[Olimpia]

It's like going out and buying your dog a couple hamsters to "vary his diet." There is absolutely no need whatsoever to do something like that, not with 30,000 brands and flavors of dry and caned dog food, plus natural supplementation (chicken, beef, vegetables... what have you) and treats. Same goes for chams. There are 20 different feeder insect species you can choose from to keep things interesting. In the wild they would eat small animals only because they're lucky to come across anything they can actually eat, not to spice up their routine. Any wild chameleon is probably dying to have a stable diet of anything.

Im typically the most liberal person ever on anything (it drives my bioethics professor crazy). If it's cool, do it. But as a person that has 15 geckos, and a total of 34 reptiles between my roommates and me, all snakes and lizards, any reptile is probably similar to a pet we have. To me it's like feeding one pet to another, it's bizaar and unecessary. Buuuuut whatever, I've commented enough on this thing

 

[chameleonneeds]

Id have to agree with todnedo and cain.
By feeding your chams something different like this every now and then then your animal will be healthier than someone just feeding the chameleon crickets.

I have fed geckos to my chameleons plenty of times but dont do it anymore.

When I was very young even from the age of 5 I used to catch geckos in other peoples gardens because there were none at my house, so I introduced them to my garden and have plenty of them breeding here and doing well, and I am trying to get another species (barking gecko) to start breeding here.

But despite that I dont mind feeding 1 or 2 to my chameleons, there is nothing wrong with it.

If you guys dont like what he/we are doing then keep your pitty comments to your self. Comment if you have something to say like health issues for the chameleon by feeding them geckos.

 

[DGray]

animals eat animals

I am not swayed by any moral hand-wringing. Animals eat animals.

I just think anyone who feeds a wild herp to a CB one is dumb. The concept of a "clean" wild herp in Texas is just improbable. Still, it might not affect the CB animal, but what is the risk:benefit of using herps as feeders? Not a good one in my book.

 

[Todnedo]

I am not swayed by any moral hand-wringing. Animals eat animals.

I just think anyone who feeds a wild herp to a CB one is dumb. The concept of a "clean" wild herp in Texas is just improbable. Still, it might not affect the CB animal, but what is the risk:benefit of using herps as feeders? Not a good one in my book.

If you feed your chams wild insects, lizards or snails you will need to do a fecal every 3-6 months and treat for whatever parasites they pick up.
Its not a big deal. The parasites they get from wild feeders here are few.
In Madagascar that's a different story.

 

[Julirs]

If you feed your chams wild insects, lizards or snails you will need to do a fecal every 3-6 months and treat for whatever parasites they pick up.
Its not a big deal. The parasites they get from wild feeders here are few.
In Madagascar that's a different story.

Truth be told that most people will not get a fecal every 6-9 months, and they will not take on the expense of treatment. We have plenty of round, hook, and pin worms not to mention coccidia.

So-if you are not willing and able to take on this expense/level of care-why risk it?

 

[Tputtwhatwhat]

Todnedo, Rocky..................My thoughts exactly. This is why I love threads like this. Its funny for me to see those reactions that are more from a "moral/human feelings" or paranoid standpoint.

Im glad I checked up on this thread, to read some comments coming from the "other" side. Nobody is offended by the images of a lion brutally taking down a zebra.... sure we ALL feel bad for the prey, but it is really awesome to see these animals hunt naturally. Even if the OP did enjoy watching the gecko get eaten, that doesn't mean he/she is heartless or cruel. As for the photos, I think they are an incredible display of the predatory instincts of the cham, and i say all that while thinking "poor lil guy"

 

[Elizadolots]

I actually think lots of people are grossed out by images of a lion taking down a zebra. Some of us are a bit soft that way. I'll put myself in the group. I decided not to watch LIFE this week because when I first clicked on it a group of lionesses were eating something...

In my admittedly extremely humble opinion, I think the objections to this are primarily around the fact that was way too big a feeder and unless that was a captive bred gecko (unlikely, but possible) it's likely the animal was exposed to things that aren't in the native environment for the chameleon (pesticides, fertilizers, etc).

I think those of us who are grossed out are honest enough to admit it. I also suspect that the original poster sort of hoped to gross some people out...It's one of the main reasons to post the picture right? You want to get a) "Cool dude! That is so awesome!" and b) "ewwwww, that's gross".

It wouldn't be awesome for some if it weren't gross for others (note: this refers to animal feeding issues, not to everything under the sun).

 

[mistikmaiden]

Wow. This is the most heated and varied thread I've ever seen. I have an adult, male veiled and I don't think I would ever do this. Not because I think it's cruel or anything. I just don't think it's worth the risk to my cham's life. I don't think that risking the life of your pet is part of being a responsible pet owner.

 

[SpinyFranky]

I have to take Todnedo's side on this, no matter what - they are still wild animals.

You don't think that WC chams come into the country with countless parasites as well? in the wild Parasites are a part of the animals life, its not as if they are endangered of going extinct because of the parasite.

When CB animals with no resiliency are exposed to bacteria, parasites, infection e.t.c e.t.c then on the off chance it does occur - the outcome is much worse than an animal with an already established immune system.

Im not saying to let your cham rot its filth to build its immune system, so don't take it like that. What im saying and this primarily comes from my experience with birds -

When breeders raised birds in the *prefect environment*, the second something went wrong - aka power outage - the birds catch a cold, and they usually died.

Smart Breeders raise their animals to endure a little more, such that if the power goes out the bird gets cold, may catch a cold - but it can get over that cold in a day or two without any expensive trips to the vet. Its called Resiliency, and its a good thing.

Many can recall a time when Silk Worms were much hardier than they currently are - but over breeding and *pristine conditions* essentially destroyed the worms immune system, and now if anything goes wrong - bye bye colony.

People think "pet" and they think that somehow that term means the animal can never be exposed to anything - but in the off chance it is... bye bye pet, or hello expensive vet.

Do I agree with feeding the cham a gecko that big? NO. But do I disagree with feeding it a gecko in the first place? NO.

Im sure that in the wild it would eat anything that comes nearby - they eat not only insects, but small animals as well - birds - lizards, probably juvi rodents. Its the circle of life, and just feeding the animal an insect diet ( which I personally would think is more likely to be ridden with parasites than a healthy gecko ) makes that circle.... seem much more bland.

Further more if everyone is so abstain to watch the animal eat another animal, I would like to remind you that most of you are probably carnivores yourselves - and just because you do not go out and kill and skin your own cows - does not change this. You are still eating something that was once breathing, once had blood flowing through its veins - and if any of you have ever cooked your own lobsters or crabs - you don't need a reminder as to how hypocritical that is.

You shouldn't be so quick to condemn someone for something that you do every day yourselves in your own kitchen.

But thats just my two cents.

 

[backwood fred]

exactly!!!