Hawaii Chameleon Owners (food options)

[808jax]

Living in Hawaii and I am trying to find other food options for my chameleons. There are a couple threads on here on food options for chameleons in Hawaii, but those were pretty outdated and I thought I would start another thread.

The only insects that our local pet stores sell is crickets and meal worms.

There used to be silkworms available in pet stores maybe 15-20 years ago, but it seems like they may be illegal. Theres a thread on here going into detail on this, posted in 2020.

I guess my question for you all in Hawaii (or anyone that has info), is where do you get other insects to feed your chameleon?

A worker at Ko’olau nursery said he sees people with butterfly nets catching grasshoppers in the mornings near Sand Island.

If anyone has information on someone local that sells insects or if there are any spots on Oahu to find/catch insects that haven’t been exposed to pesticides, please let me know. I really need to start feeding my chameleon a wider variety of insects.

 

[Motherlode Chameleon]

I would consider collecting field plankton and grasshoppers with a net from a pesticide free field. When pesticide free they can be a good supplement to store bought crickets and superworms.

You may want to sort through the field plankton and remove possibly problematic field plankton such as spiders.

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich

 

[MissSkittles]

If you’re able to catch some clean wild grasshoppers, you may want to try breeding them. You may be able to learn more from some members here who have been breeding their own.
Black soldier flies are legal and present in Hawaii and the larvae makes great feeders. I give the flies as treats…not sure about their nutritional value after they pupate. There are praying mantis that are native there and if you can get an ooth or two (their egg sac) you can hatch them out for feeders. I believe there are hornworms there too, but the diet of the wild ones is toxic for a chameleon. Those can be bred and the babies will be safe, but those are mostly for treats and a pain in the butt to breed. Unfortunately silkworms and dubia roaches are illegal. You do have Surinam roaches there wild and they are very easy to breed and are smaller as adults. They are good climbers though and fast. I do hope you find some solutions.

 

[808jax]

I would consider collecting field plankton and grasshoppers with a net from a pesticide free field. When pesticide free they can be a good supplement to store bought crickets and superworms.

You may want to sort through the field plankton and remove possibly problematic field plankton such as spiders.

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich

Thanks Jeremy. What is field plankton? Never heard this term before.

 

[kinyonga]

Field plankton…Iwould define as all the little bugs you might find in a field that would be edible by the chameleon.
You want to be selective though and not use bugs that eat plants or other insects that would be toxic to chameleons.

 

[Motherlode Chameleon]

Field plankton…Iwould define as all the little bugs you might find in a field that would be edible by the chameleon.
You want to be selective though and not use bugs that eat plants or other insects that would be toxic to chameleons.

Close enough. I have found that field plankton can be a great way to end hunger strikes with chameleons. Chameleons in the wild could be said to feed on a variety of insects that are similar (ecosystem niche and convergent evolved) to field plankton elsewhere in the world. However when/if you have got issues and want to feed wild caugfht insects, just stay with field collected grasshoppers.

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich

 

[JacksJill]

Field "plankton" can be collected using a light trap. Here is a quote from a member on how to make one.

Another way is to use a light trap. This trap is far more effective with flying bugs like moths. Most nocturnal insects are drawn towards lights, a light trap uses this trait against them. All you need to do is go out to a wooded area or field and hang up a white bed sheet. Then take a black light flashlight and shine it on the sheet. Every bug in the area will start moving towards the sheet. it will take about 30 min for a lot of them to actually make it to the sheet so I usually set this up first and then go spotlighting while waiting for the sheet to fill up.