Just caught a Yellow Underwing Caterpillar...safe to eat?

[Poveglia]

Just caught a caterpillar that I found outside. I carefully went through an identification guide and discovered it is the caterpillar of the Yellow Underwing Moth, or Noctua pronuba. Is this safe to feed to my Cham as a treat?

Thanks for any timely response.

 

[Poveglia]

OK...nevermind I threw it out...better safe than sorry...

 

[K_Wolf]

I don't know, I tend to avoid feeding my chams anything I find outside, you can never really be sure. Plus, you have no idea what diseases or parasites it could be hosting!

 

[Nursemaia]

I love feeding wild caught bugs. It introduces additional variety into their diet. I only feed safe bugs like grasshoppers and katydids and bugs I know that are from areas not sprayed with pesticides

 

[Crashbandit05]

I don't know, I tend to avoid feeding my chams anything I find outside, you can never really be sure. Plus, you have no idea what diseases or parasites it could be hosting!

In all actuality, the crickets and such we buy can contain parasites as well. I collect WC bugs ONLY from an area that's protected from pesticides like a nature park or something.

 

[K_Wolf]

@Crashbandit05 yeah I know but I'm not one to take risks....on some occasions I will give grasshoppers or a walking stick if I happen to come across one. I try and stick to captive bred insects though.

 

[Crashbandit05]

@Crashbandit05 yeah I know but I'm not one to take risks....on some occasions I will give grasshoppers or a walking stick if I happen to come across one. I try and stick to captive bred insects though.

I understand. I guess it also helps to live in a rural area too. I fed my panther a honey bee that didn't make it back to its hive, I've never seen him move so fast to snatch up a bug lol.

 

[Andee]

Captive bred insects are not as healthy as wild caught. They do not carry some of the vitamins and minerals that wild caught do. That's why we have to powder captive insects so much.

 

[Andee]

Honestly people should practice yearly fecals whether they do captive bred or wild caughts. Both need it. Or they should know the early signs of parasites that most insects carry (intestinal worms usually). I caught Ryker relatively early the first time when he had pin worms (caused by captive bred crickets), and it was all because of the smell of his poop.