Lizzards as a feeder!!!!!

Thank you for so clearly explaining the video so I knew not to click the link. I really appreciate that.

I think people have to make decisions for themselves on feeding, but I, personally, could not do that.
 
Is it horrible from a we-own-lizards-so-we-love-lizards standpoint? Sure, I agree, I wouldn't do it. But in all honesty, it's not like these guys wouldn't catch and eat lizards and other small creatures in the wild. They don't only have crickets and superworms to choose from in the wild, so this is normal for them. My wildcaught Jackson's once caught a gecko that had managed to get into his cage as happily as if he were eating anything else. He just saw food and went for it.

From a health standpoint I think too much animal protein is bad for them, but a lizard packs a lot more nutritional punch than a couple crickets so I can't blame the cham.
 
My chameleon ate one on my patio a ways back that had ventured in from outside and I had to turn away after I jumped up and down freaking out first. He was fine after but it was definitely something I would not want to watch let alone video tape!
I felt so sorry for the poor little lizard!
 
yeah but chams do eat lizards out in the wild and even their own kind its just the way of life i do respect those that do not wish to watch but some are even know to eat birds i.e. mellers oustalates and parsons. so if you wanna feed them an anole or a house gecko go ahead just make sure you gutload them or dust them before you feed them to your big boys.
 
I think even if its natural, people shouldnt do it just because.
If its not even healthy, just save a little guys life.
 
Oh my goodness that poor baby... Its not a pretty sight! But what can you do its in their blood. My female Panther eats them all the time, when she's outside. One time I had to get her to release one cause it was way to big for her. Now that was something that I never wanna do again... It doesn't matter how many times I see it, it doesn't get any easier... I use to raise Anoles when I was little, I could never feed one to my chams... :(
 
I have curly tail lizards in my yard that I feed almost daily, they are very personable tame wild pets. They will come to me and crawl on me looking for a treat. In my walk in cage with my panther, little anoles can get in and out and I am pretty sure they can become a meal, but I will shoo a curly tail away because I wouldn’t want one of them to get eaten!
 
I agree really. Owners can decide what they think is right for the animal they own. There are sick people out there who do it for kicks (Feeding goldfish etc. to pirahna's usually) and just seem to like videoing it to show their mates. Fact of the matter is that most pets have a far limited range of food in captivity and using live mice/lizards can make a great change from the usual feeders and provide a healthy amount of nutrition.

I would never do it myself though. I love all types of lizards, from small to large, the fate they have with me is to be mine to take care of!
 
Psychodrake said:
I agree really. Owners can decide what they think is right for the animal they own. There are sick people out there who do it for kicks (Feeding goldfish etc. to pirahna's usually) and just seem to like videoing it to show their mates. Fact of the matter is that most pets have a far limited range of food in captivity and using live mice/lizards can make a great change from the usual feeders and provide a healthy amount of nutrition.

I would never do it myself though. I love all types of lizards, from small to large, the fate they have with me is to be mine to take care of!
Click to expand...

well said!
 
I'm actually quite surprised at these responses. I would think people with so many posts and thus knowledge/experience would know that by NOT feeding our chameleons other reptiles is HARMING them.

They need to eat other reptiles and vertebrates (animals). Not just invertebrates (bugs). Hopefully we have all seen the images of chameleons eating other chameleons, or chameleons eating hummingbirds.

I am breeding viper geckos for this exact purpose, and we often ask for anole eggs at pet stores to hatch out for feeders. It's slow going, but one lizard as a food item every few months is enough to add a very beneficial addition to our chameleon's diets. Having a colony of fast-breeding lizards, where you keep most of them as pets/breeding stock, and feed only extra males, is 100% acceptable to me.

I see how far reptile keeping has come in the last 20 years with our knowledge of calcium, vitamin D3, UVB lighting, outdoor enclosures, Vitamin A, screen enclosures..... I foresee feeding smaller 'feeder' reptiles to our larger reptile pets will be commonplace in another 20 years. It will just be another part of proper husbandry we will all accept without even thinking about it. We will buy feeder lizards just as we buy feeder bugs.

I don't think 'owners should decide'......Nature has ALREADY decided!
 
Wow...that will get the arguments flying.

I'll just offer that from what I've read here, there are people who've kept their chameleons alive for many years (upwards of 6) without ever feeding them lizards or pinkies....

So, I believe that it's not necessary.

That doesn't mean I believe it's wrong and I will not condemn anyone who is feeding their captive animals successfully.
 
retread alert

I once had a Jax that had an entire bathroom of live plants floor to ceiling all to himself (honey, we never use that downstairs bathroom). Misting, sequential lighting, variable temps and drops - it was like a cloud forest in there and he did extremely well. Always stunning coloration, a great hunter and eater, a pleasure to behold. I had a Bahamian Dwarf boa in the other room that I could not get onto hoppers so I had to order a dozen Anolis sagrei(?) from a south florida herp store. I fed the boa two of them, froze six of them and threw four into the "jungle" The jax nailed one straight away and proceeded to chow down. I was impressed but had a bad feeling about it. It was not my intention that he eat any of them and I thought it unlikely that he would even see them in the week or so that they would cohabitate. Anyways, in the morning the Jackson's was down at the base of a ficus - gray and fading fast. He was dead by noon. Maybe a virus. Possibly a toxic shock from some bioamped substance. I'll never know for sure. I do know that many species have lizard on the menu in the wild (and many lizards have small chameleons on their menu) so I was surprised by the outcome. The entire fiasco was a major bummer that should not have happened. Never really wanted to know the answer to that question. :(
 
I'd use humans as feeders if I thought it was good.......... :rolleyes:
No vertebrates for any of my guys yet - even my monitor is staying basically insectivorous for now...........maybe a pinkie or pygmy mouse on rare occasions for my Chams, but there is obviously no need to feed vertebrates for a healthy Cham..................
 
"I'm actually quite surprised at these responses. I would think people with so many posts and thus knowledge/experience would know that by NOT feeding our chameleons other reptiles is HARMING them."
I don't believe this to be the case. How someone could make this call without data/proof is beyond me. Just looking at posts of fabolous, healthy chams on this forume that were raised on insects would seem to indicate its not harming them. There's risks associated with large prey items and although this occurs in the wild doesn't mean that chams arent sometimes wounded or killed by their prey items. It's each individuals decision on what to feed their pets but why condemm insect feeding when it works for so many? Do you feed your dog live rabbits?
 
DavidBuchan said:
I'd use humans as feeders if I thought it was good.......... :rolleyes:
No vertebrates for any of my guys yet - even my monitor is staying basically insectivorous for now...........maybe a pinkie or pygmy mouse on rare occasions for my Chams, but there is obviously no need to feed vertebrates for a healthy Cham..................
Click to expand...

I don't think I'd trust any live verterbrates honestly. Most pet shops only have dead ones which while more humane is probably less healthy, and live mice could have god knows what in them from a pet shop.

I'd sort of like to feed him something bigger in the future (Baby mouse or something) - Even if just once in his life, but I'll probably just stick to bigger insects. I don't feel it a great necessity to ever feed him a mouse, but I think it's unfair not to at times. They obviously jump to the chance to take stuff like that, I mean, the video the OP posted the Chameleon is clearly stimulated by the lizard and goes straight for it (Though the fact he posted it on youtube probably means he found it entertaining more than anything).

I'd also like to point out to the people saying Chameleons are perfectly fine on insects, yes they are, but it's the owners decision at the end of the day. They may feel it only fair to give them that added bit of variety. It isn't completely unhealthy, probably no less healthy than mealworms in moderation.
 
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