meal worms as staple??

[gogochameleon]

5-6 month old panther doesnt like crix or turkish roachs anymore, he only wants meal worm or worm like things. Can meal worms be a stable? Gutload? If not what type of worm would be good to feed him. He eats alot!

 

[Mac Daddy Smitt]

Same thing happened to my little guy about a week ago im trying meal worms now

 

[seanUTD]

Not meal worms no... I asked the same question... As far as I know you NEED something with a GOOD gut load and as far as IVE learned not many worms can provide the sufficient nutrients needed for panthers alone... Thats just what I think some senior members may say different

 

[Miss Lily]

The reason why mealworms aren't good for chameleons is becuase of their high chitin ration - their tough exoskeleton is difficult for chameleons to digest in large quantities. If they eat a lot of mealworms they may become impacted (bowel obstruction). This will need treating by a vet and if it's bd enough can lead to the death of the chameleon. My female loves the newly moulted white ones - their skin is soft and won't cause problems. She doesn't get them any more though as I used to buy them for my sugar glider, but I would let her have a couple every few weeks as a treat.

Silkworms are a better choice if you can get them. Variet in the diet is better than just using one food item - they can 'go off' certain foods if they eat them all the time, so a variety of food (well gutloaded) is best.

 

[seanUTD]

The reason why mealworms aren't good for chameleons is becuase of their high chitin ration - their tough exoskeleton is difficult for chameleons to digest in large quantities. If they eat a lot of mealworms they may become impacted (bowel obstruction). This will need treating by a vet and if it's bd enough can lead to the death of the chameleon. My female loves the newly moulted white ones - their skin is soft and won't cause problems. She doesn't get them any more though as I used to buy them for my sugar glider, but I would let her have a couple every few weeks as a treat.

Silkworms are a better choice if you can get them. Variet in the diet is better than just using one food item - they can 'go off' certain foods if they eat them all the time, so a variety of food (well gutloaded) is best.

IMAPACTION! thats what I was trying to think of... On that note though I myself am still slowly working off the mealworms I bought (not the wasteful type) I feed him probably about three every three days... Is that an okay amount until I work through these little wrigglers?

 

[Miss Lily]

I wouldn't feed them to my cham that often. They will keep for ages - I used to breed my own when I had my glider. you could always feed some to the birds - I used to leave out the pupae in my garden, the birds loved them!

 

[gogochameleon]

Crap!!! I dont know what to do, I know i can get phenix worms, silk worms, and horns where i live. Horns are just water. Not sure if pheonix or silks can be a stable. I know variety is important but this lil spoiled cham only likes worms. I live in wa state so there is tons and tons of bugs outside,catipillars, beetles and flying bugs but Im to scared to feed him anything wild caught now. He LOVES flying bugs but i cant find any info on flying bugs

 

[carol5208]

Supers can be gutloaded but are high in fat. Try silks, they are pretty low fat and a good feeder.

 

[pieter089]

Rather go for silkworms, they have an almost 1:1 ratio of phosphorous : Calcium and thats what you want. As said meal worms are hard to digest and don't have great nutritional value. And it has been argued that they are sometimes still alive inside the cham and may damage it internally but I can't confirm that.

 

[takeshinagano]

What about calci worms? can they be used as a staple?

 

[Shenzi Sixaxis]

IMO, a varied diet is what I've been reading when feeding chams.

Maybe you could try a small amount of mealworms, some super worms, hornworms, and mainly silkworms. Repti/Calci/Phoenix worms are really small, as are butterworms, but I guss you could try those.

Mulberry Farms has all of these.

 

[fluxlizard]

they are sometimes still alive inside the cham and may damage it internally but I can't confirm that.

I can confirm that it is nonsense.

LOL

mealworms + wet = drown instantly

zillions of mealworms + thousands of lizards + over 30 years of using mealworms sometimes as a staple for some species = zero chew outs from mealworms in my experience.

Mealworms should not be used as the bulk of the diet. Other insects provide better options.

Use as part of a varied diet is good.

I feed baby mealworms to baby chameleons within a few days of hatching, along with baby crickets, baby roaches, fruit flies, etc. Never had a problem even from baby chameleons eating baby mealworms.

If your chameleon has problems digesting them and becomes impacted your chameleon has other serious health issues besides the impaction. Digesting chiton is what insectivores do. Healthy chameleons do it very well.

Ferguson alternated between feeding mealworms and crickets to breed several generations of panthers in his laboratory because they gutloaded calcium more effectively than crickets.

You should not allow your lizard to become picky- feed it a variety of insects.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Mealworms do not make a good staple feeder. They are high in fat, high in chinton, low in nutrients. Fine to include from time to time, but constantly/regularily.

A varied diet is best. Do not allow your chameleon to demand only fatty larva (just as you would not allow your 2 year old child to demand only icecream). Ensure that it eats a varied diet of well gutloaded prey.

Feeder options include: silkworms, crickets, multiple types of roaches, butterworms, cabbage looppers, indian walking stick insects, culture blue bottle flies, superworms, moths, grasshoppers/locust, terrestrial isopods, ...