ok no roaches

[mary prefontaine]

I'm terrified of them and could not handle picking them up in any way or shape or form. My panther is getting big and the crickets are getting old so what next? i just ordered soldier grubs which i think are nothing more than meal worms ? or something like that? anyhow any other ideas on feeding him? please no roaches!!!

 

[Ryan Jarosek]

A good one low on the gross factor is Silkworms or super worms. Silkworms are good for them not very messy.

Currently, I am using Roaches, Super worms , Crickets , Silkworms, and Goliath Horn Worms.

The crickets are the ones I can't stand.

 

[Kat77]

Yeah, I'm with Ryan. Silkies are low on the gross factor...except for when your cham takes a bite and the juice squirts all over! Otherwise, they're all around more pleasent than crickets, which I find repulsive.

 

[Cainschams]

Silkies are very easy to raise from eggs and cheaper. All you need is an incubator and a box to keep them in after they grow out of the petri dish. I am going to try breeding them off the batch I have now.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

i just ordered soldier grubs which i think are nothing more than meal worms ?

PHHHT! These are also called Phoenix worms and their value is questionable (I personally do not like them for chameleons)
They are not mealworms (which I also do not like for chameleons)
I agree on silkworms, also how about superworms? Great feeder!
Crickets are going to have to stay though ... good staple feeder (not as good as roaches ... but ...)

-Brad

 

[sharkey]

mary - you're in fl so you can order silks from coastalsilkworms - a fl company. also b/c you are in fl you don't need the incubator mentioned. you will need to work more on keeping your temps down rather than up. during the winter i just move the silk worm containers to my kitchen and they stay plenty warm.

a lot of us in fl get crix from luckylure - also a fl company. i switch back and forth b/w silks and crix (and the occasional house fly).

 

[lbesok]

As already mentioned, I would also recommend silkworms and super worms. Supers are most definitely the easier of the two to keep. Also I would like to suggest horn-worms as an occasional snack (usually you can get them from the same source as the silk worms). WC Grasshoppers can be utilized as well, but their is always the controversy about parasite load in wild insects
BTW my chameleons and I have nothing but good things to say about the dubia and orange heads, but we'll spare you

 

[Garrett]

I used to HATE roaches too, but if you can get over your fear of them they are really worth it. The best roach to breed if you have a problem with the "creepiness" are dubia roaches. They are pretty slow moving compared to other roaches, (or even crickets) and not very skittish. When you pick them up they will play dead and not squirm very much. Most of your colony will be small nymphs that resemble pill bugs, and don't even look like roaches.. more like little tanks. They don't smell, jump, make noise, fly, bite, or escape smooth containers.
I would much rather pick up a dubia roach than a cricket or superworm any day!

This is what a typical container will look like, notice there is only 1 adult male that you can see that has the classic "gross!" roach look

 

[mary prefontaine]

thanks peep

hey i forgot zabout horn worms ill do a search for them now thanks im already using silkies but there so small for my big guy

 

[dodolah]

hey i forgot zabout horn worms ill do a search for them now thanks im already using silkies but there so small for my big guy

silkies can grow pretty big, you know (off course, not as big as hornworms).
how bout stick bugs?

 

[Sarra]

What's wrong with Phoenix worms? they're high in calcium...

 

[Frogeye 1050]

Have you considered locusts, or are they not allowed in the US?

 

[lbesok]

Have you considered locusts, or are they not allowed in the US?

Locusts are not allowed.
You should be able to get hornworms from the same source as silk worms

 

[Frogeye 1050]

Have you considered culturing your own local grasshoppers and katydids?

Here is a link to some of the species from Florida. Considered pests so must be plentiful and probably legal to take from the wild. Sure some of them would be easy enough to culture as you live in their natural area.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/CH056

 

[mary prefontaine]

stickbugs hmm

where in theworld would i get those?

 

[mary prefontaine]

thanks everyone!!

I asked that question probably over a year and a half ago and since had to sell my panther, but I'M back!! lol and awaiting a real nice custom cage set up so as to get ready to buy another panther. And Its good to hear that there are other insects to feed other than roaches, as I can handle anything still, except them . Heck I used to raise crickets when i lived in homestead, so bugs, worms and even grasshoppers or locusts i can handle. But roaches are defiantly out of the question, even if some of them do move slowly lol, Anyhow I will start out with well gut loaded/dusted crickets when my cham gets here and work with all the other suggestions given here, when the time comes to feed him. Thanks again and Im glad to be back!!!

 

[ataraxia]

welcome back

 

[mary prefontaine]

well im back and ready to start over with chams but ya i forgot about lucky lure and

Ghaans also has them but they use to be my competitor and I have no idea if they are still in business or how much they are charging now a days, but i will look into lucky lures prices as well thanks

mary - you're in fl so you can order silks from coastalsilkworms - a fl company. also b/c you are in fl you don't need the incubator mentioned. you will need to work more on keeping your temps down rather than up. during the winter i just move the silk worm containers to my kitchen and they stay plenty warm.

a lot of us in fl get crix from luckylure - also a fl company. i switch back and forth b/w silks and crix (and the occasional house fly).

 

[sandrachameleon]

I'm terrified of them and could not handle picking them up in any way or shape or form. My panther is getting big and the crickets are getting old so what next? i just ordered soldier grubs which i think are nothing more than meal worms ? or something like that? anyhow any other ideas on feeding him? please no roaches!!!

This blog entry has a fairly comprehensive list of the feeder choices available to you:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/74-feeders.html

 

[fluxlizard]

i just ordered soldier grubs which i think are nothing more than meal worms ?

these are maggots.

If you thought roaches were gross, wait till you open these!

PHHHT! These are also called Phoenix worms and their value is questionable (I personally do not like them for chameleons)

Why do you feel this way?

What's wrong with Phoenix worms? they're high in calcium...

Nothing that I have ever heard. They are supposedly very nutritious and high in calcium.