Panther dead from zophobas???

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PantherYemen

New Member
Hi, new to this forum. I hope someone can help me answer this. Can an adult Panther chameleon die from eating about 5-10 zophobas? Like if the animal never had zophobas before and eats it for the first time.
Has anyone ever heard of such a thing? Thank you in advance!
 
Welcome to the forum! I'm so sorry that it's for this reason, however. I'm sorry for your loss!

No, not really. Superworms in and of themselves are not dangerous or poisonous, so it's probably that it was a coincidence.

We can try to help you figure out what happened if you tell us a little bit more about your chameleon, his set-up, etc. A vet can perform a necropsy if you want an official answer, but we can see if we recognize anything from your descriptions of behavior, husbandry, and whatnot.
 
I have never fed more than 2 at a time so I don't know. Did he die, or are you worried about him dieing??
 
Not my animal

It was not my animal that died. It was ME however that gave him the zophobas because I wanted to do something nice for him considering his circumstance. The caregivers tell me it was because I gave him those to eat that he died. I have to wonder though if he in fact didn't die from stress or dehydration because he had been kept in a tiny empty see-though box for a few days. The box was located in a small small kitchen, knee-high, with lots of activity around him. He had no where to hide, no branch to hold on to, no water, nothing. The reason I'm asking is that since I was accused.. almost, of killing him with zophobas, I felt I had to emburse the owner with a HUGE sum of money.. if indeed it was my fault.
 
PantherYemen said:
It was not my animal that died. It was ME however that gave him the zophobas because I wanted to do something nice for him considering his circumstance. The caregivers tell me it was because I gave him those to eat that he died. I have to wonder though if he in fact didn't die from stress or dehydration because he had been kept in a tiny empty see-though box for a few days. The box was located in a small small kitchen, knee-high, with lots of activity around him. He had no where to hide, no branch to hold on to, no water, nothing. The reason I'm asking is that since I was accused.. almost, of killing him with zophobas, I felt I had to emburse the owner with a HUGE sum of money.. if indeed it was my fault.
Click to expand...

The situation you are describing is the much more likely culprit of his demise than the superworms, IMO.
 
I had a female panther who went on a 14 day hunger strike. I tried about 7 different feeders, and finally she ate something. It was a superworm. She is fine weight wise (57g for a 10 month panther female).

Now she is getting 5 or so 1-1.5"ish supers a day to help gain back some of the weight she lost. I haven't seen any troubles yet and she is pooping fine.

I doubt you feeding it superworms was the cause, but it's possible and a vet would be able to tell you if it seemed to be dehydration, food blockage, choking etc. My guess would be just all around poor husbandry finally caught up to it and it being inside a small box being stressed kicked it over the edge.
 
I have fed some of my chams 5+ superworms at a time to no ill effect. Sounds like the poor husbandry (the cage sounds horrific) and stress of lifestyle was enough to push the cham over the edge. I would not blame yourself.
 
Oh, what a bad position to be in.

I agree with the others, it sounds like he was kept in a really terrible situation for too long, and probably died from any number of other things. It was probably just a coincidence, and she probably died from dehydration and stress.

Superworms are a favorite feeder in my house, so I've fed thousands of them off in the 4 years I've had chameleons and not a single animal has ever been ill or injured by them. Like I said, they're not dangerous in and of themselves, so the chameleon's death seems just like an unfortunate coincidence.
 
Thank you

Thank you all. You confirmed what I knew in ny heart all along. I just needed others to reassure me in my belief. He had pooped so there was no blockage, that much I know. The only think I can image, regaring zophobas, is if they bit him in his stomach, if you believe in that sorta thing.
I have no idea how he used to live before he ended up in the box. When I watched hos he struggled to get out I almost broke into tears. Well, they are not getting any money from me, I can stand strong now with your comments as help. I've also consulted a Panther chameleon breeder and he pretty much told me what you have told me here. Thanks again!!!
 
The myth of superworms biting the stomach from the inside is just that, a myth.

Most chams crush the heads of the worms before they even swallow them, and not to mention, the stomach acid would kill them if somehow they were still alive when swallowed.
 
camimom said:
The myth of superworms biting the stomach from the inside is just that, a myth.

Most chams crush the heads of the worms before they even swallow them, and not to mention, the stomach acid would kill them if somehow they were still alive when swallowed.
Click to expand...

Yes them cham/beardy farms that go through 1k of supers a day. Im sure they crush each head just like the interwebs say to do :)

Im more afraid of crickets taking a bite out of a thin tail section while the lizard is sleeping.
 
Wow, being in this position sucks man. As a rule, I dont borrow, lend or ask people to take care or touch my stuff, I also do not touch or take care of other peoples stuff. Even if it is proven or obvious that they were the real cause of its death...It is difficult to shift blame on themselves and who knows how a friendship can end. Best of luck to you, I do not believe that feeding it the worms killed it. Maybe the dehydration was worsened by the worms digesting. Just a thought on the matter, its possible that is what made it kick the bucket.
 
I breed super worms among others on a large scale. And feed them to all my critters. Not one has died from eating them. There is no way you harmed this Cham by doing that
 
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