GrimsbyPatchwork
Member
Will my Cham eat slugs?? As in do you think they're ok for him? He is off his crickets and worms at the moment and am waiting for locusts to arrive end of nxt week so would give these a try until arrival..they are small
Slugs??
- Thread starter GrimsbyPatchwork
- Start date
GrimsbyPatchwork
Member
Anyone?? 
Never tried, but I know they (slugs) can be slimy so possibly difficult for your cham to get with his tongue.
GrimsbyPatchwork
Member
That's true ...just got a few and will see how he copes..might have to get up close to them..damn I couldn't even grab the f##kers with my own two fingers!
dlegare
Established Member
I definitely wouldn't feed a Cham a slug. As I know there is no source of clean cultured slugs and wild one may harbor parasites. Secondly, some slugs are toxic and all can almost instantly produce a ton of very thick mucous as a defense to attack. I sure as heck would't like to have one choke one of my Chams.
GrimsbyPatchwork
Member
What if they come across other feeders in the wild ..any..can't they Harbour parasites too? .. Would like to hear some more feedback guys
Cainschams
New Member
Most animals that eat slugs are specialized to eat them. They also carry a load of all kinds of parasites. You are right, chams do eat stuff that has parasites and get parasites but that doesnt mean you want to purposely give it to them which I think you would be doing offering slugs.
From wiki
"Predators
Vertebrates can occasionally feed on, or be specialized predators of slugs. Among them are frogs, toads, snakes, hedgehogs, salamanders, eastern box turtles, rats, caecilians and birds. Slugs can be a vector of transmission of parasitic nematodes that cause lungworm in various mammals, so are usually avoided by hedgehogs and other mammals when other food is available.[15][16]
Some colubrid snakes are known predators of slugs. Coastal populations of the garter snake,Thamnophis elegans, have a specialized diet consisting of slugs, such as Ariolimax, while inland populations have a generalized diet.[16] Some species in the genus Dipsas and Sibynomorphus (e.g. Sibynomorphus neuwiedi) feed exclusively on slugs.[17] Beetles in the family Carabidae, such as Carabus violaceus and Pterostichus melanarius, are known to feed on slugs.[18][19]
Parasites and parasitoids
Slugs are parasitised by several organisms, including acari[20][21] and a wide variety of nematodes.[22][23] The slug mite, Riccardoella limacum, is known to parasitise several dozen species of mollusks, including many slugs, such as Agriolimax agrestis, Arianta arbustrum, Arion ater, Arion hortensis, Limax maximus, Milax budapestensis, Milax gagates, and Milax sowerbyi.[21][20] R. limacum can often be seen swarming about their host's body, and live in its respiratory cavity.
Several species of nematodes are known to parasitise slugs. The nematode worms Agfa flexilis and Angiostoma limacis respectively live in the salivary glands and rectum of Limax maximus.[24] Species of widely known medical importance pertaining to the genus Angiostrongylus are also parasites of slugs. Both Angiostrongylus costaricensis and Angiostrongylus cantonensis, a meningitis-causing nematode, have larval stages which can only live in mollusks, including slugs, such as Limax maximus.[22]
Insects such as dipterans are known parasitoids of mollusks. In order to complete their development, many dipterans use slugs as hosts during their ontogeny. Some species of blow-flies (Calliphoridae) in the genus Melinda are known parasitoids of Arionidae, Limacidae and Philomycidae. Flies in the family Phoridae, specially those in the genus Megaselia, are parasitoids of Agriolimacidae, including many species of Deroceras.[25] House flies in the family Muscidae, mainly those in the genus Sarcophaga, are facultative parasitoids of Arionidae.[26]
Behavior"
If your animal is not eating crix and worms because he is tired of them then he can go until the locusts arrive.
If there are no problems with an animal and it goes off food, IMO, they are getting fed to much in the first place. Ive never had an animal refuse one certain prey item hoping I offer their "favorite". If they werent hungry they didnt eat, if they were hungry they ate what I offered.
Wait until you get the locusts. Every 2 or 3 days see if your animal will accept a feeder. If not, just make sure to keep it well hydrated.
The defense of the slug would actually scare me more than parasites. They secrete that nasty slime to ward off predators and to make it harder to swallow them. Id hate to read that your cham choked to death.
sandrachameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
slugs are not the way to go
tenchijin
Established Member
I remember once trying to feed a slug to my chameleon... I can't remember if it was one of my veileds or panthers... but anyway, he really wanted to eat it. But he couldn't! It was too slippery and after a number of botched attempts I aborted the effort.
True story. This was about a decade ago, mind you.
Aric
True story. This was about a decade ago, mind you.
Aric
sandrachameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
Some chameleons will indeed eat them. If slugs are wild sourced, the issue of parasites exists. Slugs create more "slime" than snails, and they can carry/pass meningitis causing worms.
A close alternative are captive bred snails. They have more calcium in them than in slugs, easier for the cham to catch.
A close alternative are captive bred snails. They have more calcium in them than in slugs, easier for the cham to catch.
