Super as staple diet?

[duquen550]

Hi, I am thinking in having my first cham (No experience with it, but with other rept), so i have read a lot, but there is a big question i have, can i use superworms as staple diet?

Ty, d550

 

[boj3434]

I have heard of people doing it with no problems as long as they are gutloaded really well. I wouldnt advise it but I do give my chameleon supers at just about everymeal but I usally just hand feed one or two. They arent as nutritional and a little harder to digest but I seen it done. I would get some silkworms and dubia they are nice and are great feeders.

 

[renzo0684]

I would not have them as a staple feeder. They have a harder shell and can cause you cham to get backed up. I would use as a treat.

 

[pssh]

Can you and should you are two different questions. I try to stay away from a 'staple' bug as variety is best. There are a few members on here who's chams won't eat anything but supers, but the keepers try to/have tried to get the chams to eat other foods (sometimes unsuccessfully.)

 

[duquen550]

I will love to use dubias or silk, but where I live it is very difficult to get those. I could buy hopper/crikets from my local pet shop, but they dont lookgood. I currently use meals for my geckos and sometimes crikets, the one who sell the crikets can not supply me for a cham so thats the prob. Maybe I should resing to the idea of having a cham. What do u think
Ps: srry for my crappy english, is not my first language

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Super worms have less chitin than crickets.
Try to provide the greatest variety that you can and make sure to feed your feeders a very nutritious gut load. If you can only provide super worms from time to time and they are well fed and dusted with calcium, you'll be fine ... but do try and get some variety in there as often as possible.

-Brad

 

[pssh]

Super worms have less chitin than crickets.

shoot, according to this, giant mealworms have less chitin than crickets.


http://glasgowgecko.co.uk/Articles/Chitin.pdf

 

[Brad Ramsey]

shoot, according to this, giant mealworms have less chitin than crickets.


http://glasgowgecko.co.uk/Articles/Chitin.pdf

The questions are:

Did they in fact use "Giant Meal Worms" which are hormone fed Tenebrio molitor, or did they use Super Worms (Zophoba morio)?

If they in fact did use hormone fed T. molitor (which are not recommended) what effect/s do the hormones have on the physical make-up of the larvae, specifically % of chitin?

-Brad

 

[duquen550]

Thanks for the answers. Even though I will be giving super most of the time, I will try to change as much as i can. Now which is the best gutload for supers?

 

[SSimsswiSS]

where I live it is very difficult to get those. I could buy hopper/crikets from my local pet shop, but they dont lookgood. I currently use meals for my geckos and sometimes crikets, the one who sell the crikets can not supply me for a cham so thats the prob. Maybe I should resing to the idea of having a cham. What do u think
Ps: srry for my crappy english, is not my first language

Do you live near a Tequila factory? I have always thought about moving next to one, so I could supply the little worms (superworms) at the bottom of the bottle.

 

[pssh]

They says they used the T. Molitor. I have no idea if the hormones affect the chitin, But they have less than the crickets. The mealworms adults (Beetles) have a lot more chitin than crickets though, and smaller crickets have more chitin than larger adult crickets. According to that anyways.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Now which is the best gutload for supers?

They will eat anything.
I provide them with a dry ground grain or cereal (Cheerios or Total works well)
Twice a week I lay sliced apple, sweet potato, squash, dark greens, etc. on top of the cereal or grain in the bin.
I only leave the fresh food there for a couple of days before replacing so it doesn't have a chance to mold.
With this schedule I feed supers out of the bin any time I need them.
I always dust this feeder lightly with calcium without D3.

-Brad

 

[Brad Ramsey]

After reading more thoroughly, Z. morio are mentioned, so I don't think there was confusion in the study, it's interesting that they refer to the larvae as "giant mealworms".
Adult crickets have more % of chitin than nymphs according to the chart, (3rd line?)
Very interesting.
Chitin is not a bad thing ... however, impaction and prolapse problems have been reported in chameleons from being fed mealworms too frequently or in too large of amounts.
I have not had this problem personally using superworms.

-Brad

 

[panthercham]

While not the ideal scenerio my youngest cham went through a 10 month stint of only eating superworms and only the occasional silk or horn worm....nothing else. He is and was at the time as healthy as a horse. I just made sure they were well gutloaded with a variety of different fruit and veg and and had the appropriate supplements on them. I offered him different feeders and left him for days without any food hoping his hunger would break his strike but his stuborness always won out and eventually I found the best way to break him of his habit of them was to just let him get bored off them which he did.

During that time I never had a problem with impaction or any other issues with my cham when only eating superworms and he always was/is well hydrated.

Superworms are a great feeder as they can be gutloaded in the same way as crickets and roaches but as with any other feeder should not be used exclusively if possible and mix up the variety

 

[sandrachameleon]

Just adding general agreement.
A variety of feeders is best. Gutloading is critical.

 

[SSimsswiSS]

While not the ideal scenerio my youngest cham went through a 10 month stint of only eating superworms and only the occasional silk or horn worm....nothing else. He is and was at the time as healthy as a horse. I just made sure they were well gutloaded with a variety of different fruit and veg and and had the appropriate supplements on them. I offered him different feeders and left him for days without any food hoping his hunger would break his strike but his stuborness always won out and eventually I found the best way to break him of his habit of them was to just let him get bored off them which he did.

During that time I never had a problem with impaction or any other issues with my cham when only eating superworms and he always was/is well hydrated.

Superworms are a great feeder as they can be gutloaded in the same way as crickets and roaches but as with any other feeder should not be used exclusively if possible and mix up the variety

I'm guessing the youngest chameleon, species kept is a panther.