Using Cicadas as Feeders?

[Mael]

So today as I was leaving the house to head to work, what do I find but a giaganitc Cicada on my doorstep just chilling out.

What do I do? Why, I bring it inside and feed it to my Veiled! I figured it wasn't posionous, but I was wondering what kind of nutritional information might be out there on these guys as feeders. Also, I know that it's generally considered bad to feed your chams wild caught insects - i just figured since they don't come out all so often it's a once in a lifetime opportunity for the little guy!

Courtesty of Wikipedia:

 

[studiocham]

That is an annual cicada, usually more wily than the Periodicals. If it's just chilling, it probably has no huge nutritional benefit left. Adults do not eat, living only to reproduce. If it is limp and doesn't buzz or struggle when you pick it up, don't feed it to your cham. If you live in a suburban area, it may have been in contact with a pesticide.

If it is fiesty and healthy, it would be a nice form of enrichment for your chameleon. Mine react positively to the low frequency buzzing and seem to relish the crunchy texture. See the Videos section of my site linked below.

The most nutritional cicadas are those freshly emerged from the earth, so try hunting at dusk. I don't have any nutritional data for you, just anecdotal successes after feeding cicadas.

 

[Mael]

What sort of tips do you have for hunting for them since it's the season? The one I picked up definitely wasn't limp and tried vigorously to try and get out of my hands.

 

[studiocham]

What sort of tips do you have for hunting for them since it's the season? The one I picked up definitely wasn't limp and tried vigorously to try and get out of my hands.

I bet your cham loved it! Look around the edges of your porch- it may have just emerged and left its former exoskeleton on a vertical surface.

Local friends notify me when they have an emergence. I take several large jars or plastic containers with lids and a 10' fishing net of fine mesh netting. Place long, vertical sticks inside the containers for perches. About 1-2 hours before dusk, I start netting them off the lower tree branches, and in mid-flight. I do a lot of my hunting by ear, zeroing in on freshly emerging singers. Annuals are harder to catch, but periodicals will stay on a branch as you pull it down to your reach. I pluck a lot of the lazy periodicals off by hand! At around dusk, fresh ones emerge from the earth and start climbing; you can find them on grass stalks and tree trunks. If you're quick enough, you can gather as many as 100+ in a hunt. The afflicted friend or relative living with the emergence is always grateful to have a more peaceful night's sleep... especially if you work the trees closest to the house. lol

You'll need to freeze what you can't feed out in 24 hours, as the cicadas don't eat as adults and have brief lives. Most large chams won't eat more than 3-4 a day. I rolled them (live) in paper towels, placed in ziploc-type bags, and froze them for use during the winter. Defrost by floating frozen ones in a cup of hot water for a couple minutes, remove to cool to room temp for about 5 minutes, pat dry, and feed out. Throw away any uneaten ones- practice good food safety.