What benefits does each feeder provide?

[aplazbarr]

I was wondering what were the different nutritonal benefits different feeders provide.this would include crix, superworms, pheonix, meal worms, horn worms, silk worms, roaches, and anything else we can feed our chams with? Thanks I appreciate you time and info.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Here's a little bit of info .... the accuracy may be debatable, and it's certainly not complete:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/nutritional-analysis-2522/

-Brad

 

[dodolah]

I was wondering what were the different nutritonal benefits different feeders provide.this would include crix, superworms, pheonix, meal worms, horn worms, silk worms, roaches, and anything else we can feed our chams with? Thanks I appreciate you time and info.

IMHO, as far as nutritional wise here's how i rate them in order (w/o gut loading and dusting):
1. Phoenix worm
2. Silkworm
3. Horn worm
4. Roaches
5. crix
6. superworms
7. meal worms

benefit:
#1 has the highest calcium and excellent calcium to phosphorus ratio
#2 has high calcium and excellent ratio. Chameleons love them and they
do not bite, jump, stink, and escape.
#3 has great nutrition and excellent source for dehydrated chameleon. They have a very high water content. and very delicious (my cham seems to get excited when he saw this feeder)
#4 has high protein and very meaty. Excellent feeder, very very easy to keep and BREED, do not bite, jump, climb plastic, stink, and so on (i'm talking about dubia here)
#5 easy to keep, available all year around, and a staple diet for insectivores.
#6 Tasty, easy to keep, crunchy, also widely available, when dusted properly can be a staple feeder, do not jump and escape like other feeders.
#7 available and easy to keep

Negative things:
#1 the size is too small for adult cham to appreciate, expensive, tough exoskeleton (some chameleons often do not chew when they eat these feeders making them indigestible; thus, negating all the nutritional value that they have. A way to counter this is to prick them with small needle be4 feeding.. thus, making it a bit PITA during feeding), the almost adult pupae turn black and lethargic (they even more nutritious during these stage but most chameleons refuse eating them because the feeders looked dead or sickly).

#2 harder to keep, not always available, only eat silkie chow or mulberry
#3 grows too fast, the adult can defend itself by spitting liquid and biting
#4 some people are squeamish toward this feeder, take months to propagate.
#5 stinky, dirty, can escape, jump, and bite, the adults are noisy
#6 not that nutritious as other feeder, their bite is powerful, they can chew thin plastic.
#7 not nutritious to be fed to your chameleon as staple feeders.

hope that helps