Wild Caught Bugs?

[Goldenarcher1328]

Reposting this in a correct location

I've been reading alot about the importance of a varied diet, Although it is still winter and most things are still frozen over up here in New Hampshire, Spring is just around the corner and i'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of bugs!

I am fairly familiar with collecting aquatic insects for the feeding of my various fish species but i have never collected terrestrial insects for a feeding.

I was hoping for some pointers besides the obvious things such as avoiding pesticides.

My main area of concern are insects capable of injuring or poisoning my Veil.

I have heard stories of Grasshoppers injuring chameleons with kicks and biting, House Flies having eaten something toxic and causing the chameleon to fall ill and many more.....are these stories true??

What species should i avoid and why?

What species should i focus on, why said species, beneficial qualities of said insects, and where do they live.

Give me a general direction and i'm sure i can find the rest of the info but i want to hear the views of other, more experienced keepers.


Please and thanks for any help you give!!

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Basically use common sense & only catch it stuff you can identify. I haven't gone in a while but I catch hoppers, katydids, moths, dragonflies

 

[zjuckett]

I thought that feeding your chams wild caught insects was a big no no?

 

[Txherp]

Basically use common sense & only catch it stuff you can identify. I haven't gone in a while but I catch hoppers, katydids, moths, dragonflies

Where in Houston do you find hoppers and katydids?

 

[Txherp]

I thought that feeding your chams wild caught insects was a big no no?

I think if you collect the insects in a no pesticide area and check your cham for parasites on a regular basis it should be ok.

 

[KarmaChameleon1337]

Some things I know are poisonous for chams are butterflies, lightning bugs, ladybugs I THINK, and some other things I forget. If you're worried about pesticides with house flies you can cultivate them after you catch them so the babies will be on a controlled diet since wild ones eat feces which is obviously a no-no.

 

[sandrachameleon]

I posted in the other thread of the same topic:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/bugs-bugs-bugs-75377/#post708305

 

[pssh]

American ladies, painted ladies, and red admirals are okay butterflies to feed. So are cabbage whites, and many of their relatives.

 

[Goldenarcher1328]

Thank you so much! You all are a big help.

 

[Monzon]

About 6.5 months a year, I use a butterfly sweep net. I dump all the insects I sweep into the enclosure. I have seen my chams (I work primarily with hoehnelii) eat all kinds of crazy insects. I have seen them catch and spit out certain types. And I have seen them look carefully at and then repeatedly ignore certain types of insects.

things they like: house and blue flies, moths, spiders, small grasshoppers, green grasshoppers, mantids, leaf hoppers, damsel flies, inch worms, non-"hairy" caterpillars, small butterflies, and actually many other insects that I do not know the names of.

Things they ignore: ladybugs, banded/red leg grass hoppers, wasps, crane flies, "hairy" caterpilars, beetles, ants, centipedes. I have seen them eat bees and yellow jackets, but mostly they ignore them. I have worked with jax that seem to know how best to eat bees to avoid being stun.

I do not feed first generation snails, but I have collected about ten adults too large to be eaten, and these produce tiny snails regularly that I have seen my hoehnelii recognize (even when the snail is retracted and dormant) and rush to eat. I have seen young chameleons, hardly bigger than a large adult snail, try to bite at the head and "antennae" of an active snail. The snails have never seemed harmed by this as they retract away from the attempted bite.

There is a certain type of fly that looks like a housefly but is smaller and has different wings and eyes, my young chams often zap these but always spit them out.

There are also some flies that mimic little bees from a distance. My chams can recognize them and zap them immediately.

We don't have fireflies in these parts. I have read of various lizard species dying after eating fireflies. We do have some small, iridescent flying beetles that may or may not be related to blister beetles. I know blister beetles incidentally bailed into hay have killed horses.

Chameleons are insect specialists. I trust that they can sort things out. I do know that pesticides and agricultural run off are not a problem where I live and sweep net. Each person's situation may be different and there are risks. No one wants to have supplied an unrecognizably deadly feeder to their chams. To me I think the benefits are significant and they outweigh the risks.

I would go so far as to say that poorly cared for feeders that are acquiring mold toxins and/or, a way too limited diet, are greater (and more common) health risks to captive chameleons than feeding wild caught insects is.