chameleon97
New Member
anyone use it? should i get one? http://www.cornishcrispa.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=2512
Bug napper?
- Thread starter chameleon97
- Start date
DJnSoCal
Established Member
I have a bug napper... 
Would you be concerned if your chameleon ate free-range bugs that had a parasite? I debate this with myself all of the time. I know they chameleons get flies and little critters when I have them outside basking... kinda curious about this myself.
Would you be concerned if your chameleon ate free-range bugs that had a parasite? I debate this with myself all of the time. I know they chameleons get flies and little critters when I have them outside basking... kinda curious about this myself.
warpdrive
Avid Member
first off, I'm not a fan of feeding insects from outside....
parasites, pestisides, and other nastys.
next, I don't know many chams that will eat a dead bug...could be wrong, but mine wont eat nothing unless it moves alot.
edit: ooooops, sorry, I thought it killed them, not catches them.
Harry
DJnSoCal
Established Member
Ya, I think it just catches them (at least from the limited verbiage on the site). I love how it says it catches "live" bugs. I'd hate to see dead ones attracted to the light.
The more I think about it, I would be worried about pesticides and parasites. Although, if a bug had pesticide on it, it probably wouldn't be flying around much.
Farm raised takes all the guess work out of what your chameleon is eating... you know (or at least you hope you know).
The more I think about it, I would be worried about pesticides and parasites. Although, if a bug had pesticide on it, it probably wouldn't be flying around much.
Farm raised takes all the guess work out of what your chameleon is eating... you know (or at least you hope you know).
jojackson
New Member
My concern would be only be possibly toxic bugs (depending where you live), these are usually the most colorful ones. (glowbugs are very toxic I beleive), and the possibility tht your neighbours may be using pesticides. I use a similar thing for catching moths. Regarding parasites, I beleive its not really that much of a concern, afterall, wild chameleons eat anything that happens along dont they. you would think a well kept healthy CB cham would be able to deal with it better than wild caught.
chameleon97
New Member
Regarding parasites, I beleive its not really that much of a concern, afterall, wild chameleons eat anything that happens along dont they.
wld chameleons get parasites
chameleon97
New Member
you have a point, and beside what happens to infected chams anyways?
warpdrive
Avid Member
hold on, are you saying that an infected cham with parasites will live in the wild?
or a better way of saying it is that they would NOT die from a parisite infection?
come on now, do you realy think that?
Harry
Todnedo
Avid Member
I have one I use in the summer, they catch a lot of bugs and have different size cones to catch small, medium, and large bugs. If you feed wild bugs remember to cut back on the supplements.
In the fall I give them a wormer to clear out any parasites they pick up from the bugs.
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MrCus
Member
nearly all chameleons in the wild are "infected" by parasites. They cope with that because of 2 things:
first: they die quite early .. most individuals die with 2 or 3 years (by preditors).
second: there is something lik a balance. There are some parasites, important bacterias and much more, not just only one, and, a chameleon in the wild feeds much more different insects that are much more healthier than we can offer. They have natural sun, clean water and so on.
In our cages we have only a few different insects, which fed (if!) by unnatural things like fishfood or whatever, offering chlorinated water.. etc. The parasite balance gets out of "control" and during times of stress or unperfect conditions, the parasite can kill the chameleon.
But usually a parasite will not kill a chameleon. Otherwise we had no more chameleons in the wild.
Regarding parasites as symbionts: there are a few new surveys regarding human medicine telling that some parasites at humans might have been important symbionts. Watch things like allergies etc that mostly occure at "modern, clean and healthy, parasite-free" countries.
So why not assuming the same at animals. Parasites might be more or less imortant symbionts until they dont increase too much.
first: they die quite early .. most individuals die with 2 or 3 years (by preditors).
second: there is something lik a balance. There are some parasites, important bacterias and much more, not just only one, and, a chameleon in the wild feeds much more different insects that are much more healthier than we can offer. They have natural sun, clean water and so on.
In our cages we have only a few different insects, which fed (if!) by unnatural things like fishfood or whatever, offering chlorinated water.. etc. The parasite balance gets out of "control" and during times of stress or unperfect conditions, the parasite can kill the chameleon.
But usually a parasite will not kill a chameleon. Otherwise we had no more chameleons in the wild.
Regarding parasites as symbionts: there are a few new surveys regarding human medicine telling that some parasites at humans might have been important symbionts. Watch things like allergies etc that mostly occure at "modern, clean and healthy, parasite-free" countries.
So why not assuming the same at animals. Parasites might be more or less imortant symbionts until they dont increase too much.
jojackson
New Member
Quite so old chap, Indeed!
Most parasites dont kill the host, not in normal circumstances, Any parasite that did would not be a very successful one. Most insect parasites rely on the host to nourish and raise offspring, which then go off to find hosts of their own.
If the host dies before the offspring are ready to fledge, so might the offspring, thuis no more parasite. (this is a simplification ofcourse, but none the less).
When something larger than an insect dies due to parasitic load, it usually because the host immune system is already compromised. Im sure you would find 9 of ten wild reptiles
carry parasites of some kind, and as mentioned above, many have a generally harmless symbiotic relationship with the host.
Cham drops a poo on a branch, parasite offspring are then transmitted to another passing host.
In terms of adaption and survival, if parasites in insects were alien and lethal to wild reptiles , how on earth could they survive past the first meal? Not many parasites will reproduce inside a healthy host fast enough to kill it before most are expelled in waste matter for example. Thus numbers dont build up to lethal levels excepting in a sick host.
Infact ill bet most wild herps carry parasites their whole lives, no matter how long (think giant tortoise) or short (predation) that may be.
Think outside the square Harry!
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reptilemancan
New Member
I have a bug napper...
Would you be concerned if your chameleon ate free-range bugs that had a parasite? I debate this with myself all of the time. I know they chameleons get flies and little critters when I have them outside basking... kinda curious about this myself.
just seen your cham, wow! love it, what breed is it?
warpdrive
Avid Member
Quite so old chap, Indeed!
Most parasites dont kill the host, not in normal circumstances, Any parasite that did would not be a very successful one. Most insect parasites rely on the host to nourish and raise offspring, which then go off to find hosts of their own.
If the host dies before the offspring are ready to fledge, so might the offspring, thuis no more parasite. (this is a simplification ofcourse, but none the less).
When something larger than an insect dies due to parasitic load, it usually because the host immune system is already compromised. Im sure you would find 9 of ten wild reptiles
carry parasites of some kind, and as mentioned above, many have a generally harmless symbiotic relationship with the host.
Cham drops a poo on a branch, parasite offspring are then transmitted to another passing host.
In terms of adaption and survival, if parasites in insects were alien and lethal to wild reptiles , how on earth could they survive past the first meal? Not many parasites will reproduce inside a healthy host fast enough to kill it before most are expelled in waste matter for example. Thus numbers dont build up to lethal levels excepting in a sick host.
Infact ill bet most wild herps carry parasites their whole lives, no matter how long (think giant tortoise) or short (predation) that may be.
Think outside the square Harry!
I think I always had a dim view of parasites in the past...
thanks for clearing that up for me.
Harry
DJnSoCal
Established Member
just seen your cham, wow! love it, what breed is it?
That is a blurry iPhone photo of bbqandtinyb's blue bar Ambilobe, Marty. Okay, he is at least 1/10 mine too.
It looks like that bug collector is 230 to 240 volt. Most folks don't have an outlet that is available to plug into, unless you unplug your dryer or stove!!
Nick
Nick
Todnedo
Avid Member
I got mine here.....http://www.petguys.com/-097612650010.html
