Anoles as a feeder

@Codi:
Please ask other vets or wait for some other responses. "Such things" are medicine like the "dewormer". They never should be given for prophylactic therapy. The reason I've said you already

@Nick:
I don't have much big chameleons, my biggest is my female parsonii, she's a bit longer than 40 cm.

Here's a list of bigger feeders:
Blaptica dubia or other big growing roaches
Big grasshoppers/locusts (yeah I know that they are forbidden in the US)
I buy them or catch smaller ones outdoors
Adult crickets (there are some different species of them)
Earthworms
Mantids
Walkingsticks

And as well small feeders like different flies etc.

(Adult panthers eat Drosophilas !!! It's just a question on how much food you give them. If they get too much they would never look on such small insects. In the nature they are forced to do that

Regards
Benny

Benny,

Thanks for the list. I will collecting some grasshoppers, and will try the earthworm too!:D
I look forward to your posts!

Nick
 
Benny,

Good list of feeders though I do kind of question the earthworms. Here is my reasoning. Ok, from all my experiences I rarely find earthworms higher than 1/2 off the ground and only when it rains. Yes I know panthers do walk on the ground but from what I have seen they go closer to middle of the plants when it rains/misters kick on. I have never seen mine go to the floor when it rains. Secondly, I am somewhat hesitant to feed any feeder to a chameleon after it has been going through the soil...this is where many harmful bacteria live (Coccidia for one). Our animals have immune systems built for the trees, not ground and underground.

Also, I have had some earthworms come out of my potted plants and I never saw one of my chameleons go down and snag it. I mean sure, you get pretty much any insect/feeder to move enough near a chameleon, they will eat it (I have actually seen a cham eat a goldfish in some youtube video) but the fact that the chameleons never go down during mistings to snag an earthworm tells me they probably don't do it in the wild. Also, like I said, I am very hesitant about bacteria that are found in soil.

Just something I was thinking after reading this thread, I mean I could be completely wrong and they could be great feeders, but it does seem a little difficult for me to whole heartedly agree with.

-chris
 
The possibility of getting a earthworm is much higher than to get a pinkie I think ;)
As I said I mainly feed them because they are very healthy. I didn't ever have problems with them.
They will also probably never get any roaches when you let them hide. So you have to cupfeed them.
 
I actually don't cup feed roaches, I just throw them in, but that is not to say there are other insects with similar makeup to roaches that are in the bark of trees and climbing around. Also, I have seen many chameleons go down to the bottom to snag a roach. But here is my logic...there is no other feeder that process soil that we would use as feeder or would they ever come in contact with in the wild. That coupled with the fact that tons of bacteria that chameleons are susceptible to live in the soil lends me to believe they are riskier than other feeders.

Like I said, this is just my initial thoughts, not fact. For all I know worms could have a system of ridding coccidia from soil or a way of not carrying it...I don't know but until I did I would not recommend them as feeders. Slugs/snails on the other hand, different story. They feed on many things above ground that are living (vegetation), I would be more likely to use these as feeders.

Benny, I do support your efforts, because I too believe that many people should use a higher variety of feeders and I don't agree with pinkies as feeders either. So, keep it up man.

-chris
 
Those are just my experiences. Your thoughts are right but because I'd never any problems with them I use them still.
A healthy chameleon has a working immun system. And it seems like as if they can handle those bacteria.

@Chamaeleon97: It's a kind of ethic question. I know many keepers of bigger reptiles or other carnivors feed live vertebrates. It's illegal, but who will prove it when the feeders are in the stomach ;)
 
Lets not forget their place of origin or their life cycle.
They start out life digging up thru the forest floor just to reach the leaf litter, once there I dought they venture too high into the forest. Being very small makes them venerable to all kinds of predators even their own kind.
 
yes. but i won't start a discussion again. if you believe that they are good feeders, give them your chameleons, the chameleon sellers in your country will be glad, cause you will buy every 1.5-2 years a new one
 
I am slightly against pinkies because I feel there are very few rodents that would be in their diet or any other species with the body/tissue makeup similar to rodents. Ok...maybe a small bird once in a while but for a panther that would have to be a very small bird and I doubt it happens very often.

I think there would be smaller reptiles in their diet much more than any rodent or bird.

~chris
 
I did this once its fairly easy...all i did was buy a number of anoles 25+ put them in a screen enclosure with fake plants,plenty of hiding places,nesting boxes and a heat lamp...I would mist them a few times a day and would toss in calcium covered crickets regularly after a few weeks check the nest boxes and you should have eggs.... if not continue above steps till you do....they only lay 2 at a time but every few weeks ull get more...the more females the better obsessively lol ...to incubate the eggs put them in a well ventilated tuberwere with moist coco fiber at about 70-75f....now i dont really remember the exact hatch time but im sure you can do some googleing lol
 
Please note that this thread is OLD, OLD, OLD. When I posted it in 2009, I was not even thinking of feeding off Anoles to my chams, a friend had been trying to breed anoles for his Savana Monitor, and wanted me to post on the forum to see if there was anyone who was successful, as he was having trouble.

Nick:D
 
Here in Germany it's forbidden to feed alive vertebrates
Does that mean you can't keep snakes in Germany?
75 years ago you could probably have gotten feeder gypsies and Jews. Oy vey!
Obviously a sick joke. No one in their right mind would feed a gypsy to a snake. Bracelet and tambourines cause impaction.
 
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