Are worms dangerous?

[JSERBIN]

stopped at a small pet store on my way home for some crickets and noticed they sold wax worms and mealworms was gonna pick some up just to give picasso a snack other than crickets when i noticed a veiled on the counter in a rather small enclosure. any how after small talk and telling the clerk i have a cham he said worms are a bad idea because if they arent killed by the cham when he swallows them theyll eat there way out of its belly and kill him! i decided not to buy worms till i asked this question has anyone heard of this? just throwin it out there for feedback. on a side note he recommended i dust using zoo med reti-calium without d3 at every feeding

 

[pbveiled]

I believe the worm story is an urban myth. I've fed my cham wax worms, horn worms, butter worms, and super worms with no problems. Same with my gecko.

Supplements would depend on the type of cham you have. For a veiled or panther you should dust with calcium w/o d3 at every feeding, calcium w d3 twice a month, and a multivitamin twice a month.

 

[biglittle]

the only thing i have seen with worms eating their way out is with superworms and anphibians. reptiles tend to kill them when they bite on them. i feed lots of worms including super and meal worms. the only things to watch for is some impaction issues with mealworms and wax worms can be really fatty.

 

[Miss Lily]

Mealworms are best kept as treats - Their outer skin is very tough and hard fro chams to digest if fed in large quantities (the shells may cause impaction). My female loves the newly moulted white ones - these have just shed their tough outer skin and are soft to eat and chams seem to love them! Waxworms are also best as occasional treats as they are 'chameleon sweeties', lol! Chams love them but they are very fatty and therefore not a good staple food item. I would also agree that mealworms eating their way out of the stomach is just a myth, since chams chew them and they usually know to zap them head first and crush the head in the first bite.

 

[hinoco1225]

stopped at a small pet store on my way home for some crickets and noticed they sold wax worms and mealworms was gonna pick some up just to give picasso a snack other than crickets when i noticed a veiled on the counter in a rather small enclosure. any how after small talk and telling the clerk i have a cham he said worms are a bad idea because if they arent killed by the cham when he swallows them theyll eat there way out of its belly and kill him! i decided not to buy worms till i asked this question has anyone heard of this? just throwin it out there for feedback. on a side note he recommended i dust using zoo med reti-calium without d3 at every feeding

I have actually heard of that, but I think it's extremely rare if it does happen. The immense importance of variety in your cham's diet outweighs any slight risk that something crazy like that might happen, in my opinion.

That being said, silkworms and hornworms are much more nutritious options than waxworms and mealworms. You usually can't find them at pet stores though, so it's best to order them online. Where do you live? I recommend Small Pet Feeders (www.smallpetfeeders.com), which is based out of Atlanta. But if you live somewhere with a feeder business nearby, shipping will be pretty cheap.

 

[sandrachameleon]

...he said worms are a bad idea because if they arent killed by the cham when he swallows them theyll eat there way out of its belly and kill him!

complete bull-crap
Drop a mealworm in a couple drops of water and it drowns. After being chomped by a chameleon mouth and swallowed into stomach acid, mealworms and waxworms do NOT live on and chew their way out.

Waxworms are not a good feeder choice because they are high in fat
Mealworms are fine as an occassional feeder, but not a staple, and you should gutload and dust with calcium.
better choices are butterworms, silkworms, and even superworms

 

[bechsgaard]

bullsh*t. These are stupid myths and shows the experiance of the people who work in many pet stores.

 

[Pilotman800]

Everyone, its not a myth! Mealworms eat their way out of chameleons, then make their way to the next cham! Its a giant cycle of chameleon killing worms!


(Just kidding)

 

[JSERBIN]

LOL i left the pet shop feeling a little like the guy was full of crap just wanted to see if anyone else heard this story. @hinoco 1225 its a ambilobe panther and i live in southern california but ill definitely check out that website thanks and to everyone else thanks for the responses ill definitely be gettting better more nutritious worms for future feedings

 

[emilybier]

Worms eating their way out of herp bellies is the looniest urban myth out there lol. It's always good to double check though

 

[Basilisk09]

Ya, chams will crush the worm to bits before they chow them down, ensuring that their dead. Its more likely for crickets to if any insect. Also, saying that your cham will die from eating a worm that's still alive is as likely as your cham crawling all the way to the top of their cage, falling off the screen, landing on a branch, and dying from that.

 

[Tempeli]

I don't think worms are dangerous. Heck what would they eat in the wild then!!