Mrod262001
New Member
I have a panther chameleon he like meal worms and crickets and such but I just bought earth worms from PetSmart labeled creepy crawlers can he eat these they also look a bit long
Can my chameleon eat worms
- Thread starter Mrod262001
- Start date
CamoChameleonsHuman
Chameleon Enthusiast
No! Cut the mealworms too. Stick with silkworms, hornworms, and superworms
CamoChameleonsHuman
Chameleon Enthusiast
Kaizen
Chameleon Enthusiast
I’m probably the ignorant one here, but I thought the only reason farmed earthworms are on the no-no list is because most chams just won’t tag them. Indeed, in terms of lean protein and ca
ratio, earthworms are right up there with BSFL. If the earthworms are farmed, and therefore subject to the all the same pitfalls as farmed crickets, what exactly is the problem? Again, I’m sincerely asking.
ratio, earthworms are right up there with BSFL. If the earthworms are farmed, and therefore subject to the all the same pitfalls as farmed crickets, what exactly is the problem? Again, I’m sincerely asking.
CamoChameleonsHuman
Chameleon Enthusiast
Not ignorant at all. In fact I honestly had to do a little research on my own just now to see for myself. Here's what I found.I’m probably the ignorant one here, but I thought the only reason farmed earthworms are on the no-no list is because most chams just won’t tag them. Indeed, in terms of lean protein and ca
http://www.thereptilian.co.uk/care_sheets/Earthworm_care_sheet_feeder_insect_culture_care.htm
Basically there's nothing saying it's bad for our reptiles with a few caveats.
1) Never feed wild due to pesticides. Same as any other feeder really. You must be 100% sure they are organically raised.
2) Night crawlers can be quite strong and can wiggle there way back out. It's a good idea to cut them up first if feeding.
3) They're nutritious but lower in calcium
4) They eat soil. Your Cham eats worm. Your Cham just ate soil.
Kaizen
Chameleon Enthusiast
Good point about crawling back out...yuck! As for the soil thing, I think just keeping farm raised red wrigglers in moist vermiculite and using collards, carrots, etc as food should solve that. Anyways, I appreciate you doing the lrg work on this; it’s nice to know folks still do their homework.
Earthworms on paper are ideal feeders. They have the right ration of calcium to phosphate. They are actually very high in calcium, protein and low in fat. The reason why people here do not recommend them is out of fear for parasites. They are known carriers in the wild. I don't believe there is any concrete evidence commercially bread earthworms/night crawlers sold at pet stores are known carriers.
Second point to consider -- Chameleons are not the natural intermediary carrier for any known parasite that an earthworm would carry. None.
I personally don't see a way an earthworm would crawl out. Digestive acid starts to break down the worm immediately. Are there any known, confirmed incidences of this happening... maybe? I don't know. I personally doubt it.
At this point in time, I am on the fence. If there is risk, it's minimal. On the other hand, there are many feeders known to be safe and nutritious. I am going to do more research on this topic. For now, I stopped feeding them to mine until I know more.
Second point to consider -- Chameleons are not the natural intermediary carrier for any known parasite that an earthworm would carry. None.
I personally don't see a way an earthworm would crawl out. Digestive acid starts to break down the worm immediately. Are there any known, confirmed incidences of this happening... maybe? I don't know. I personally doubt it.
At this point in time, I am on the fence. If there is risk, it's minimal. On the other hand, there are many feeders known to be safe and nutritious. I am going to do more research on this topic. For now, I stopped feeding them to mine until I know more.
