Earthworms

lysinlight87

lysinlight87

New Member
Hi,

I buy earthworms for my axolotls and I was wondering if I could offer 1 to my chameleon? they're fairly short & stubby so I don't think size would be an issue. There would be a issue with gutloading I guess, cos the earthworms just get nuttrients from the soil they're in, so maybe the nutrients wouldn't be great?

I just found out that silkworms aren't legal here (or so say my petshop) so I'm looking at alternatives.

Also, I think my guy is starting to go off handfeeding because I keep dropping the feeders so he shoots and misses- or I grip them too tight so his tongue can't get them (I use tongs because I still can't bring myself to touch crickets and locusts) He seems to be saying 'bugger that, just put it on the branch over there' lol, does that sound likely?
 
idk about earthworms or they're value as a feeder. but beacuse there so common and no one uses them u'd say not to feed them off. i doubt chamelons would ever eat an eathworm in the wild. think more flying insects and treeworms :)
 
You can feed, but the chameleons tongue is'nt designed to catch slime coated worm. Most of the time tongue will deflect off, and not trap the prey item. So a little close up feeding is necessary to get worm into mouth.
 
KarmaChameleon1337 said:
Don't earthworms eat stuff like the decaying plants, the dirt, and their own pooP?
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reptilover said:
That's wat I thought. Natures little crap recyclers.. I'd ask Sandra.. if they should he fed she wilk know.. and have a blog about it ;)
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A pig wallows in his own crap, but I love me some bacon. Many mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians eat earthworms. Digging in the dirt they pick up alot of trace minerals. High in calcium content to.
 
SSimsswiSS said:
A pig wallows in his own crap, but I love me some bacon. Many mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians eat earthworms. Digging in the dirt they pick up alot of trace minerals. High in calcium content to.
Click to expand...

I'll be happy to prepare u a big ol helping of pig intestines and guts :)
And most of those ceatures dwell on ground food where chams do not.. IMO
 
reptilover said:
And most of those ceatures dwell on ground food where chams do not.. IMO
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I can think of few chameleons that get food at or near ground level. Most if not all pygmy species, as well as desert/arid species. Alot of other feeders we use don't make a lot of sense either, if you think about it.

Crickets - come out at night. Chameleons sleep at night
Superworms - live in and on the ground. Same go's for mealworms
Roaches - most hide in the day, active at night.
 
SSimsswiSS said:
I can think of few chameleons that get food at or near ground level. Most if not all pygmy species, as well as desert/arid species. Alot of other feeders we use don't make a lot of sense either, if you think about it.

Crickets - come out at night. Chameleons sleep at night
Superworms - live in and on the ground. Same go's for mealworms
Roaches - most hide in the day, active at night.
Click to expand...

Absolutly unnatural, and snakes don't eat rats in the wild often. Its just we chose these feeders due to there nutritional benifet and ability to be used as a vesal to get gutload into our chams.. Im not saying earthworms wouldn't be benifical. Just gettig them and raising them to be better fed than dirt and crap and weining possible parasites out of them hardly seems worth it as they wouldn't do good as a staple.. but if one wanted to it wouldn't be an issue it seems as the benifets are there.. thy just don't out weigh the work to me. silks are far more simple..... Click, recieve, feed. :)
And U brought up a good point about the species that do fend on the ground level I seem to forgot about ;)
 
Thanks for the input guys. :)

I think after the point about them being slimey, so difficult to eat, and the fact that you can't choose what to gutload them with, I guess I'll give it a miss.

The ones I buy are captive bred and are kept in clean compost but I take your point about not knowing what the worms might have in their stomachs. Soil doesn't do chams much good.

It's ok for my axolotls because they suck their food in, they're made of steel (unlike our delicate lil chams), and earthworms are proven to be the best staple for them.

As it's hazy with feeding them chameleons, I'll just avoid it.

Thanks again!
 
sandrachameleon said:
Hello lysinlight87

Worms you raise yourself (and thus know what's in them) can be used, if rinsed and cup fed so that the chameleon can grab them. But most chameleons do not like them. I agree with Reptilover that they wouldnt be my choice for regular (staple) use.

You can get silkworms in the UK. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/171-where-buy-feeders-online.html
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Thanks
I thought you could get silkworms! My petshop are very good at supplying feeders & ordering them in for me but they're not reptile people, so they wouldn't really know too much about feeders. They sell some well-kept bearded dragons and snakes but I wouldn't go to them for chameleon advice.
 
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