Earwings as feeders?

Shenzi Sixaxis · Sep 9, 2011

So I felt like going out and collecting some isopods tonight, and caught around 200, I wanna say. Lots of places around the house to find them.

While I was doing that, I caught two earwigs. By my googling, I have a male and female, based on the pincer shape. I was thinking, if they bother to breed, would the fully grown adults be good feeders? They're kinda like isopods, in the sense that they eat just about anything. I added a dash of Repashy crested gecko diet in the container I have them all in and everyone ate at it, so I see no reason that earwigs couldn't be good food in that sense.

The pincers, IMO, don't present any possible harm unless it was somehow taken in from the side of the mouth of the feeding animal, which I've never seen with geckos.

Just bouncing an idea around.

AZJ0SH · Sep 9, 2011

I know the whole thing about earwigs is a myth, but I think it would still freak me out to find some in my house!

If you search on the forum, earwigs have been discussed before here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/feeding-earwig-26668/

Like any wild insect, it's not a good idea to feed them to your chameleon. They could cotain harmful parasites.

Zen Reptiles · Sep 9, 2011

I don't think many people have had problems with parasites or pesticides for that matter ever feeding WC insects to their chams. It's more of a caution than from people's experience. Just use your common sense when gathering field plankton and you shouldn't have any problems.

I have heard of some problems with slugs (I've never had any problems with them though, they eat poop basically, which can give them parasites), and wild caught anoles and geckos (if you use them, only get CB ones as feeders)

I have used earwigs in the past without issue, and my guys seem to enjoy them.

fluxlizard · Sep 9, 2011

I've used earwigs for lizards as well- sometimes just as a result of earwigs getting into reptariums with water dragons or shinisaurus during the summer.

I found lizards will eat them a bit- but mine didn't really want to eat a lot of them. Kind of like when I've offered ants- a few are taken, not a lot.