Feeding dead crickets??

rachelk

New Member
Is it ok to fed the chams crickets that just recently died? I feed my crickets all the good stuff but some just don't make it long, and i feed them to my cham as soon as they die before they start getting too bad. Would there be any health issues with this?
 
All my chams free range for their crix and other insects so I don't do it as they would just ignore it. Chams seem to like things that move as thats what catches their attention and even if I knew the dead crix was well gutloaded etc I still wouldn't do it.
 
I would have to agree with chameleon97, if the cricket is dead there must be a reason why it died. To me it is just not worth it the cricket could have eaten mold or something you never know.
 
Try upping the cricket's heat and keeping them clean. In my bin of 800-1000 I only have 2-3 die off every couple days. Not enough water or food and they'll start eating each other too.
 
I think the general forum would tend to agree it is not a good idea. I don't thing chams would eat the dead crickets unless they were really hungry. Movement stimulates the chams to hunt and stalk.

OPI
 
Agreed. Dont feed even very recently dead crickets to your chameleons.
If you are certain the crickets are dead from old age and not some kind of nastiness, you can occasionally feed these very recently dead crickets to other insects: kingworms, mealworms, roaches, and especially isopods - these will all eat dead insects.
 
various grains, dandelion leaves, orange, squash, carrot, coconut, ground sunflower seeds, a little bee pollen, ground dried Alfalfa, Mustard greens, yam, ...
 
I use Cricket Crack that a member sells on here, dandelion, kelp, yam, carrot, yellow squash, turnip, collard greens, spring greens, and melons. GL with your crix!
 
I use Cricket Crack that a member sells on here, dandelion, kelp, yam, carrot, yellow squash, turnip, collard greens, spring greens, and melons. GL with your crix!

I use a homemade recipe very similar...the only thing i dont use is melon as it ferments too easy and causes bacteria
 
I also would not feed a dead cricket to a chameleon, but then I have an alternative use for my dead crickets and have very few deaths in any event. (I just feed the dead ones to my Nepenthes, a carnivorous plant... :D). As mentioned before, keep the crickets at about 80 degrees, provide good air circulation with screening, not solid containers, keep them hydrated without drowning them, and give them plenty of various foods. Vegetables, fruits, and grains of virtually all kinds are all greedily devoured by crickets. Provide them with a vitamin based variety so they will thrive and provide your chameleon with that same healthy mix. Crickets also hate light, so place them in a darkened place and provide them with small hidey holes for when they feel stressed.

Clean out their enclosure occasionally as their droppings can harbor mold and bacteria. Old food can rot and cause the same problem. Crickets eating that old stuff can become diseased and become unhealthy for your chameleon. Remove uneaten bits of fruit and grain after a couple days and place fresh foods.
 
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