Florida Bug Hunting

[Theirin]

So yesterday I just started trying to find some bugs because I was pretty bored, and wanted to get some treats for my Cham from outside. Is anyone aware of the types of critters I will be able to find here in Florida??? Which ones are safe, which ones aren't, and if I need to dust or worry about any? I've found he loves moths, (he has found a few on his own). But I'd like to see if there is anything else that is fairly easy to find down here.

Thanks!

 

[JonRich]

So yesterday I just started trying to find some bugs because I was pretty bored, and wanted to get some treats for my Cham from outside. Is anyone aware of the types of critters I will be able to find here in Florida??? Which ones are safe, which ones aren't, and if I need to dust or worry about any? I've found he loves moths, (he has found a few on his own). But I'd like to see if there is anything else that is fairly easy to find down here.

Thanks!

While i was on vacation in Miami i saw tonsssssss ot grasshoppers/dragonflies! I'm pretty sure they are Cham safe.

 

[Theirin]

While i was on vacation in Miami i saw tonsssssss ot grasshoppers/dragonflies! I'm pretty sure they are Cham safe.

Well if I can catch a dragon fly that would be awesome! But most of the grasshoppers/locusts around where I live are toxic. Here is a link to some info on what I see around here on those... Not sure what you saw though

http://www.wildflorida.com/articles/Floridas_Giant_Orange_Grasshoppers.php

says they are toxic to most predators.. So I avoid them currently

 

[JonRich]

Well if I can catch a dragon fly that would be awesome! But most of the grasshoppers/locusts around where I live are toxic. Here is a link to some info on what I see around here on those... Not sure what you saw though

http://www.wildflorida.com/articles/Floridas_Giant_Orange_Grasshoppers.php

says they are toxic to most predators.. So I avoid them currently

lol, oh wow. Thoes look toxic. lol

The ones i saw were more cryptic brown looking.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/467922

 

[VeiledChams]

The ones that the OP posted are toxic..should not be fed..We get swarms of them where I live every spring/summer.

The ones you could feed are the green hoppers, mantids, roaches, dragonflies, and moths. Just making sure that they are caught in a pesticide-free area.

 

[Olimpia]

The ones you could feed are the green hoppers, mantids, roaches, dragonflies, and moths. Just making sure that they are caught in a pesticide-free area.

Yep, I was actually surprised how easy it is to find mantids if you go somewhere more wild. I caught a few things last time I went to this field area out of town:

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Yep, I was actually surprised how easy it is to find mantids if you go somewhere more wild. I caught a few things last time I went to this field area out of town:

Ive got a great place to find katydids & grasshoppers but I just dont see any mantids. I havent gone in awhile since the last time I went collecting I came home with poison ivy. (Sucked)

 

[VeiledChams]

Yep, I was actually surprised how easy it is to find mantids if you go somewhere more wild. I caught a few things last time I went to this field area out of town:

I need to find somewhere close by.. I've got the everglades 2 miles away but i'm too lazy lol

 

[Olimpia]

I need to find somewhere close by.. I've got the everglades 2 miles away but i'm too lazy lol

Wow lol I wish I lived 2 miles from the place I go to. My favorite spot is like a 30 minute drive for me!

 

[Theirin]

Ok thanks! No pesticides anywhere near my house, and we actually have a very large park near my house! Where are the best places to find mantids, katydids, and etc? I have tons of those palmetto bug roach guys, but today he spit one out??!! So i'm not sure about that, again he loves the moths, its really fun to watch him snipe them as they fly around! ^^

 

[Symbiot]

I found a katydid in my backyard for the first time this afternoon and I live in the central Florida area. I have also seen mantids around here before. As others have said, it's all about looking in areas without much human disturbance. Green grasshoppers, dragonflies, mantids, and katydids are all insects your chameleon will love.