flying food for chameleons?

[BioNerd]

This may sound crazy, but I was playing with my cat with feathered tease toy that simluates a flying prey item. My chameleon was keenly watching. Out of curiousity I "flew" it past the cage and she was more intent on it than I have ever seen her for any kind of food I have offered her. So my question: Is there any kind of moths or flying type food items that I can get for her since she seems interested? This is my first chameleon so I'm on the learning curve. BTW she's a Jackson's if that matters. Thanks.

 

[kdc5019]

refular house flies are great feeders. go to

http://mantidpets.com/shop/page/2?s...KEzj&shop_param=shop_overview_pager=2&cid=12&

supply them with a good gut load available at the website. When their bellys are nice and white. Feed away!

 

[sandrachameleon]

• blue bottle flies
• moths (almost any type at all, such as: silk moths, waxworm moths, sphinx moths, gypsy moth, Mopani, Somberwing ...)
• painted lady, least skipper, woodland skipper, and cabbage white butterflies (note that most butterflies are NOT good choices)
• cicadas
• grasshoppers / locust
• adult new-queen termites (seasonal)

 

[BioNerd]

Thanks. Is there a site you can recommend for the moths? Do you raise your own or buy it from a dealer?

 

[sandrachameleon]

I know one can buy painted ladies, dunno about any other moth/butterflies.
maybe try some of these places:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/171-where-buy-feeders-online.html


I myself catch wild moths (back door light left on at night - easy pickings) or feed off silkworm moths that have finished laying eggs.

 

[BioNerd]

Okay, thanks again. =)

 

[kplatvoet]

My Jackson loves blue bottle flies -
I use the containers that I get emergency crickets from petco in to hatch them (they are small square plastic boxes with air holes) out but small deli containers also work- I use a piece of paper towel on the bottom (makes it easier to clean out) bottle caps for soda filled with "fly food" and cricket quencher- I make up a couple when they come in and put the rest of them in the fridge - put them in a warm place - usually takes a couple of days to hatch this time of year (in the summer it's much quicker) they will live in the container for days as long as you give them food & water. (before you hatch them) Once I have some hatching I start another batch- the blue bottle flies last longer and the spikes last even longer - the house flies get a much lower hatch rate after a couple of days in the fridge.

 

[Virgil]

I myself catch wild moths (back door light left on at night - easy pickings) or feed off silkworm moths that have finished laying eggs.

Sandra, how do you know if the wild moths are an okay kind of moth to feed? How do you know they aren't coated in pesticides?

 

[sandrachameleon]

Sandra, how do you know if the wild moths are an okay kind of moth to feed? How do you know they aren't coated in pesticides?

any moths I catch in my area are edible (but my knowledge is limited to my geographic location - things may be different where you live - I suggest you look up the moths you catch until you are familiar with the kinds you have - avoid anything with bright colours)

We don't have things like areal spraying here. I don't use any chemicals in my garden. neighbours don't either. the parkland behind me is protected wild (salmon creek) so no spraying of pesticides, herbicides or other chemical used there. that said, moths can travel a good distance, so I have no way of knowing where they came from. nevertheless, frankly, if they were coated in pesticides, they would be dead (that's what pesticides do). and anyone spraying something for pests are generally targeting larva, not adult moths.

my general philosophy on wild-caught insect use: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/213-use-wild-caught-insects.html there are also links to bug identification sites in this blog entry