Hi. I'm wondering if anyone has heard anything about green horn worms being bad for the digestive systems for chameleons? I was at a pet store & they said they no longer sell the green horn worms because they heard from a couple of vets that there is a problem with the enzymes from these worms when it is being digested. She wouldn't go into detail but she recommended not to feed those worms to my chameleon. Has anyone else heard of this? Thanks!
Green Hornworms bad for Digestive
- Thread starter peetree
- Start date
Ryan Jarosek
New Member
Fatty? Thats a first. I think you may have your worms confused. Actually They are very low in fat- I think about 3-4 % in fact and have no chitin or exoskeleton so your animal will not become impacted and can eat a much larger worm.
They are basically a bag of goo and moisture.
Horn worms are fine I feed them frequently to all kinds of reptiles.
30 out 31 hungry chameleons agree , they are fine and they should keep being fed to them as much as you want.
They are not intended to be a staple , rather a supplement. When they deficate it may get runny if you feed a lot but the same can happen with silkies.
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Ryan Jarosek
New Member
They are fine daily as long as you are feeding other insects like properly gut loaded crickets or silkworms.
hallenhe
Avid Member
What does the 31st cham say?
- My guy readily accepts hornworms, but is standoffish towards silkworms and dubious about Dubias.
Ryan Jarosek
New Member
What does the 31st cham say?
#31 ~ says WTF are you trying to feed me.
Thats one scary bug you have in front of my face.
sandrachameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
There is no reason not to use captive raised hornworms, although Wild caught ones are dangerous. NO one or two insects should be used as a staple. The whole idea of a staple insect is, in my opinion, a bad idea. There are potential problems with using any one insect too much. Including with hornworms (runny poop)
Ryan Jarosek
New Member
You make a great point. I really do not like the term staple insect/feeder. I provide many different insects. Although I do think It is important to differentiate what feeders are thought of as "better options" than some of the others, in the event the option of a varied diet is limited.
serenitystarlite
Established Member
Coincidentally I just found some of these at the reptile shop down the street. I thought Kami (my senegal) would love them but so far she refuses to eat them. I fed a couple of the smaller ones to Jasmine (my veiled) but the rest are way too big for her. I was really hoping Kami would've been as excited about them as I was. She'll eat roaches and ate a big katydid once. Maybe she's just not into worms
Dave Weldon
Avid Member
Howdy,
One thing that I'll add is that once hornworms get bigger than about "medium", I bust their jaw with tweezers just before I feed them off. There have been numerous reports (including me as an eyewitness) of hornworms biting chameleons "on the way down" . They are very good at whipping around to chomp down on chameleon lips, tongues, eyelids etc. I guess "one good bite deserves another" .
I'll also add that cooling them in the frig for something like 1-2 days cool and then 1 day room temp and then repeat, can keep mediums from growing into giants for many weeks. The small ones are a bit more fragile so be careful. I've been able to stretch a batch of smalls from becoming giants for almost 2 months with careful temp cycling.
One thing that I'll add is that once hornworms get bigger than about "medium", I bust their jaw with tweezers just before I feed them off. There have been numerous reports (including me as an eyewitness
) of hornworms biting chameleons "on the way down" . They are very good at whipping around to chomp down on chameleon lips, tongues, eyelids etc. I guess "one good bite deserves another" .I'll also add that cooling them in the frig for something like 1-2 days cool and then 1 day room temp and then repeat, can keep mediums from growing into giants for many weeks. The small ones are a bit more fragile so be careful. I've been able to stretch a batch of smalls from becoming giants for almost 2 months with careful temp cycling.
summoner12
Avid Member
I would dust your HWs if you are feeding them regularly. And busting the jaw as Dave said is a goood practice! Too bad ya can't stop them from grabbing the chams lip with thier feet 'on the way down' LOL
lol she wasn't happy.... but after a few minutes she managed to get him down the hatch.
Once I tried to help push with my finger... big mistake.. she thought my finger was the worm and chomped down it hurt....
lol she wasn't happy.... but after a few minutes she managed to get him down the hatch.
Once I tried to help push with my finger... big mistake.. she thought my finger was the worm and chomped down
it hurt....
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
Once I tried to help push with my finger... big mistake.. she thought my finger was the worm and chomped down
Youch! Melleri are amazingly strong! I have a little scar on my lip from a melleri bite. She choked on a large sphinx moth and too much water and stopped breathing. I tried CPR, she revived, and clamped down. Not good.
