Horn worm feeding tips

[lil lito]

I recently started feeding horn worms to my 7 month old panther. He absolutely loves them. He turns into an absolute savage and attacks like a monitor lizard or something. However, im a little concerned that he's going to hurt himself in the process. I've been giving them to him but just putting them on a leaf in his cage and letting him go for it. They just seem to hold on so tight and i worry that he's going to hurt his tongue trying to pull at it. How do you feed them to your cham? is it better to hand feed them to avoid chance of injury? Or do I just let him be the wild little savage that he is?

 

[Kiwiflage]

Hand feed all the way. I do this with silks as well. My thought process is this: they love them, they hydrate rapidly(in case of dehydration), and mine eat anytime there's something in my hand. It's like a dinner bell when I put my hand in for them and triggers their reaction to find the food. I can always get them to eat then if I absolutely need to... Plus they won't have a grip on a leaf, you can position them however you want. Don't be alarmed if the hornworm "bites you". It will try but you won't even feel anything maybe a small tickle. Happy herping

 

[pigglett79]

You can also try dusting their feet w calcium powder, makes it so they don't stick so hard. My Jackson once ripped one in half that was stuck on a branch. He goes up and bites them though, he doesn't even shoot his tongue at them anymore. But hand feeding helps too.

 

[lil lito]

ooh the dusting tip is a good idea. i can't bring myself to hand feed silkworms. they're sooo gross. At least horn worms look sort of cool. Although, i'm not a huge fan of holding them either. One problem i have is that any time my chameleon sees my hand he want's to hang out. I pretty much let him out of his cage any time he wants to so he's not as receptive to hand feeding anymore. He wants his meals served up on a silver leaf platter lol. I'll give the feet dusting a try and also try to put them closer to him so he doesn't shoot for them as much. Thanks for the tips.