Horn worms as staple?

[SarahcoadunatioZac]

So this has probably been beaten to death, a link to an old thread would be very helpful, but my questions are:

Can horn worms suffice as a staple?

Also,

Who do you order from if/when you order horn worms?

 

[Creaturelover123]

I have no Idea but,

Bump, Bump

 

[reptoman]

They are not a good staple. They are basically water bags that are great for hydration but do not have enough nutrition to be fed all the time. I feed hornworms on a regular basis but along with crickets, dubia, supers etc.

 

[sandrachameleon]

No hornworms do not make a good staple. Your cham need some chinton/crunchiness in its diet. Too many hornworms lead to really runny poops. Plus, there are limited things a hornworm will eat, thus restricting your gutloading options.

I would suggest that you forget the idea of a staple entirely. Variety of prey is the way to go! Aim to have no single feeder make up more than 20% of your chameleons diet, and certainly never more than 50%.

 

[SarahcoadunatioZac]

As it is I'm having difficulty doing this, the only readily available feeders are crickets, mealworms and waxworms, he won't eat fruits and veggies yet. (Veiled, 3 months?) As both worms are bad for him, crickets is about 80% of his diet.

Been looking into fruit fly cultures but they look really small, am I just missing the fact that they get bigger and thus easier to feed off?


Dubias are .59$ a piece at the only place in town that sells them, no matter the size. Was gonna wait till he can eat real big Dubias to make it worth the price- However I may buy handful or so if hes gonna definitely need it.

 

[Thezillaman21]

As it is I'm having difficulty doing this, the only readily available feeders are crickets, mealworms and waxworms, he won't eat fruits and veggies yet. (Veiled, 3 months?) As both worms are bad for him, crickets is about 80% of his diet.

Been looking into fruit fly cultures but they look really small, am I just missing the fact that they get bigger and thus easier to feed off?


Dubias are .59$ a piece at the only place in town that sells them, no matter the size. Was gonna wait till he can eat real big Dubias to make it worth the price- However I may buy handful or so if hes gonna definitely need it.

get a few big ones and raise your own. for $.59 thats a good deal for adult iv seen them as high as $3 a pop

 

[reptoman]

As it is I'm having difficulty doing this, the only readily available feeders are crickets, mealworms and waxworms, he won't eat fruits and veggies yet. (Veiled, 3 months?) As both worms are bad for him, crickets is about 80% of his diet.

Been looking into fruit fly cultures but they look really small, am I just missing the fact that they get bigger and thus easier to feed off?


Dubias are .59$ a piece at the only place in town that sells them, no matter the size. Was gonna wait till he can eat real big Dubias to make it worth the price- However I may buy handful or so if hes gonna definitely need it.

The internet makes everything readily available

 

[SarahcoadunatioZac]

Yeah but for double the price due to shipping, not to mention I have no room to house anything. I would want to buy in bulk and as hes still a baby, just seems a waste.


Maybe I will have a tiny colony, just feed off the babies.. Would save money from continuously buying them. How many adults would you suggest?

 

[sandrachameleon]

He'll be too big for fruit flies very soon if no already.
Have you considered culturing blue bottle flies?
Raising your own Dubia is a good idea too
you could also get silkworms eggs and powdered food - keep eggs in fridge just hatch out 10 -20 eggs at a time and mix up enough chow (combined with dandelion leaves, grape vine leaves etc) to grow them up to yummy size.

 

[SarahcoadunatioZac]

Would you suggest silkworms over hornworms?

Thanks for the help, Melon will sure love you for it.

 

[Branman]

Yes silkworms are a great to add to a diet. They are great for your chameleons. I use them for my chameleons.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Would you suggest silkworms over hornworms?
Thanks for the help, Melon will sure love you for it.

I would suggest using both Variety is good.
But along with these soft-bodied feeders, be sure to also provide crickets, terrestrial isopods, etc

 

[SarahcoadunatioZac]

Yes, I'm starting both dubia and hornworm colonies, I figure its cheaper then buying them and I can sell off the excess.

Thanks for the help guys