Hornworm addict - staple food?

[ojr5]

I seem to be having the opposite problem as another poster this morning: Heisenberg is ADDICTED to hornworms. What originally began as what I perceived to be a hunger strike is turning out to just really be an affinity for the things. (He'll eat some crix if I don't give him a worm for a few days). But as soon as he sees a horn, he goes after it. It's the only food he'll eat from my hand.

So question: how much of a staple feeder can these be? I went ahead and just bought a tub that I can have on hand for the next week or so. Is it still crucial to mix them up with crunchier insects?

Thanks

 

[odduc748]

HA! That's my girl who, so far, refuses to eat the hornworms that I present to her.

But, from what I've read, you should limit hornworms as they can be high in fat.

I'm sure others with much more knowledge will offer more information.

 

[werecat]

Hornworms should not be a staple diet. I can't find the link with the nutritional breakdown, but they are not as nutritious as other feeders as they are mostly "bags of water" (I believe silkworms are a more nutritious caterpillar since they are high in protein and calcium). However, they do gutload easily and are great for hydrating a sick chameleon and keeping a healthy one "regular". Still, you definitely need "crunchies" in the diet too (kind of like we need fiber). The link below recommends them to be no more than 20% of the total diet.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/74-feeders.html

Good luck in breaking your cham of this hunger strike!