Hornworms and feeding them tomatoes

Lizards46

New Member
Hey guys, a quick question is it alright to feed my feeder hornworms tomatoes for my chameleons? I just wanted to check because I know wild-caught ones can be poisonous from eating the leaves of a tomato plant but is just the tomato okay?
 
No it is not ok... It is the tomato plant that makes wild hornworms deadly... Tomato plants are in the nightshade family which is what is toxic if the bugs ingest passing that on to your cham. I know there are more specifics to this but the basic answer is don't feed them that. You need hornworm chow for them. Repashy makes one and there are a few others.
 
No it is not ok... It is the tomato plant that makes wild hornworms deadly... Tomato plants are in the nightshade family which is what is toxic if the bugs ingest passing that on to your cham. I know there are more specifics to this but the basic answer is don't feed them that. You need hornworm chow for them. Repashy makes one and there are a few others.
Sweet, thank you so much!
 
Hey guys, a quick question is it alright to feed my feeder hornworms tomatoes for my chameleons? I just wanted to check because I know wild-caught ones can be poisonous from eating the leaves of a tomato plant but is just the tomato okay?
You'll get some mixed answers on this... most will say no however. I'm fairly sure it's the LEAVES of the tomato plant that are toxic (to humans as well).

That being said, beman is correct. For a proper nutrition - and to avoid the issue of toxicity - just use a hornworm chow. They'll be more nutrious (which is minimal anyway) but more importantly hornworm chow is like crack... they seem to eat it non-stop vs fresh food. Because they chow down with less work and waste, they grow bigger faster! Hornworms can go from eggs to moths in 2-3 weeks!
 
You need hornworm chow for them. Repashy makes one and there are a f
Is their hornworn chow as good of a gutload as bug Burger? I know its made for them but not sure what's the better gutload given their minimal nutrition.
 
Is their hornworn chow as good of a gutload as bug Burger? I know its made for them but not sure what's the better gutload given their minimal nutrition.
Would stick to Rephasy products. They're pretty spot on. For hornworms the nutritional value is so low that they're just "treats" anyway. No one gutload brand/variety would really make a huge impact. I have bug burger as well, but I've never tried to get hornworms on it... they may not even eat it? I know silkworms are supremely picky.

Oh, and there is a few different chows that will turn your hornworms green or teal etc.
 
They eat the crap out of it for me and it's cheaper than their hornworn chow in brick and mortar stores. Both are repashy.
 
They eat the crap out of it for me and it's cheaper than their hornworn chow in brick and mortar stores. Both are repashy.
Yea. Just realized that. If they eat both then just make the one food source. I personally bought hornworm chow and have yet to use it. I just recycle the foods from the cups I buy. They don't last long... which is why I've moved on to breeding them.

Best of luck!
 
Back
Top Bottom