Mealworm Technique

[MrColors]

My Jackson has been eating mainly crickets, with the occasional grasshopper or moth thrown in upon capture (I am wary of wild feeders). I want as much variation as I can get in his diet, so I got some mealworms. No matter what I did, he didn't seem interested--I tried dangling them near him with my hands so he can see them move (he watches them, but makes no move to eat), I tried leaving a few in a worm dish perched in the branches, and I tried just letting some crawl about the bottom of his cage. He doesn't seem interested. He goes for the moths right away and loves things that flutter about like that, and he also loves green grasshoppers (though many are too big for him to eat, and he just eats the hind legs off). My questions are;

1. Is there some technique to feeding worms to chameleons that I am missing, or is he just a picky eater?

2. Are silkworms better able to crawl up the mesh of the cage to attract his attention, or is there another soft-bodied feeder that moves a lot and will do this?

3. Best place to buy moths? (preferrably not as eggs, but as larvae or adults)

4. Any other suggestions?

Thanks so much!

 

[absolutbill]

Kudos to you for trying to give your cham as much variety as possible. He may just be thinking that the mealworms are too small to bother with. Here's a few other options for you to use:

1. Superworms - they can crawl up the screen and have more meat to them than mealworms.

2. Hornworms are plump and soft-bodied and can also crawl up screens and along branches.

3. Waxmoths - where waxworms come from, however when they are moths they have less fat and will fly around the cage.

4. Silkworms are another great idea - check on the sponsors list for sellers - I've used about 3-4 of them and have always had great success.

5. Painted Lady butterflies - get a hollyhock plant and you can raise your own butterflies for another flying insect.

Hope this helps - check out the sponsors and see who has what. We're always happy to help with questions as well. Use crickets as 40% of your cham's diet, and then round it out with the other feeders mentioned - I'd only feed superworms once a week or once every 2 weeks. Sandrachameleon has a ton of info in her blogs about insect variety, and Pssh raises a bunch of feeders that the bigger sponsors don't, so if you are interested in DIY, they are the people to talk to. Best of luck!

 

[MrColors]

Thanks so much! Both those cites were super helpful.

Another question about feeders...
I try to stay away from wild-caught insects for obvious reasons, but when all I have is crickets I am forced to do occasional outsourcing. Anyways, I know that white cabbage butterflies are safe for chams, and Mr. Colors loves them, but are the yellow ones also safe?