Mealworms are a no!

[BabyChamCham]

Upon going through many threads with cham issues, something that is usually brought up are the fact people are feeding them mealworms. Now I get it, you learn from your mistake, don’t do it later on. Problem is a lot of chameleon care sheets/sites recommend these as a staple diet, as well as many pet stores. I feel like this thread should just be a bit of a shout-out as to why they’re no good. This is my opinion, but feel free to add anything else. I know there’s many people that say otherwise.

My opinion- Their hard exoskeleton can cause impaction to chams if fed in large amounts, and overall don’t have an amazing nutritional value.

That’s it, but this can cause problems in the long run, just don’t do it. There’s many other safe options for your cham

 

[KeopiCat]

Mealworms certainly aren't the way to go when feeding your chameleons!

This being said and bolded, I can understand why they're an appealing choice to beginners:

• Chances are (though just a blanket statement), if you buy your chameleon from a chain pet store, a sales associate will assure you they're fine to feed. If you didn't do enough research on feeders and trust less than reputable sources they might seem safe.
• In addition, when it comes to chameleons diet, variety is promoted, but chain stores don't have much else than mealworms and crickets. Its possible to justify using them with the thought process of "Hey, this is surely better than feeding them just crickets?"
• Finally, if your chameleons are picky, mealworms are a wriggly choice that potentially would get your chameleon to eat

If your chameleon is on the larger end a possible solution to mealworms is to feed superworms. They're more nutritious than mealworms, yet still are very wriggly, and they have that same nice crunch.

Remember to gutload your superworms to up their nutritional value, and keep variety in your chameleon's diet!

 

[GUNNY One Shot]

I myself am new to Chameleons. I have raised Bearded Dragons and Chinese Water Dragons most of my life(62yrs.). I never fed my Dragons mealworms either, Superworms & Waxworms, yes, but not mealworms. Most Dragon experts that I have ever known claimed that mealworms had no beneficial value, and were difficult for the dragons to digest. So tell me; Are Silkworms the best for Chammies? Thank You!! SuperSniperSal

 

[Thehippie]

I myself am new to Chameleons. I have raised Bearded Dragons and Chinese Water Dragons most of my life(62yrs.). I never fed my Dragons mealworms either, Superworms & Waxworms, yes, but not mealworms. Most Dragon experts that I have ever known claimed that mealworms had no beneficial value, and were difficult for the dragons to digest. So tell me; Are Silkworms the best for Chammies? Thank You!! SuperSniperSal

silks, bsf, bsfl, bbf and hornworms are great not just for chams but for most lizards providing much nutritional value.

 

[ERKleRose]

silks, bsf, bsfl, bbf and hornworms are great not just for chams but for most lizards providing much nutritional value.

Don’t forget mantids, small helix aspersa, and roaches, amongst others! Make sure each and every feeder is appropriately gutloaded and dusted before feeding!

 

[Thehippie]

Don’t forget mantids, small helix aspersa, and roaches, amongst others! Make sure each and every feeder is appropriately gutloaded and dusted before feeding!

i could never feed mantids, they're too scary for me!!

 

[ERKleRose]

i could never feed mantids, they're too scary for me!!

That’s what I said about roaches, and look at me now!

 

[BabyChamCham]

Just overcome your buggy fear, and do what’s best for the chams. At least that’s what I do

 

[BabyChamCham]

I myself am new to Chameleons. I have raised Bearded Dragons and Chinese Water Dragons most of my life(62yrs.). I never fed my Dragons mealworms either, Superworms & Waxworms, yes, but not mealworms. Most Dragon experts that I have ever known claimed that mealworms had no beneficial value, and were difficult for the dragons to digest. So tell me; Are Silkworms the best for Chammies? Thank You!! SuperSniperSal

I feel like there’s not a ones best when it comes to chams, the best thing is variety, to keep them fed and happy

 

[GUNNY One Shot]

Thank You ALL so very much for your responses and feedback. This Forum is new to me, as is the world of 'Chameleons.' Most of my life I have raised and enjoyed Dragons, (Bearded & Chinese Water Dragons). My plan is to purchase my first companion by the summer of 2019. This will give me approximately 6 months of preparatory time. This will include learning from you folks here on the 'Chameleon Forum.' I am a Disabled War Vet, Retired U.S. Marine; All that I ask is that you please be Patient with me, as I do suffer from PTSD. Thank You All once again. Take care and GOD Bless!!
SuperSniperSal

 

[BabyChamCham]

@GUNNY One Shot, it’s alright, we’re all here to help eachother out. May I ask what kind of Cham you're planning to get ?
Otherwise, thank you so very much for your service!

 

[GUNNY One Shot]

@GUNNY One Shot, it’s alright, we’re all here to help eachother out. May I ask what kind of Cham you're planning to get ?
Otherwise, thank you so very much for your service!

Thank you 'BabyChamCham.' I have not made up my mind which of the Chams I will purchase. There are so many to choose from; for instance 'Fl Chams' has some very colorful and beautiful Premium Veiled Chams. If I follow the battle plan that I have layed out, than I have just over six months to decide. Perhaps you can offer some ideas. My budget permits approximately $100.00 for my companion. In other words; nothing too fancy. Thank you for sharing with me.
SuperSniperSal

 

[ERKleRose]

@GUNNY One Shot Thank for your service and all of your sacrifices, it’s greatly appreciated!

 

[ERKleRose]

Thank you 'BabyChamCham.' I have not made up my mind which of the Chams I will purchase. There are so many to choose from; for instance 'Fl Chams' has some very colorful and beautiful Premium Veiled Chams. If I follow the battle plan that I have layed out, than I have just over six months to decide. Perhaps you can offer some ideas. My budget permits approximately $100.00 for my companion. In other words; nothing too fancy. Thank you for sharing with me.
SuperSniperSal

You want to make sure you get a captive born and bred cham from a reputable breeder who is honest, open, reliable, helpful, and can trace back the bloodlines. FL Chams is a great breeder with beautiful chams! Just remember, quality over price, sometimes you get what you pay for. Don’t buy from a big box chain pet store, CBReptile, Underground Reptiles, Backwater Reptiles, or LLL Reptile (for a live animal at least), to name a few. For that budget, you’re likely to only be able to get a veiled, maybe a Jackson’s. I’d recommend reading the caresheets here in resources so you can decide which based on which husbandry you’d better provide.

 

[BabyChamCham]

Thank you 'BabyChamCham.' I have not made up my mind which of the Chams I will purchase. There are so many to choose from; for instance 'Fl Chams' has some very colorful and beautiful Premium Veiled Chams. If I follow the battle plan that I have layed out, than I have just over six months to decide. Perhaps you can offer some ideas. My budget permits approximately $100.00 for my companion. In other words; nothing too fancy. Thank you for sharing with me.
SuperSniperSal

I personally have a veild Cham bought from a local reptarium.
Depending on where you buy them, they can get kind of pricy, but usually panther chams can be significantly more, and jackson chams usually run less, and stay a bit smaller than said panther and veild. It all depends on your opinion though, just research a bit on each one and decide from there

 

[ChamLover11]

Thank you so much for telling us that!!! I’m getting a cham for my Bday and I was going to feed it mealworms!

 

[nightanole]

Meh ill stick to the scientific research and 30 years experience with meal worms. Ill continue feeding mealworms. yes supers are better because they are bigger. But a Darkling beetle is a Darkling beetle.

You will not find one research paper saying that meal worms have more chitin or less digestible vs crickets. Same with nutrition etc. Yes you will read horror stories about meal worms eating their way out of a lizard. On the other hand you will never find first or second hand accounts of this. On the other hand you can find plenty of threads on what happens to tails etc to chams who have 3/4-full sized crickets left in the cage. No body is anti cricket...

 

[insectovore]

mealworms cannot eat their way out of a living animal anymore than eating a watermelon seed will make watermelons grow out of your butt. The problem is when people feed them exclusively and the fact that they are usually grown in bran which leaves them with very little calcium. If you put them in a high calcium feed for 48hours before feeding them off, you can boost their Ca to P ratio to an ideal amount. The one feeder over the years that have worked for me the best for the most species is crickets, but I still feed a lot of roaches, bsfl, superworms, mealworms, and some silkworms.... a couple times a year I actually feed waxworms.... o nos!

 

[Calypratus]

I personally don't feed mealworms but still buy them to attract certain birds to my yard (blue birds love them)!