Mealworms as a supplementary food?

[Howdyco]

My little panther did not like silk worms I ordered. No big deal since the fire-belly toads we have loved them.

My cham is about 3-4 months old and is eating gut-loaded and dusted crickets supplemented with Phoenix worms.

All of the superworms I can find locally are too big for the three month old cham, at least they appear to be.

I can however find mini-mealworms which appear to be perfect size for his current diet.

My question after reading/researching much of the data on-site here:

Is it okay to use the mini-mealworms as a supplementary/alternate food source for the young chameleon every few days?

I can gut-load the mealies with veggies which might help make them a "better treat." I would consider using them every three or so days and only feed one or two for the diet variety.

Any/all opinions are appreciated.
Thanks,
How

 

[Rocky]

Hey Howdyco, and welcome to the forums

The large meal worms you are talking about are "Superworms" and the small ones are just normal meal worms. These are both great for your chameleon. While I wouldnt suggest making it his primary diet, feeding him a super/mealworm is fine. I am sure he will actually love them. The only problem people have found with them is that the chameleon will actually start to only eat mealworms if he is fed to many.

Other alternatives that are good for a 3-4 month old would be dubias roaches. Most people steer away because the name "roach" but they are actually much cleaner than crickets etc. and they can't normally fly or climb glass.

Also, you may try hornworms(tomatoe worms). They may seem big, with a soft body if you get some smaller ones I'm sure your chameleon would be fine with them.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Mealworms are fine as an occassional feeder. It is best if you gutload them as much as possible and only feed off the freshly moulted ones (soft and white in colour). This is because mealworms have a high chinton content and are therefore difficult to digest. One or two a week is fine, especially if using freshly moulted ones. More than that risks impaction.

Other options include: roach nymphs, butterworms, flies, cabbage loppers, very small hornworms.