Mealworms ok for skinny chameleon?

[cstorms]

I got my chameleon from a pet shop that is full of skinny animals. They don't even have a UVB light on their cham cage, I feel like I rescued him. Anyway, he looks pretty skinny, so I was wondering if it would be ok to feed him mealworms for a while to help fatten him back up. I have heard they are fatty, and should be avoided, but in this case it seems like they are exactly what he needs. If so, how many should I feed him and how often?

 

[camaleonte82]

in feeding your cham you should not let one bug be more then 40% of there diet. so like 40% crickets 25%millworms and 35% silkies. or something like that. i feed mine millworms 2 ta 3 times a week. as a smaller protion of the diet crickets are my main feeder. but if your looking for fatty try wax worms. those are very fatty. but to be honest i would just feed it normal and let it gain weight on its own. you dont wanna stuff it and over feed that can be unhealthy in itself.

hope he gets better. can we see pics

 

[Swayne8998]

The "avoided" part is just a rumor. They should not make up more than 15% of their diet, however, because they are fatty. So yes, you can feed your guy mealies

 

[blackened]

Mealworms have a very hard exo-skeleton which makes it difficult for your cham to digest. As said above, ok - but only in moderation.

EDIT: note that I used the word "ok" as in "not great".

Make sure whatever you feed that the bugs have been properly gutloaded. Check out sandrachameleon's blog for more info: blog

 

[ibdragons]

If u want to fatten him up a little I would give him
some waxworms , remember waxworms are like potato chips they are high I fat only give him some till he gains some weight.like the prior members said they should only be a percentage part of his meals .after he gains weight .stop giving him waxworms .

 

[AngieL]

If you want to fatten him up you can just feed him lots of good feeders. Be careful with the meal/wax worms as they can be addictive and if you feed lots of them your chameleon might refuse to eat anything else. Also they're not kind on the digestive system.

 

[pssh]

You don't want to fatten him up with fatty feeders. (Imagine trying to gain weight with fast food!) Use healthy feeders with the fatty ones as treats.

Good choices include crickets, roaches, superworms, silkworms, hornworms, butterworms, soldier grubs, mini mealworms (t. obscurus) etc. Feeders that should be more like treats include mealworms (t. molitor) and wax worms. Superworms also shouldn't be used primarily, but they can be used fairly regularly. It's just best not to use them primarily because some chameleons will go on feeding strikes where they will only eat superworms. Try not to let any one feeder make up more than 25% of the diet if it's possible.


EDIT: Also make sure that everything that can be gutloaded, is! Make sure to use a variety of healthy veggies/fruits like mustard greens, collard greens, dandelion greens, endive, escarole, kale, squash, carrots, yams, sweet potatoes, sweet peppers, strawberries, apples, oranges, berries, papaya, etc. Plus use a high quality dry gutload.

 

[ibdragons]

The mealworms are not kind to the digestive system not the waxworms ,and like I said keep them a small percentage of their diet and you will be fine . I personally used the waxworms diet on One of my Panthers and one veiled that I rescued. And if u keep it to a small percentage they won't do what the prior member stated.

 

[cstorms]

in feeding your cham you should not let one bug be more then 40% of there diet. so like 40% crickets 25%millworms and 35% silkies. or something like that. i feed mine millworms 2 ta 3 times a week. as a smaller protion of the diet crickets are my main feeder. but if your looking for fatty try wax worms. those are very fatty. but to be honest i would just feed it normal and let it gain weight on its own. you dont wanna stuff it and over feed that can be unhealthy in itself.

hope he gets better. can we see pics

he's not in bad shape, he just doesn't look as plump as most of the others I've seen on here.

 

[blackened]

Out of interest what light is that he's next to. I have no experience with Jacksons so couldn't really say if he's underweight. Pretty lil fella though

 

[Action Jackson]

A fat Jackson is an unhealthy Jackson IMO. From what I can see in the picture, he looks fine.

 

[Swayne8998]

A fat Jackson is an unhealthy Jackson IMO. From what I can see in the picture, he looks fine.

Sorry I don't want to steal this guy's thread but this is a related question that I just wanted to ask real quick...

How much should I feed a male Jackson's Xanth, and what should I supplement with and how often?

 

[cstorms]

Out of interest what light is that he's next to. I have no experience with Jacksons so couldn't really say if he's underweight. Pretty lil fella though

That is just my wifes desk lamp.. Not part of his setup.

 

[cstorms]

A fat Jackson is an unhealthy Jackson IMO. From what I can see in the picture, he looks fine.

Great, thank you!