Moths

[Diezel]

Ive heard that moths can be good for chameleons and that wild caught are fine (though ive heard wild caught crickets are bad) And if it is true that they are fine to feed wild moths to my cham... Any one have a clever way of getting them other than standing infront of a light with a net or cup trying to swing at them?

 

[Heika]

Zoomed makes the Bug Napper.. doesn't get much easier. Biggest thing to consider before feeding WC insects is your area.. is it free of pesticides and pollutants?

 

[Marc10edora]

does the bug zapper kill the bugs or knock them out?

 

[Heika]

Neither.. it just draws the bugs to the light, and then they bonk around it a bit and fall into the funnel-shapped hole that leads to the container that will hold them til morning. It really is a great device, and the money spent on it pays itself back. http://www.zoomed.com/html/bugnapper.php

Heika

 

[Laragail]

Thats really cool- I want a bug napper now...


I Have been using and aviary net to catch moths- works pretty well.

 

[roo_71]

Thats really cool- I want a bug napper now...

Haha! Makes me think … “I want an Oompa Loompa NOW daddy!” I so love that movie.

I have one too and it does work well. You also have to think about potential parasites too I would think but I personally think the pros outweigh the cons with that one.

-roo

 

[rcagosto]

Don't you guys worry about the parasites? Is there a way to tell if the moth has one or not? I'm sorry but I'm not as brave as you guys, plus I can't do it anyway, I live in NYC. There's no way a insect around here hasn't come in contact with some kind of pesticide lol.

 

[Heika]

I worry about parasites a little, but not a whole lot. One of my panthers, Spencer, ate them the entire season last year, and his fecal came back clean. The benefits for him were amazing. His weight almost doubled in a five month period following a nasty illness.

I know this position is controversial... but... parasites are not the end of the world. They can be treated, and a healthy chameleon is completely capable of handling a few parasites without keeling over.

Heika

 

[FaunaBgirl]

I think that Oregon is pretty safe for water and bugs. But California has stuff in the water that's so bad, I'm joining the band wagon in the fight to clean it up properly and benignly. They poison the areas around here so badly with pesticides, I can't consider the ZooMed Napper which I find VERY appealing. :{
Alas... Where we live and being aware of our environmental weakness' is critical to the answers for our chams.

 

[Diezel]

I am a little worried because i can see the Philadelphia skyline from my house and im a little worried about something coming from over there but i will give it a shot. now do i take a wing off or do i just let him fly around and let him hunt them?

 

[Heika]

Just let your cham hunt them. Moths are pretty easy. They just hang around waiting to be eaten, occasionally fluttering around the light just to be appealing to your cham.

 

[lele]

moths/parasites

a bit late coming to this thread...I have been rearing Lepidoptera for 8 years and feel qualified to speak on the issue of moths an parasites: don't worry about them. Here is why:

1 - 99% of adult moths either do not feed at all or feed on plant nectar

2 - caterpillars (larvae) are often parasitized but from parasitic wasps and flies. Those parasites will either kill the cat in its larval or pupal (cocoon) stage. Even if somehow eggs were transferred to the adult (never heard of this happening) they would be completely harmless to your cham. The are not the same sort of parasites that herp owners have to worry about.

3 - if you collect cats and let them pupate and out come a bunch of small wasps or flies just feed them to smaller herps or offer to a friend who has some. I collect cocoons on winter and they often produce parasitic wasps - I just feed them to my side-blotched lizards - they love 'em!

A note on pesticides - yes, it is important to know, but some moths live only a few days and would not consume enough via nectar to be harmful.

All that said, one thing that was NOT mentioned is toxicity of the moth itself. Many release defensive chemicals just like some beetles (see my post on superworm thread) and other insects. Few would be toxic to the point of hurting your cham and most that are collected at lights are safe. Here is a link to a moth which produces chemicals from its eyes and legs: lLeopard moths

lele the Lep lady

 

[jesseesperto]

Well that clears it up enough for me...woohoo!! I am buying a bug napper ..

 

[spuds]

O.K, now I got so excited after reading this thread I had to order me a Bug Napper too. I'm so happy this forum is here.

 

[flpanther]

parasites

Even store bought feeder insects can be loaded with parasites. Many owners of captive bred chams have been surprised to find out thier cricket fed cham has parasites. Pesticides are more of a concern, but the risk is minimal with moths.

 

[Diezel]

Im really happy to hear all of this.. I cant wait till moths start to come around here.. Now what about butterflies? Same thing with them? Can my cham even eat them or wanna eat them?

 

[Heika]

Im really happy to hear all of this.. I cant wait till moths start to come around here.. Now what about butterflies? Same thing with them? Can my cham even eat them or wanna eat them?

Your chameleon will want to eat them, but always check and make sure they are non-toxic. Some are, such as the Monarch butterfly.

One of my favorite sites for checking bugs before popping them into a cage as a feeder is www.whatsthatbug.com.

 

[Diezel]

thanks a bunch!!!

 

[cushcameleon]

a bit late coming to this thread...I have been rearing Lepidoptera for 8 years and feel qualified to speak on the issue of moths an parasites: don't worry about them. Here is why:

1 - 99% of adult moths either do not feed at all or feed on plant nectar

2 - caterpillars (larvae) are often parasitized but from parasitic wasps and flies. Those parasites will either kill the cat in its larval or pupal (cocoon) stage. Even if somehow eggs were transferred to the adult (never heard of this happening) they would be completely harmless to your cham. The are not the same sort of parasites that herp owners have to worry about.

3 - if you collect cats and let them pupate and out come a bunch of small wasps or flies just feed them to smaller herps or offer to a friend who has some. I collect cocoons on winter and they often produce parasitic wasps - I just feed them to my side-blotched lizards - they love 'em!

A note on pesticides - yes, it is important to know, but some moths live only a few days and would not consume enough via nectar to be harmful.

All that said, one thing that was NOT mentioned is toxicity of the moth itself. Many release defensive chemicals just like some beetles (see my post on superworm thread) and other insects. Few would be toxic to the point of hurting your cham and most that are collected at lights are safe. Here is a link to a moth which produces chemicals from its eyes and legs: lLeopard moths

lele the Lep lady

Two nights ago I walked into my room and found a moth hanging onto the side of the cage. It was driving my carpet cham absolutely insane, I opened that cage to feed it to him, but then I realized I didn't know anything about moths and that it wouldn't be a good idea to feed them to my chameleon. But after reading this thread I am eager to catch one of those pestering, furry bugs and feed it to my chameleons. Caine will have his revenge! .....Is anyone familiar with the moths in the Las Vegas area? I know its rare to come upon a poisonous moth (according to lele), but the last thing I want is to have a ugly bug make my chameleons sick. Are their warning signs that suggest the moth is poisonous?

 

[lele]

Two nights ago I walked into my room and found a moth hanging onto the side of the cage. It was driving my carpet cham absolutely insane, I opened that cage to feed it to him, but then I realized I didn't know anything about moths and that it wouldn't be a good idea to feed them to my chameleon. But after reading this thread I am eager to catch one of those pestering, furry bugs and feed it to my chameleons. Caine will have his revenge! .....Is anyone familiar with the moths in the Las Vegas area? I know its rare to come upon a poisonous moth (according to lele), but the last thing I want is to have a ugly bug make my chameleons sick. Are their warning signs that suggest the moth is poisonous?

boy, you sure dug up an old thread! I happened to still be on the "notify" email so here I am! I live in NH but there are some basics that cover insects anywhere. Besides making sure that your insect (moth or otherwise) hasn't been exposed to pesticides be aware of warning colors of black/red/orange/yellow combinations as in monarch butterflies (best example because most people know what it looks like)

or lightning bugs.

the basic gray, white, brown, green moth you typically find flying around your lights at night should not be a problem