nutrition question (bug availability)

[Lyneeso]

I live in Boise ID, I don't think that there is anyone in this town that sells anything but crickets, mealworms, (and wax worms occasionally). Ive been avaoiding mealworms and just gutloading crickets and dusting them with calcium and multivitamin powders. Every couple weeks i'll feed wax worms but have always been told they are like candybars and are just very high in fat/protein and can cause gout if you give them too many. (what's too many mean?) I use the calcium about every day and multivitamin about 1-2 times a week. So, should I really order some superworms or silkworms or roaches off the internet??? do they always show up alive? What vitamins to each bug contain?? what about regular old nightcrawlers???
Thanks!

 

[Sancho]

I live in Boise ID, I don't think that there is anyone in this town that sells anything but crickets, mealworms, (and wax worms occasionally). Ive been avaoiding mealworms and just gutloading crickets and dusting them with calcium and multivitamin powders. Every couple weeks i'll feed wax worms but have always been told they are like candybars and are just very high in fat/protein and can cause gout if you give them too many. (what's too many mean?) I use the calcium about every day and multivitamin about 1-2 times a week. So, should I really order some superworms or silkworms or roaches off the internet??? do they always show up alive? What vitamins to each bug contain?? what about regular old nightcrawlers???
Thanks!

Yes they show up alive. Dubia roaches are perfect you can breed them very easy with heat and food and they do not stink like crickets. They make no nose and are perfect. As far as supers chams get addicted like crack on those things so make sure your cham won't get hooked like crack cause it's hard to get them back to other feeders. As for nightcrawlers NO! you don't want to use them.

 

[Lyneeso]

ok thanks, y not nightcrawlers? i just mean here and there. are they toxic to chams or something???

 

[Lyneeso]

oh and where should i order them from???
the dubias? and are they more nutritious than crickets?

 

[sandrachameleon]

Roaches are an excellent feeder insect, as you can easily gutload them. I like to offer my chameleons as wide a variety of insects as possible. Crickets, silkworms, butterworms, superworms, roaches, isopods, even the occassional mealworm, etc. I think they "like" the variety, and I think it ensures the widest possible nutritional coverage.

You can order bugs from many on-line sources. Check the classifieds of this forum and the site sponsors.

Lots of bug nutrition info is collected in this blog entry: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition.html