ok to feed this?

carol5208

carol5208

Chameleon Enthusiast
anyone know if this type of moth is ok and safe to feed? thanks!
 

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Herbs, do you live on a diet of chicken tenders, apples, and chocolate chip cookies? You don't survive off of just a handful of food items so neither should our chameleons. Of course, we do have lots of good feeders in captivity to order but it's super healthy to go and catch insects from a field you know isn't subjected to pesticides. Mantids, grasshoppers, and other insects offer a much wider variety of different nutrients as well as mental enrichment for your chameleons. I go out about once a week and go catch a goodie or two for my guys. As long as I think it's not poisonous, there is no harm in feeding different insects.

That said, I don't know anything about this moth. If I were at home I would look though my bug manual for you, Carol, but I'm not. Hopefully someone will let you know. Although I kinda tend to think the same thing as you, usually brown insects like these aren't poisonous. Not so much spiders (blegh!) though!
 
thanks everyone! I already fed it to him and he is alive and kicking so I guess it was safe! I am not out of feeders but I know my chameleon likes moths and I just never saw this type before and wanted to know if anyone knew what kind it was or had ever fed one to their chameleon.
 
wild caught feeders

What is considered safe? I would assume almost all wild caught bugs (mantids, grasshoppers, etc) must have some type of pesticide. I live in the suburbs and I had a juvenile iguana that I gave a grasshopper to and within a week died. :( FYI he seemed fine before this too. I would love to give my cham some variety once in a while but I'm not too sure where to catch something safe.
 
I always go to a field a ways out of town, near forests and such with no homes anywhere nearby so I'm pretty sure the insects there are safe. But I wouldn't feed anything from within the city, more likely than not it's probably come into contact with one thing or another.
 
If this helps , it looks like it might be a Hyles gallii or Hyles euphorbiae

But i'm pretty sure it's a Theretra oldenlandiae
 
WOW you are so lucky if i'm right, its a different species of hornworm, so not the common Manduca Sexta:eek:
i found that pick on hornworm moths images so i think you fed your cham and hornworm moth so lucky:D
 
chameleoman said:
WOW you are so lucky if i'm right, its a different species of hornworm, so not the common Manduca Sexta:eek:
i found that pick on hornworm moths images so i think you fed your cham and hornworm moth so lucky:D
Click to expand...

I have only found one of those. It was in the day and it was resting on my garage door. My neighbor found one for me also. Those are the only two I have ever seen.
 
carol5208 said:
I have only found one of those. It was in the day and it was resting on my garage door. My neighbor found one for me also. Those are the only two I have ever seen.
Click to expand...

Neighbors finding bugs, and catching them for you to feed to your cham? We need to trade neighbors. :D
 
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Next time be sure of what you are feeding. it is some kind of sphinx moth (relatives of the hornworm hawkmoth) so its larval form could have fed on toxic plants. Most of them (from what I have gathered) are safe, but it's always best to be positive.
 
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