poop question
- Thread starter ayiaskepi
- Start date
AndrewH
New Member
Pheonix worms have a high chitin amount, and can be hard for chams to pass. Same thing goes with mealworms.
I wouldn't worry about it too much as long as you are not feeding him alot of them or making then his staple.
If he is plenty hydrated and pooping regularly he should be fine.
I wouldn't worry about it too much as long as you are not feeding him alot of them or making then his staple.
If he is plenty hydrated and pooping regularly he should be fine.
Brad Ramsey
Retired Moderator
Phoenix worms very often pass through without being digested.
I don't use them.
I don't like them .. expensive and (in my opinion) no nutritional value since they don't get digested.
The solution to your problem is to stop wasting your money on phoenix worms.
-Brad
I don't use them.
I don't like them .. expensive and (in my opinion) no nutritional value since they don't get digested.
The solution to your problem is to stop wasting your money on phoenix worms.
-Brad
AndrewH
New Member
IMO you should consider super meal worms and hornworms for snacks, and silk worms as another staple.... While you entertain the thought of roachesI'll say dubia are really great. 1000X better than crickets. Cleaner, nicer, quiter, easy to breed and take care of, & prepaid!
Im sorry, but i would pass on the super mealworms. Whenever i used to feed my chams super mealworms i noticed they always pooped 2-3 days later rather than daily like they usually do. but everything else on that list sounds great especially the silkworms, oh and butterworms can be a good treat for them as well.
Brad Ramsey
Retired Moderator
Superworms are a staple in the chameleon diet here.
I actually don't know how we would manage without them.
So easy to keep, so easy to gut load, and they are relished by all.
Once a chameleon is an adult, I don't really expect a daily poop.
In fact Kitty just pooped yesterday after six weeks of nothing.
This used to concern me ... but he goes long spells all the time now.
Six weeks was pretty long though.
-Brad
I actually don't know how we would manage without them.
So easy to keep, so easy to gut load, and they are relished by all.
Once a chameleon is an adult, I don't really expect a daily poop.
In fact Kitty just pooped yesterday after six weeks of nothing.
This used to concern me ... but he goes long spells all the time now.
Six weeks was pretty long though.
-Brad
Dave Weldon
Avid Member
Howdy,
Speaking of chitin, there was a time when I worried about "high" chitin content feeders such as mealworms and to a lesser extent, roaches, superworms and crickets. Then after some reading and some anecdotal results with my chameleons over the last few years, I now treat chitin more like roughage that mixes with the gumminess of digested silkworms and hornworms to aid in poop (tired of using the word "fecal"
) motility. I'm not totally convinced of this feature of chitin but I really haven't seen any evidence that a properly hydrated and otherwise healthy chameleon, kept at proper temps etc. should have any problems with the chitin levels from the usual feeders and may actually benefit from it in one way or another. I might hazard a guess that chitin problems may result in chameleons suffering from chronic sub-optimal hydration .
Speaking of chitin, there was a time when I worried about "high" chitin content feeders such as mealworms and to a lesser extent, roaches, superworms and crickets. Then after some reading and some anecdotal results with my chameleons over the last few years, I now treat chitin more like roughage that mixes with the gumminess of digested silkworms and hornworms to aid in poop (tired of using the word "fecal"
) motility. I'm not totally convinced of this feature of chitin but I really haven't seen any evidence that a properly hydrated and otherwise healthy chameleon, kept at proper temps etc. should have any problems with the chitin levels from the usual feeders and may actually benefit from it in one way or another. I might hazard a guess that chitin problems may result in chameleons suffering from chronic sub-optimal hydration .
Brad Ramsey
Retired Moderator
I may have been confused by the wording of Super Mealworms, of lbesok's earlier post. but,
giant mealworms = high chitin / bad
superworms = good
And I am talking about superworms (zophoba morio)
-Brad
ayiaskepi
New Member
Silkies were my choice fro another staple before, but he will not go near them. He gets real mad if one is even near him. I will wait a few months before offering them again. The dubias are always in the back of my mind, but I need to research their keeping, etc. a bit more. I always used crix as a staple with all my herps and I would like to change that; at least for variety. What would be the best info on dubias? Please recommend a site. I have a few, but they are pretty general. BTW, I was under the impression that superworms were high in fat and were not easily passed. Am I thinking of another worm? If so, how do you gutload them? I may try them as well. However, can you get them on the smaller end? My guy is terrified of the silkies as I mentioned, so I would want something smaller than that for now.
Thanks guys!
Thanks guys!
