Pure Worm Diet?

[camchem]

Hello All

Is there something wrong with only feeding my chameleon Phoenix, Wax, and Silk Worms? If not, do I still need to dust them with Calcium/Vitamins as I would Crickets?

Thanks again for any replies in advance!

 

[sandrachameleon]

wax worms are not a good choice. Silkworms and Pheonix/soldier fly maggots are fine, but not sufficient by themselves IMHO
I suggest you add something "crunchy" to the mix - preferably something you can gutload easily. Even if all you add are a few crickets and the odd superworm it will help. Take it up a notch with one or more of roaches, terrestrial isopods, stick insects, termites, ...

some info you may find useful: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/74-feeders.html

 

[Titan65240]

I'm wondering the same as my guy is on strike with crickets and dubias (not even the fresh white ones . He will only eat worms. I have ordered butterworms and black soldier larvae and am hoping those are enough. I will try to give him crickets again after a few weeks of a break .
Any thoughts or suggestions would be great.

 

[Carlton]

Hello All

Is there something wrong with only feeding my chameleon Phoenix, Wax, and Silk Worms? If not, do I still need to dust them with Calcium/Vitamins as I would Crickets?

Thanks again for any replies in advance!

As for dusting, yes, you still need to dust...plain calcium each feeding, calcium with vit D3 once every 2 weeks, multivitamin once every 2 weeks (once a month to 6 weeks for montane species). If you limit the variety of feeders you'll need to make sure they are gutloaded as nutritionally as possible.

 

[ChamNewton]

I personally find Dubias the easiest to gut load. they have a more varied diet than crickets or worms.

 

[Andee]

They need something with a tough exoskeleton or else they will get runny feces. They also need far more variety than just three worms that are poor gutloaders. Just because your cham is on a hunger strike it doesn't mean you should give in and not feed him the necessities, that's bad for him.

 

[Abby Perez]

An easy food to feed them is Dubai roaches, you can buy them off of eBay for very cheap! And you get them shipped to you in no time!

I'm wondering the same as my guy is on strike with crickets and dubias (not even the fresh white ones . He will only eat worms. I have ordered butterworms and black soldier larvae and am hoping those are enough. I will try to give him crickets again after a few weeks of a break .
Any thoughts or suggestions would be great.[/QUOT

 

[Andee]

But remember to test dubias on a small scale with your cham first. Not all chameleons show interest in them as they don't always recognize them as food. No matter how hungry the cham is sometimes it just doesn't work with dubias.

 

[Daschmidt]

Yeah I could never get Manta my Panther to eat them I'm hoping his offspring will when they are big enough