Roux’s first locust! Crunch!

Brodybreaux25

Chameleon Enthusiast
Roux’s first locusts. Listen to that crunch!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?
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Im excited for spring here and all the locusts this state puts out but also worried. Aren't we not supposed to be feeding our Chams wild caught bugs for pesticides reasoning?
 
Im excited for spring here and all the locusts this state puts out but also worried. Aren't we not supposed to be feeding our Chams wild caught bugs for pesticides reasoning?
Two main arguments against feeding wild bugs are the chance that you will expose your Cham to either a pesticide or parasite via the wild feeder. Both of which are valid concerns depending on several factors but I feel that none of them apply to me.

Before I go any further this is fair warning that I’m going to ruffle some feathers here and I do not recommend anyone doing what I’m doing.

I live in southeast Louisiana way out in the swamp, so I know there are no pesticides anywhere near here or where I “hunt” my feeders. It takes a serious mud ATV to get to these spots.

This is where the feathers will start to fly. I do not believe wild caught feeders are capable of transmitting parasites to our Chams. Both parasite and host must evolve together to pose any serious threat of transmission and since my Chams are native to Madagascar and the Middle East and are being fed feeders native to North America the risk of transmission is minimal. But it can still happen, not saying it’s impossible. To compensate for that risk I have a vet friend that runs test for me every 6 months for free. To date I have never had a single infection but if the day does come that one is contracted I will just suck it up and pay whatever it takes to rid them of it.
 
You should be careful feeding your chameleons Locust! They can become spoiled and start to refuse other food items.

Actually most common feeder insects are not native to North America. House Crickets are native to Europe. Superworms are native to Central and South America. Dubia Roaches are native to Central and South America. This makes the idea of not allowing making a native species a feeding insect more surprising.

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich
 
I agree with ya, wild caught is okay if you know where you get it from is pretty safe. its great that roux is eating nice big nutritious prey, good sign of health, keep it up and the little guy wont be so little anymore, it amazes me how fast they grow, keep us posted on him!
 
You should be careful feeding your chameleons Locust! They can become spoiled and start to refuse other food items.

Actually most common feeder insects are not native to North America. House Crickets are native to Europe. Superworms are native to Central and South America. Dubia Roaches are native to Central and South America. This makes the idea of not allowing making a native species a feeding insect more surprising.

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich
Thank you for responding, great contribution as always!

Yes, I have precautions in place to catch any potential issues early on. My main reason for doing this is that it allows me to give my Chams a truly diverse diet, superior to anything I could ever buy or breed. As the seasons change, so do the the types of insects available. Buy catching my own feeders year round Mother Nature actually varies my Chams diet for me. I recently discussed this with Petr Necas and he completely agrees that this is a safe and acceptable way to provide food for my Chams.
 
Thank you for responding, great contribution as always!

Yes, I have precautions in place to catch any potential issues early on. My main reason for doing this is that it allows me to give my Chams a truly diverse diet, superior to anything I could ever buy or breed. As the seasons change, so do the the types of insects available. Buy catching my own feeders year round Mother Nature actually varies my Chams diet for me. I recently discussed this with Petr Necas and he completely agrees that this is a safe and acceptable way to provide food for my Chams.

I have been breeding and feeding native insects consistantly for about 11 years now. This practice has been a positive to my herp keeping hobby. I have got two copyrighted care sheets for two species of Schistocerca.

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich
 
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