Safe to feed geckos as food for panther chameleons?

[LanceLee]

I just caught this running along my balcony and wondering if i should feed it to my adult panther ambilobe chameleon?

pls see attached image.

i think it's a gecko, but i'm not sure...

 

[Extensionofgreen]

No, no, no! A) reptile populations worldwide are under enough pressure and B) there is a strong likelihood of parasites.

 

[Goose502]

Looks like a house gecko. I wouldn't feed it only because it might carry parasites. I'm sure in the wild a chameleon would eat it though. And as far as I know, there is no shortage of house geckos, they are very prolific and have adapted very well to city life.

 

[Extensionofgreen]

House geckos are invasive and introduced, but there are native geckos that are very tiny and look like this. I'm not a gecko expert, so it very well could be a common house gecko. House geckos eat anything, including roaches, crickets, and the like, which are likely being poisoned with pesticides, which accumulate in the gecko and get passed to the chameleon. They also are likely to carry parasites.

 

[OldChamKeeper]

I try to avoid feeding the wild lizards to my Parson, but I know when he sees a fence lizard he makes a beeline for it. In a case like that I can't control things, but I do make sure he gets a routine deworming twice a year so I'm covered.

Now as for lizards for food, raising geckos in captivity is not hard but unlike a Parson I would think a smaller Panthers isn't as in need of the meaty meal.

 

[LanceLee]

gotcha... the gecko is set free... i was wondering if he makes a good pet too. he's kinda cute...