Small reptiles as feeders?
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Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
Negatives could be an accumulation of parasites the geckos had picked up from THEIR feeders (as opposed to feeding the feeders themselves).
Chams probably do pick up an occasional vertebrate in the wild (though not cresties!) so it's possible, but I'm not sure I would. I get too attached to my herps. Nutritional value would depend on how the cresties were raised. Probably a pretty big meal for a cham unless they were tiny.
KarmaChameleon1337
Avid Member
Other lizards as feeders have too much protein and they're not meant to digest bones that easily. They pick them up in the wild, but there really isn't any benefits. If a show is all you want pick up some treats such as some nice big, juicy worms.
Zen Reptiles
Avid Member
I have fed lizards to other lizards (short-term) without any problems in the past. Currently I do not due to space requirements involved with breeding feeder lizards. These are some of my opinions on the (controversial) issue.
You can breed your own mourning geckos or anoles. Mournings are parthenogenetic which means they clone themselves = easier.
Make sure the first generation is treated and parasite free, and you are feeding them clean bugs. I would say lizards are a once a month treat, and would be much more beneficial than alternatives like pinkies or even waxworms.
Benefits would be: the gut flora/fauna (probiotic bacteria.....a lot of predators only get these enzymes and bacteria by eating the guts of other animals....lions, wolves, etc).
Eyes contain vitamin A (what form, I can't remember).
Scales contain beta karatin, which in bugs is only found in spider silk. This is what scales and horns are made of.
To answer your question....
Cresties are too cute for me to recommend, but I do realize they are in excess now and everyone breeds them, so there is overstock and if you have some to feed off then there are some things to consider.
Cresties in particular would be easy to gutload with an excellent fruit mix.
Feeding any animal protein (pinky or lizard alike) to your chameleon on a frequent basis will cause some issues, including kidney problems.
For a female, that kind of meal more than twice a month would certainly cause weight issues and egg production increase which could be lethal.
An active male could maybe have two a month. The rest of the diet should be insects.
Also.....you have to be careful not to pass parasites and bad bacterias...cresties have different digestive systems (being mostly fructivorous) and would be better equipped to handle different bacteria and parasites that would otherwise kill a chameleon.
Personally, when I have more room, it will be mourning geckos only, and only once every 2 months strategically...if that.
You can breed your own mourning geckos or anoles. Mournings are parthenogenetic which means they clone themselves = easier.
Make sure the first generation is treated and parasite free, and you are feeding them clean bugs. I would say lizards are a once a month treat, and would be much more beneficial than alternatives like pinkies or even waxworms.
Benefits would be: the gut flora/fauna (probiotic bacteria.....a lot of predators only get these enzymes and bacteria by eating the guts of other animals....lions, wolves, etc).
Eyes contain vitamin A (what form, I can't remember).
Scales contain beta karatin, which in bugs is only found in spider silk. This is what scales and horns are made of.
To answer your question....
Cresties are too cute for me to recommend, but I do realize they are in excess now and everyone breeds them, so there is overstock and if you have some to feed off then there are some things to consider.
Cresties in particular would be easy to gutload with an excellent fruit mix.
Feeding any animal protein (pinky or lizard alike) to your chameleon on a frequent basis will cause some issues, including kidney problems.
For a female, that kind of meal more than twice a month would certainly cause weight issues and egg production increase which could be lethal.
An active male could maybe have two a month. The rest of the diet should be insects.
Also.....you have to be careful not to pass parasites and bad bacterias...cresties have different digestive systems (being mostly fructivorous) and would be better equipped to handle different bacteria and parasites that would otherwise kill a chameleon.
Personally, when I have more room, it will be mourning geckos only, and only once every 2 months strategically...if that.
SageTheVeiled
New Member
You're nuts. Cresteds are eeeeeeexpensive!
Solid Snake
Avid Member
An abundance of animal protien in an animal not equiped to handle animal protien(chameleons) can cause gout.
