staples

[batmancumming]

i know alot of people consider crickets and dubia roaches the best staple diets, but does anyone see anything wrong with silkworms as a staple? my cham will eat crickets, but he's not big on them and i don't really like the idea of breeding roaches in the home haha

 

[lecham]

i know alot of people consider crickets and dubia roaches the best staple diets, but does anyone see anything wrong with silkworms as a staple? My cham will eat crickets, but he's not big on them and i don't really like the idea of breeding roaches in the home haha

hmmm have u tried meal worms or super worms??

 

[OrangeCrush]

I wud stay away from using meal/super worms as a staple. Super worms if not digested right can chew through the stomach and meal worm have too hard of an outer shell to feed as a staple it is hard to digest. Crickets r a good staple and easy to digest. I have heard that silks r a good food source but having a few feeders is best. Each feeder offer different vitamins and minerals for ur Cham. That's is the best diet for a Cham is having a few different types. Have u tried wax worms? My Cham loves them and they r a good source of protien as well. Also u can try horn worms, I am currently in the process of tring to breed wax worms. The process is rather simple but I have never dine it before,
. But from what I have read u just set up an enclosure and a food bedding and let them alone for a few weeks. The bedding is just bran and some honey and glycerin. U r supposed to get hundreds of worms at a time and u canaries the in the frig so they slow their mature rate. U should consider trying wax worms as a feeder they r working out well for me.

 

[sandrachameleon]

i know alot of people consider crickets and dubia roaches the best staple diets, but does anyone see anything wrong with silkworms as a staple? my cham will eat crickets, but he's not big on them and i don't really like the idea of breeding roaches in the home haha

IMHO no one feeder should form more than 20% of a chameleons diet. Variety is important. But that said, silkworms are a good choice as they can be well gutloaded on mulberry, dandelion etc. You must still have some crickets or superworms (up to 10%) or mealworms (up to 10%) in the diet, to balance out the soft bodied feeders. THink of the chinton in crickets and supers like fibre for diegestion - needs some, but not too much. Other choices include butterworms, grasshoppers, terrestrial isopods, stick bugs, ....

 

[Creature13]

My staple is well loaded crickets and BSF larvae. I only offer the others as treats.

 

[batmancumming]

thanks for responding all! i always have crickets, mealworms and superworms on hand, but my cham loooves his silkies and butterworms more than anything. i figured since butterworms have a higher fat content, i would give those more sparingly than the silkies. ive tried hornworms too and he likes them but they get way too big too fast to make it worth ordering a large amount. he also likes the mealworms but i don't give him many because they aren't really good for him. Sandra, variety makes perfect sense to me, i wouldnt be happy eating the same stuff all the time and i certainly don't expect my cham to either