Superworms question

[javsto]

I just picked up about 2 dozen superworms last night to try out and I put a couple in my chams cage this morning and he immediatly took one within the first minute and then the second a few minutes later. Im assuming he likes them and so I was wondering how often should I feed them? Can I use them as a regular staple feeder meaning 6-12 a day or just as a snack with his other food, 1 or 2 supers along with his crix, dubias. waxworms and hornworms?

 

[Symbiot]

If fed too many superworms they can be hard on a chameleons digestive system. You are better off giving them to your cham occasionally rather than in excess. I give my cham 2 supers a day along with his dubias and crickets as staples and he does great with that. 6-12 superworms a day would be far too many in my opinion to give your cham.

 

[jdog1027]

Most people on here will tell you only offer them as a treat. They do have a high fat content and there is the concern over impaction due to their exoskeleton. I have personally never had a problem with impaction and I use them quite regularly. Chameleons can and do eat beetles in the wild and superworms seem to be no different, if anything, their shell is not as hard as a beetles. Bert Langerwerf used superworms as a staple and he got this little award during his lifetime,.. it was called 'The World Class Breeder Award'. I had a brood of Jacksons chameleons born in the dead of winter unexpected, and I had a problem getting crickets breeding because of the temperatures in my laundry room. I had a few boxes of worms inside breeding and I raised these chameleons exclusively on worms for the first 3 months of their lives and they are all alive and well today.

 

[Olimpia]

I've used them as staple feeders for periods of time if I was out of everything else. I'd give them maybe 4-6 a day depending on how old the chameleon was and how much they needed to eat. I always keep at least 4 species of feeders in the house so superworms are fed out maybe 1-2 days out of the week or less. But they're great to have because they live forever as long as you feed them properly, so they make a great back-up feeder or treat feeder.

As far as impaction, I agree that I don't think the risk is that great. All chameleons need some chitton in their diet to aid with digestion, it's sort of like our fiber. Too much of anything will make you sick, but in moderation I see no problem.

 

[javsto]

I forgot to ask but what can i feed them to keep them alive longer? Can I use the fluckers high calcium that I feed my crix or the left over hornworm food? is there a superworm meal specific for them?

 

[jdog1027]

I forgot to ask but what can i feed them to keep them alive longer? Can I use the fluckers high calcium that I feed my crix or the left over hornworm food? is there a superworm meal specific for them?

I'm not really familiar with either of those-maybe someone who is will chime in. All I can say is I wouldn't use a bedding of oats or oatmeal. I did this in the past and learned that it contains too much phosphorus. I now use a bedding of wheat bran and spirulina mixed at a ratio of 80/20%. The spirulina is not a requirement, I just add it as an extra for added protein. In addition, always keep a few pieces of either apple, carrot or orange for moisture. You can order wheat bran in bulk online or you can find it at grocery or health food stores, but it usually is in a very small quantity for a very large price when bought there. It's best to just order in a large bulk quantity.

 

[bigben2057]

I really don't see a prob with them I've fed my leopard gecko of 6 years on them the whole time and he is fine. I know chameleons are diffrent but not that much.

 

[javsto]

BTW let me say that my cham is a male veiled approx 6 months old.

 

[fluxlizard]

You can feed them the same dry stuff you feed crickets or roaches- you just have to avoid too much moisture- you need a little, but too much and you will invite dust mites into your worm bin.

 

[jdog1027]

You can feed them the same dry stuff you feed crickets or roaches- you just have to avoid too much moisture- you need a little, but too much and you will invite dust mites into your worm bin.

I love your blog. Very well done, and I'm sorry, but your yard does look like a scaled down version of Bert's ranch. But keep in mind, that is a good thing!

 

[sandrachameleon]

I just picked up about 2 dozen superworms last night to try out and I put a couple in my chams cage this morning and he immediatly took one within the first minute and then the second a few minutes later. Im assuming he likes them and so I was wondering how often should I feed them? Can I use them as a regular staple feeder meaning 6-12 a day or just as a snack with his other food, 1 or 2 supers along with his crix, dubias. waxworms and hornworms?

I suggest supers make up less than 20% of the total diet.

I forgot to ask but what can i feed them to keep them alive longer? Can I use the fluckers high calcium that I feed my crix or the left over hornworm food? is there a superworm meal specific for them?

see here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/443-superworm-substrate-gutload-one.html