Superworms vs. Silkworms vs. Red Runners (adding another feeder)

artgecko

Member
hello all,

I am planning on purchasing my first chameleon within the next 3 months and would like your opinions on which additional feeder would be the best for chams and easiest to "keep" (either breed or keep long-term). I currently have a dubia colony, but know that additional food sources are beneficial.

I would like to work with another feeder that I can either raise or order (at reasonable cost) then easily keep for a long period of time before re-ordering. I'd like something nutritionally sound, easy to care for, and with little / no chance of escape if properly setup. I understand that superworms are probably the least healthy on this list, but have included them due to reading that many people feed them to chams as part of their regular diet and I know some people that raise them successfully.

I would greatly appreciate your thoughts regarding the palatability, ease of keeping, and escape potential of any of the feeders I mentioned.... Cost of care / keeping thoughts would be great as well. I currently spend quite a bit on organic veggies for my dubia... so that is a given, but if any of these require very expensive specific chow, that might make me bump them from consideration.

Thank you for your time and help!
 
Silkworms need either chow or purely mulberry leaves. They also are probably the highest maintenance feeder on your list depending on how you set up the others. Roaches like red runners will be the lowest maintenance but they will be the most likely to escape and the most likely one to survive and breed when they escape. Silkworms will not survive if they escape or if they are at the point where they can cocoon and become a moth, they can't fly as moths and they can't breed or lay fertile eggs. Superworms are not good escape artists unless the person is just being stupid about it. (I have been one of those stupid people before). But the most they do is turn into beetles and then die. (unless you have multiples escape at once)... but honestly all the things you listed can happen with any insect. Whether it's escape, care time, cost of care etc. Keeping insects isn't something that corners are cut on. Depending on what you do with it however, you can save a huge amount of money with the amount of feeders you buy if you raise them... but that honestly depends on the amount of different feeders you raise. I raise six different feeders and soon to be 9+ chameleons get bored very easily.
 
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