Yes there are health risks.
Pictures of chameleons eating pinkies or anoles are present on the internet and youtube. But so are countless videos of people hitting themselves in the nuts, so consider the source. People may think that a chameleon knows best for itself and will only eat what is good for it so since they eat vertebrates it must be okay. Just ask yourself how many times you've heard of dogs eating things they really shouldn't have...and those are mammals, which are of higher intelligence than reptiles. Vertebrates are not a notable part of chameleon's regular diet in the wild and too many animal proteins in the diet of an animal that's not a carnivore can wreak havoc on their kidneys leading to kidney damage and gout. Gout is a very painful incurable buildup of uric acid crystals in the joints. Pinkies are very high in fat and very low in calcium (they don’t have bones yet) so they have little to no health benefits. Everything your chameleon needs can be obtained through an all-insect diet with good gutloading and many very successful enthusiasts and breeders have sustained multiple generations with an all-insect diet.
Larger chameleon species (oustalets, parsons) have been seen eating the occasional small bird or lizard in the wild, but to do so regularly puts your animal's health at risk. If you would like to do this (which I will not) do so no more than once or twice a year.
Pictures of chameleons eating pinkies or anoles are present on the internet and youtube. But so are countless videos of people hitting themselves in the nuts, so consider the source. People may think that a chameleon knows best for itself and will only eat what is good for it so since they eat vertebrates it must be okay. Just ask yourself how many times you've heard of dogs eating things they really shouldn't have...and those are mammals, which are of higher intelligence than reptiles. Vertebrates are not a notable part of chameleon's regular diet in the wild and too many animal proteins in the diet of an animal that's not a carnivore can wreak havoc on their kidneys leading to kidney damage and gout. Gout is a very painful incurable buildup of uric acid crystals in the joints. Pinkies are very high in fat and very low in calcium (they don’t have bones yet) so they have little to no health benefits. Everything your chameleon needs can be obtained through an all-insect diet with good gutloading and many very successful enthusiasts and breeders have sustained multiple generations with an all-insect diet.
Larger chameleon species (oustalets, parsons) have been seen eating the occasional small bird or lizard in the wild, but to do so regularly puts your animal's health at risk. If you would like to do this (which I will not) do so no more than once or twice a year.
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