When to feed HORNWORMS?

[ZEROPILOT]

I have 3 Veiled Chameleons (in 3 cages) all eating large crickets and some Superworms.
Two of them are 6 months old. One is more like 9 months old. Although sturdy and large and are good eaters, they are not adults.
How old/ large should they be before I offer Hornworms?
Also, how would I offer them?
Can I just let them climb the branches or place them in a bowl?
I ask because ALL THREE of them are "tweezer shy".
They run away as soon as I get near the cages and they stay hidden until they're sure that I've left.
They ain't havin' any tweezers.

 

[snitz427]

I free range anything I can, especially hornworms and silkworms. They hold the branch and move around well!

They can take em, just feed them before they get too large. I order from Rainbowmealworms and request all small worms. Then i keep them in my basement to slow their growth. When they get thicker than say, a pencil, im more careful about feeding them. When they get too big I throw them in a container with moist soil and let them pupate and get moths.

 

[JuniorC]

I free range anything I can, especially hornworms and silkworms. They hold the branch and move around well!

They can take em, just feed them before they get too large. I order from Rainbowmealworms and request all small worms. Then i keep them in my basement to slow their growth. When they get thicker than say, a pencil, im more careful about feeding them. When they get too big I throw them in a container with moist soil and let them pupate and get moths.

Around how cold can you keep the temperature to make the hornworms grow as slow as possible and give or take at what rate do they grow? Slow enough to make like 12 last a few about 3 weeks or do they still grow fast

 

[Gingero]

I second everything snitz427 said. Your guys are big enough to take on hornworms. I'll put mine in a feeder cup so I can keep track of when and how many are eaten.

Around how cold can you keep the temperature to make the hornworms grow as slow as possible and give or take at what rate do they grow? Slow enough to make like 12 last a few about 3 weeks or do they still grow fast

I'll alternate between keeping the worms in my fridge one day and at room temp the next day. If I keep them in the fridge longer than a day, they start to die. Hornworms grow SUPER fast. I don't think you could get hornworms to last 3 weeks before they get GIGANTIC. I'd say if you bought them teeny tiny, they could probably last 1-1.5 weeks. They grow so fast it's crazy. But like snitz247 said, you can put them in some dirt and they will hatch into hawk moths after a couple of weeks and your cham can eat those.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Hornworms are a big hit!
All 3 Chameleons acted like they already knew exactly what they were!
I'll be getting more.

 

[Thatwizard420]

I use to feed my juvenile huge hornworms... I think he choked... he kept moving his head wildly

 

[snitz427]

I use to feed my juvenile huge hornworms... I think he choked... he kept moving his head wildly

Don’t feed any insect that is huge.

 

[Thatwizard420]

Don’t feed any insect that is huge.

Tbh, if it’s not huge he doesn’t go for it....
He was on a cricket diet cuz he wouldn’t touch Dubias... I started offering oversized food and he loved it... He only eats extra large everything now. Huge Dubias.... Huge hornworms.. That being said I do monitor him when I feed him.....
He doesn’t choke anymore and he refuses to eat anything smaller than his head.