Wild caught insects do or dont???

[Thezillaman21]

does anyone know if wildcaught insects are a do or dont?
are ants, grasshoppers, locus, pillbugs, sowbugs, and earthworms?
also does anyone know if a pygmy cham could eat a full grown sea monkey?
also i wont be getting these bugs from any harmful fields where chemicals have bn sprayed.

 

[carol5208]

If you know they are pesticde free then you have to worry about them being poisonous. I know there are certain grasshoppers that are. Lady bugs are as well as lightning bugs. That would be the only other worry I can think of. What the heck are sea monkeys!?

 

[phase]

they can eat alot of WC insects.. make shure they arent poisonous or havnt been near pesticides. flies,moths,butterfles,grasshoppers,spiders,etc can be fed. just try not to keep them on these diets as a staple diet as they are not verry nutritious.. never heard of sea monkeys??????

 

[carol5208]

those things that you grow in the water? Ok like a little shrimp? I cannot imagine a chameleon having access to food like that in the wild! We are trying to replicate their natural diet as much as possible and that is why we feed mostly insects I would think.

 

[albacheck]

grasshoppers, locus, pillbugs, sowbugs -> do

ants and some earthworms produce special secrets, making them unenjoyable, so I would avoid these.
As a rule of thumb avoid anything that's poisonous, or feeds on anything poisonous (as leafhoppers, certain butterflys) or stings (bees, wasps, even thought most chams don't have a problem eating them, I still consider it risky).

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Feed only bugs that YOU can identify. Thats the main concern with feeding wc bugs. Pesticides kill insects quickly if you keep all your bugs you catch overnight you should have no worries as far as pesticides go. I only feed grasshoppers, moths, katydids, mantis, & dragonflies because those are all safe species that im comfortable identifying. Gut load the hoppers & katydids with romaine or greens overnight then feed them off the next morning. Wc bugs esp any green ones are relished by chams. Ive had picky eatters go bannanas for wc green hoppers. I feel your denying your chameleon a truly varied diet if you dont provide a few here and there. Jmpo....

 

[carol5208]

Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't there a discussion on here (I think it was Jann B's thread) on grasshoppers that were poisonous? I know that all are not but just pointing out that all are not safe either.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't there a discussion on here (I think it was Jann B's thread) on grasshoppers that were poisonous? I know that all are not but just pointing out that all are not safe either.

The only hoppers that are poisonous are lubbers. Ive had other keepers tell me they feed lubbers but that they cleanse their systems first and gut load for a week or so prior to feeding them. The hoppers themselves arent poisonous its the plants they feed on.

Im not getting into a debate on wc vs captive bugs. I believe what i believe and Ive had great results feeding them off. I will tell anyone dont do it unless you know what your feeding them. At the same time I Know that they provide addtl nutrients and variety that captive bugs cant replicate....

 

[suzi]

Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't there a discussion on here (I think it was Jann B's thread) on grasshoppers that were poisonous? I know that all are not but just pointing out that all are not safe either.

Your right Carol, the really colorful grasshoppers are a no go. As far as pill bugs, they contain certain metals or something that isn't good for chameleon, the wild caught only, if you breed them you can feed off the next generation, my chameleons love them

 

[carol5208]

Texas, I am with you on this!!! Just was wondering about the grasshoppers. Thanks for the info! I feed some wild caught stuff too here and there when I can catch it!!!

 

[suzi]

The only hoppers that are poisonous are lubbers. Ive had other keepers tell me they feed lubbers but that they cleanse their systems first and gut load for a week or so prior to feeding them. The hoppers themselves arent poisonous its the plants they feed on.

Im not getting into a debate on wc vs captive bugs. I believe what i believe and Ive had great results feeding them off. I will tell anyone dont do it unless you know what your feeding them. At the same time I Know that they provide addtl nutrients and variety that captive bugs cant replicate....

I totally agree

 

[Heimdallr]

Get a good insect guide and learn to recognize the different families of insects where you live. Then research them to learn of their potential toxicity. Good luck trying to identify every insect by its species but by its family should be good enough. I'm from PA too and a few insects exist that one must avoid or be cautious of, as the case my be.

Fireflies/lightening bugs (deadly)
Tiger moths (deadly)
Stink bugs (taste bad)
Lady bugs (taste bad)
Beetles (lots of chitin, powerful bite in some species, some taste bad)
Dobson Flies (the female can really bite hard, males are harmless, both have hard bodies and would be difficult to digest)
House, Bottle, and Flesh flies (wild flies carry many parasites and diseases)
Bees and Wasps (bites, stings)
Ants (bites, stings)
Some grasshoppers are toxic and will eat your plants.
non-insects;
Snails (heavy parasites in wc)
Slugs (heavy parasites in wc)
Earth Worms (heavy parasites in wc)
Spiders (2 species in PA are very venomous and another is mildly venomous, even the others, while not dangerous to us are still slightly venomous and can bite, why risk it?)

Moths and green lacewings are both very easy to catch around lights at night and are loved by my chameleon. Mayflies, stoneflies, and our local leaf hoppers are safe as well. Smaller beetles, with drab colors, that don't bite or produce an odor as well as roaches(avoid American, German, and Oriental roaches) will also work.

 

[EmilioPichardo]

Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't there a discussion on here (I think it was Jann B's thread) on grasshoppers that were poisonous? I know that all are not but just pointing out that all are not safe either.

i was the one who posted some pics of grasshopers 1- black with yellow stripes 2-full yellow/orange body and some1 posted an old thread here got them


this 1 is mine https://www.chameleonforums.com/grasshopper-question-plz-check-61471/

and this is jann's thread https://www.chameleonforums.com/grasshopper-safe-feed-my-cham-60063/

 

[sdheli420]

i just had to LOL @ the thought of sea monkeys for chameleons..i dont even think the b.minima could see them to eat them..LOL

 

[Thezillaman21]

thanks everyone

yeah sea monkeys are like tiny shrimp they stimulate growth in fish and frogs so i didnt know if they were ok for chams.
i read that anything that could have eaten tomato is a no go because tomato is poison to chams. i have alot of wild crickets in a trap i made in my yard which i filled with a homeade gutload. im also raising mealworms but idk if its ganna work i got the beetles but i dont c eggs so im guessing thiers non or they are small? are flightless fruit flies easy to keep and culture?
idk what thier called but thiers these bugs in my yard they r like the size of ants but they r green and they get all over me when i cut the grass anyone know what they r or if they are any good cuz i can get thousands in a few seconds if i wanted too.

 

[Thezillaman21]

sea monkeys

the babies yes are just dots but online said they can get almost 1/4" long

 

[Thezillaman21]

are leafhoppers the ones that are tiny green and shaped like triangles with rounded sides?

 

[Texas Panther Man]

What exactly are you attempting to feed? An adult or even a juvie wont bother with small bugs like ff's or gnats. They arent enuff of a meal for them to even mess with. If your feeding a baby cham from 1 wk to say 3 mos old. Then the normal feeders are as follows: pin head crix, mini supers or meals, calci worms, small silks, sm horns, mantis nymphs, ff's.

If you dont know what something you catch is. The rule is throw it back dont chance feeding something toxic when its completely preventable.

Oh & Carol I hope I didnt come across the wrong way towards your question I just re read my reply. Was in a hurry typing that earlier...

 

[Lizardlover]

I just skimmed this thread so forgive me if something has already been covered.

Pill bugs should never be fed off when wild caught because they are heavy metal bio-accumulators and can kill your chameleon, secondly, wild caught insects make GREAT staples, and are full of nutrients because they have stuffed their guts with wild food that we can't provide in captivity, as long as you collect from a safe source they are great. I always try to incorporate wild insects into my chameleons' diets as much as possible.

 

[Thezillaman21]

oh i dont have a chameleon yet. i bn trying to raise crickets to make sure i could before i get mine so far everytime the eggs hatch and i get pinheads they die because the food gets moldy. and i was ganna get a rudis,pygmy leaf, or flapneck cham. still trying to figure out what i want but no one is selling rudis. and flapneck is bigger than what i planned on for my starter cham. so im leaning towards the pygmy cham.