whysoez420
New Member
which are safe and how can you tell?
also is there a risk of them having some sort of parasite?
also is there a risk of them having some sort of parasite?
wild feeders
- Thread starter whysoez420
- Start date
Be very careful using wc feeders!!! You need to do ALOT of research before using them. Sandracham has some info on her page about it, check it out but I would not advise it without doing your due diligence first. Yes parasites are a problem,pesticides can be a problem as well as some like isopods store heavy metals in there tissue so I don't recommend using them. That is just IMHO but Sandra does it well however she has done a ton of research first. It can be done safely but BE CAREFUL .
whysoez420
New Member
thanks, i will definitely refrain from doing that.
Solid Snake
Avid Member
Most moths and grasshoppers/katydids are going to be ok. Provided they are collected from a pesticide free area.
Anything brightly colored (not green/brown) should raise a flag.
I would recommend IDing any wild feeder before you feed it, and finding out everything you can about it.
Posting a picture on the forum should yield a decent amount of information. You can pretty much bet that if its feedable, people are/have used it as a feeder.
The benefits of feeding wild feeders is great.
They are free
and have a variety of gut contents that your chameleon would not normally not receive.
So its worth it if you are careful, and get regular fecals done to check for any unwanted parasites.
Anything brightly colored (not green/brown) should raise a flag.
I would recommend IDing any wild feeder before you feed it, and finding out everything you can about it.
Posting a picture on the forum should yield a decent amount of information. You can pretty much bet that if its feedable, people are/have used it as a feeder.
The benefits of feeding wild feeders is great.
They are free
and have a variety of gut contents that your chameleon would not normally not receive.So its worth it if you are careful, and get regular fecals done to check for any unwanted parasites.
Let me share the other side of the coin...If it flies, hops, and/or crawls normally, I do not worry about pesticides. I do not get feeders as grasshoppers or butterflies in "pesticide-free" natural parks, I get them by a warehouse, along a freeway. I get moths in my night light trap in my backyard, in a city of 80,000...
I think it is silly to not use wild-caught insects when possible. Some exceptions for me are ground dwelling Isopods (potato bugs) and grubs found in my yard, as I do want to avoid feeders that may contain metals (as the Isopods), and I do fertilize with (gasp) non-organic fertilizers. Stink bugs, and prickly bugs, (like some stick insects), I also avoid.
As far as parasites, unless you are doing slugs or snails, I don't think there is significant chance of a chameleon getting a parasite load from wild-caught insects any more than our crickets, dubias, and super worms...
My butterfly nets are poised at the front and back of my house, and May-September, variety is at it's highest. Butterflies, moths, grasshoppers, katydids, and May Flies, are being served at my Chameleon Feast.
CHEERS!!!!
I think it is silly to not use wild-caught insects when possible. Some exceptions for me are ground dwelling Isopods (potato bugs) and grubs found in my yard, as I do want to avoid feeders that may contain metals (as the Isopods), and I do fertilize with (gasp) non-organic fertilizers. Stink bugs, and prickly bugs, (like some stick insects), I also avoid.
As far as parasites, unless you are doing slugs or snails, I don't think there is significant chance of a chameleon getting a parasite load from wild-caught insects any more than our crickets, dubias, and super worms...
My butterfly nets are poised at the front and back of my house, and May-September, variety is at it's highest. Butterflies, moths, grasshoppers, katydids, and May Flies, are being served at my Chameleon Feast.
CHEERS!!!!
Olimpia
Biologist & Ecologist
Chameleons can get parasites from CB, farm-raised crickets, so yea, they can definitely get them from the wild.
I do use them however, but mine come from a safe area. I know my immediate area gets sprayed for everything, from mosquitos to fire ants, so I consider anything in this area to be toxic. Just because it's up and about when I catch it doesn't mean that it isn't in the middle of digesting some poison that I won't see the effects of until later. So as far as pesticides go, I am cautious.
Just use your best judgement, invest in a local bug ecyclopedia book, and run fecals on your chameleons throughout the year anyway. It's good practice to get them checked anyway, so you can nip anything in the butt. Like I said, your farm-raise crickets can give your animals parasites so it's good to check them regularly, anyway.
I do use them however, but mine come from a safe area. I know my immediate area gets sprayed for everything, from mosquitos to fire ants, so I consider anything in this area to be toxic. Just because it's up and about when I catch it doesn't mean that it isn't in the middle of digesting some poison that I won't see the effects of until later. So as far as pesticides go, I am cautious.
Just use your best judgement, invest in a local bug ecyclopedia book, and run fecals on your chameleons throughout the year anyway. It's good practice to get them checked anyway, so you can nip anything in the butt. Like I said, your farm-raise crickets can give your animals parasites so it's good to check them regularly, anyway.
Todnedo
Avid Member
Most moths and grasshoppers/katydids are going to be ok. Provided they are collected from a pesticide free area.
Anything brightly colored (not green/brown) should raise a flag.
I would recommend IDing any wild feeder before you feed it, and finding out everything you can about it.
Posting a picture on the forum should yield a decent amount of information. You can pretty much bet that if its feedable, people are/have used it as a feeder.
The benefits of feeding wild feeders is great.
They are free
So its worth it if you are careful, and get regular fecals done to check for any unwanted parasites.
In my area there is a black beetle with brown legs that are distasteful/poisonous. I haven't ID'ed them yet so I just call them "Gage Beetles" because as soon as a cham bites down on one they gag and spit it out....LOL
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