worms

[lrg83caleb]

What are your thoughts on:
Phoenix worms
horn worms
butter worms
I am wondering about quality, price and how essential are they to the chameleons diet? Where I live, the only food available at local pet shops are roaches, crickets and wax worms.

 

[kenya]

Phoenix worms make a good treat, but the claims made about their calcium content are only true for small worms. If you let them grow to be larger, the ratio evens out and the calcium isn't so high. They are an expensive feeder, but good as a variety adding treat. Make sure you puncture their skin before feeding them off because they will go through a cham's system undigested (their cuticle is very tough- they are actually little maggots, afterall)

Hornworms are a bit pricey but are amazing for boosting a cham's hydration. They have a lot of liquid in them and some chams go crazy for them. They are a great treat and I feel like you can use them a bit more often than other treat feeders. I would say 3 a week is about maximum, and that shouldn't be continual. I will buy a pod and feed off the worms once they are large and then wait several months before getting them again. They are a bit fatty, but less so than waxworms. They get very large, very quickly and can have a nasty bite.

Butterworms, I don't know a whole lot about and have never used. They are Peruvian and are irradiated when shipped to the states so that they can't metamorph into moths. They are a potential pest to crops so that has to be done. They are fairly expensive and hard to find without ordering online but make a great treat. They are rather fatty, so one good sized one per week per healthy cham is preferred. I assume you would treat them as you would treat waxworms.

 

[lrg83caleb]

With the local selection, crickets, roaches and wax worms, do I have a good base?

 

[kenya]

Yes, that is a good base. I would suggest keeping a few hundred crickets at once if you can manage it and also starting your own roach colony. Those both make great staple feeders. Waxworms are really fatty and are full of empty calories and make a good treat, but only feed off about one a week. I would suggest asking the store if they can bring in superworms for you as well; if not, they are easily available online. If your cham is a veiled, don't forget fruits and veggies. I have heard even some panthers will eat certain veggies.

If you want to go all out, silkworms make a fantastic staple or treat. You would want to order them and hornworms at the same time to save shipping.

 

[lrg83caleb]

Is there a west coast supplier for silk/horn/butter etc. worms? Maybe even one in the Northwest?

 

[kenya]

coastalsilkworms.com and mulberryfarms.com

I am in Portland and have ordered bugs from Georgia Bugs and they came fine so I wouldn't worry too much about shipping them.

Pam at Pam's Chams in Washington also has silkworms available at times. It might be worth calling her if you want to buy a large amount.

 

[kenya]

Oh junk, you are so close. You can order superworms from sunshinemealworms.com They are great and very close by. They attend all the shows and you could get a bag from them there for $18 per 1,000

I am working on breeding supers as well and I have three roach species. Let me know if I can help you out.

 

[lrg83caleb]

I only plan on having one Cham so I dont need a huge stock pile. Are superworms a staple in your chams diet?

 

[kenya]

Sort of. I feed of supers less than crix and roaches, but more than anything else. They are right between staple and treat. I am somewhat sparing on them and I know that some members here have chams that refuse to eat anything BUT superworms. I use them as a lesser staple, I guess.

 

[lrg83caleb]

just checked sunshine and they arent taking new customers. Might have to check elsewhere. Only a week and a half before we get our little guy! Jessica over at chameleon caretakers is going to shoot me over some new pics tomorrow... can't wait!

 

[kenya]

If you are coming up to Portland/Lake Oswego to get your cham, stop by House of Reptiles in Tigard and pick up some roaches or supers. You can even look me up and come get some alternatives if you want. I will send you a PM.