You All Lied to Me!

[crapwhereaminow]

Yes, that's right, certain people on this forum lied to me!

When I was first considering a chameleon I had one reservation, their food. I don't do well with insects. I'm not going to lie, the freak me out.

I had SEVERAL people on this forum reassure me I would quickly get over my fear of bugs after several months of dealing with them.

News Flash, I haven't!!!!
I dropped a hornworm today when it moved too quickly and screamed like a little girl! I get the heebie jeebies reaching into the silkworm cup. Butterworms terrify me. I have vivid nightmares about superworms. Crickets are completely out of the question. I can't even walk by the cricket containers at the petstore.

I have no fear of my chameleon or snakes biting me. But if one of the bugs were to bite me I don't think any amount of therapy could help me get over it.



I swear, if Gunther wasn't so darn cute I'd give up on this whole chameleon thing altogether.

So fess up!
Is anyone else completely terrified of their chameleon's food? Does anyone else use tweezers or feeding tongs for especially large hornworms and superworms? Does anyone else scream like a little girl when the silkworms look at you the wrong way?

Or am I the only pansy on this forum?

 

[ChaoticNightsReptile]

None of the bugs bother me, but after a year my roomy still can not get used to the feeder roaches. She still screams like the things are out to get her if one runs up her arm lol.

 

[Ionstorm]

For me its just the meal worms and super worms. I hate touching them and always use tongs when putting them in my reptile feeding cups.

 

[eppcheck]

Crickets and silkworms I can handle no problem. Surprisingly, hornworms originally didn't freak me out. As I began handling them more and more I actually obtained a "phobia" of them. Weird...usually you get use to them but not me. They're weird and I pretty much pick them up as fast as possible and toss them on a branch. Superworms freak me out because I just imagine them biting me and getting under my skin and then making their way slowly to my heart where they will begin cocooning and breeding.

what...?

i dunno they just seem like parasites to me lol

 

[crapwhereaminow]

None of the bugs bother me, but after a year my roomy still can not get used to the feeder roaches. She still screams like the things are out to get her if one runs up her arm lol.

. . . I think I'd just pass out if a roach crawled up my arm. No screaming or flailing, just dead faint.

For me its just the meal worms and super worms. I hate touching them and always use tongs when putting them in my reptile feeding cups.

I use the 18" long feeding tongs I feed my pythons with to handle superworms.

Crickets and silkworms I can handle no problem. Surprisingly, hornworms originally didn't freak me out. As I began handling them more and more I actually obtained a "phobia" of them. Weird...usually you get use to them but not me. They're weird and I pretty much pick them up as fast as possible and toss them on a branch. Superworms freak me out because I just imagine them biting me and getting under my skin and then making their way slowly to my heart where they will begin cocooning and breeding.

what...?

i dunno they just seem like parasites to me lol

I completely agree!!! The worst part is listening to them skitter around at night in their cups.

Thanks to everyone for making me feel less like a complete wuss.
Anyone else?

 

[pssh]

I don't like supers because they can pack a pretty decent bite AND they throw up on you. 2"+ hornworms are pretty intimidating (just look at theose jaws!) I'm not afraid of any of them though.

 

[zwhitman]

Have you thought about trying some of the canned insect products? If he is already trained to eat from tonqs he will probably take them just fine. Some people are hesitant about their nutritional value but I have always had good experiences with them. I have always supplemented with wild caught stuff in the summer though.

 

[warpdrive]

Crickets and silkworms I can handle no problem. Surprisingly, hornworms originally didn't freak me out. As I began handling them more and more I actually obtained a "phobia" of them. Weird...usually you get use to them but not me. They're weird and I pretty much pick them up as fast as possible and toss them on a branch. Superworms freak me out because I just imagine them biting me and getting under my skin and then making their way slowly to my heart where they will begin cocooning and breeding. l

Well they don't cocoon, but they do change into a beetle and slowly eat your brain every time you have sex. Hehe

Harry

 

[meganm85]

haha..i give you kudos for posting this thread!!! it took guts!!! lol....the only things i can touch is crickets and silkworms (the silkworms freaked me out at first...i was always afraid of smushing them)...my b/f handles the roaches and super worms...

 

[VeiledOwner87]

i dont like touching super worms so much, but im not afraid of them. although i dont think i could ever just stick my hand in a tank and grab a handful of anything like they do at the petstores lol. i used to be bugged out about crickets, but when your girlfriend is phobed of them, and you accidently drop a couple on her bed or floor, your going to have to fix the problem asap before she notices lol. ( she is phobed about crickets like you are any insect) its rather cute but my creep about crickets is gone. you're not alone, but the more you try and neglect the thought, you should be able to overcome at least one insect or two. i personally like handling wax worms, and for a bug, they make a nice little pet (untill fed) lol. just take a deep breath and destroy that fear! iiii personaly am scared to death of snakes (i just wont touch them), so i think it is a LITTLE weird you dont mind snake bites, but are terrified about a little bug nibble. ive never been bit by bugs! lol

 

[Elizadolots]

Superworms terrify me. I swear they rear up and roar as I pass them in the store. Thankfully, I've never had a hornworm in the house. I'm feeling pretty good about having little chameleons at the moment. Phoenix worms don't bother me overly until I flash on every episode of CSI I've ever seen and think "eeeew....maggots!"

I confess, I've made peace with the crickets. I make them food, I worry about their well being before I feed them to my actual pets.

 

[crapwhereaminow]

I don't like supers because they can pack a pretty decent bite AND they throw up on you. 2"+ hornworms are pretty intimidating (just look at theose jaws!) I'm not afraid of any of them though.

I DIDN'T KNOW THEY PUKE TOO! Oh man, they just went up in freakiness. I don't think I can handle them anymore, 18" tongs or not.

Have you thought about trying some of the canned insect products? If he is already trained to eat from tonqs he will probably take them just fine. Some people are hesitant about their nutritional value but I have always had good experiences with them. I have always supplemented with wild caught stuff in the summer though.

. . . I don't know how he'd react to that. He's kind of spoiled.

Well they don't cocoon, but they do change into a beetle and slowly eat your brain every time you have sex. Hehe

Harry

Between the puking and this comment I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep tonight.

 

[justjumpit621]

I hate superworms, I try to pinch them behind the head which usually does the trick but there are always the flailers who swing around and around I just drop em lol I HATE it! And crickets, ugg I HATE crickets! One they are just gross nasty leggy little things and two they are SOOO loud! I am terrified of supers and just hate crickets all together, but silkworms were fine when they weren't spinning a web on my fingers, same with butterworms. Strangely enough I just love dubia roaches I play with my colony all the time, you know, take em out and hold one in front of your guests Most of my house guests are guys and almost every one has screamed and jumped back when I get too close with a cute lil dubia. I don't understand men...

 

[FroggtheCham]

Ha Ha!!! This is great!! I was rather surprised at the size of the hornworms when I received the first order!!! I used sticks to remove them from the container. I don't feed roaches. Where I grew up, most appartments were infested. Can't do it. I do use phoenix worms. I don't feed meal or superworms. And yes, the supers do freak me out. Can't explain that either. Crickets are no problem. Good luck!!! Wait til u start breeding silks and crickets!!!! U may need a longer tongs!!!

 

[Rosie42892]

Have you thought about trying some of the canned insect products? If he is already trained to eat from tonqs he will probably take them just fine. Some people are hesitant about their nutritional value but I have always had good experiences with them. I have always supplemented with wild caught stuff in the summer though.

Be careful with wild caught! You never know what is on/in themthat could affect your cham!

But Yes, I cannot get myself to feed roaches or superworms. Creepy! The silkies are so darn cute though.

 

[LVmama]

Tweezers for supers, hormworms you can tweeze the horn, hissers in a spoon on their back, same with dubia. Even just putting them on a lid or small bowl works.

Silkies are the only thing I will put on my finger.

You can always just dump the feeders in a cup, squeal, and then put them in.

I still get squeamish and throw hornworms if they get to close to my finger, but I love my chams and watching them eat, I so work through it!

I had bug nightmares when I first started feeding, but now I have my own hisser colony and grow my own silkies. You come to terms with it.

Good luck, it will all make sense!!

 

[kinyonga]

Now after crapwhereaminow is hooked on chameleons its safe to tell the truth...because unlike "alcoholic's anonymous" there is no help group for chameleon addicts and the addiction is not curable! (evil grin)

 

[crapwhereaminow]

Now after crapwhereaminow is hooked on chameleons its safe to tell the truth...because unlike "alcoholic's anonymous" there is no help group for chameleon addicts and the addiction is not curable! (evil grin)

Noooooooo!!!! See, you all lied to me! And now I'm hooked.

I hope you can all live with yourselves.

Tweezers for supers, hormworms you can tweeze the horn, hissers in a spoon on their back, same with dubia. Even just putting them on a lid or small bowl works.

Silkies are the only thing I will put on my finger.

You can always just dump the feeders in a cup, squeal, and then put them in.

I still get squeamish and throw hornworms if they get to close to my finger, but I love my chams and watching them eat, I so work through it!

I had bug nightmares when I first started feeding, but now I have my own hisser colony and grow my own silkies. You come to terms with it.

Good luck, it will all make sense!!

These are all good ideas actually. I usually just throw the hornworms or put them on the lid of their cup. I've dropped hornworms millions of times when they get too close to me though.

 

[Ellron]

Firstly, roaches. EWWW!
Crickets dont gross me out tooo much. Let me share an experience with you. I was putting a cricket bowl in my chams cage. One of the crickets jumped out of the cup and on to my hand. I tried to stay calm, slowly moving my hand up and down to shake it off. I then quickly realised I had another hand full, exchanged the cup into the free hand and shook as violently as possible. I suffered minor injuries.
I haven't had any experience with supers yet, now that I know they bite, I don't think I will ever. I like hornworms, I had good terms with them when I was a kid. We used to grow tomato plants, and those things love tomato leaves. I would find 'em and rescue them from death by my dad and keep them in a little bowl. I would feed them until they were full grown and could fight for them selves. Then I relocated them.
Question about hornworms as I willl be ordering some soon. Do you leave the horn on when you feed? It seems dangerous...

 

[sandrachameleon]

Gosh what a lot of wussies (just kidding)

While I personally LIKE bugs of all description, my partner has bug-phobias and yes, he too has been known to scream like a little child. Ive even seen him up standing on the sofa not sure if its a big spider or a killer cricket that just ran underneath. Those few desperate times when he has had to feed my lizards and frogs are quite an ordeal. He puts on gloves, protective glasses, long sleeved shirts, boots, uses long handled spoons and tongs, and prepares with several glasses of scotch before hand.

The good news is that he CAN do it - now after nearly ten years. Whereas "in the beginning" he wouldnt even go into the "bug room" much less attempt to purposefully open a roach bucket. And he is now able to "pet" a large silkworm that I held on my hand. We are still working on his being able to actually hold a silkworm with his bare hands himself without making faces and squirming. But there is hope.

So, crapwhereaminow, hang in there. Maybe in a decade or so you'll be better with the bugs.