Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ive been told earthworms are ok to feed your chams so i fed one to my male jax...he liked it alot..was wondering if they have a high nutritional value or are they like wax worms?

They probably have less fat. I'd check online for info on earthworms as feeder insects for nutritional info and how to gutload them safely. Don't use worms you gather from a compost pile as they have some bad bacteria and molds. Also, the "red worms" often sold as composters apparently secrete a noxious coating that herps don't like.

Hi: I think it was the ever helpful Lele that posted this Link for me on nutrition:

http://www.chameleonnews.com/year2002/sept2002/nutrition/nutrition_sept_02.html

Please Comment on this you more experienced keepers. Did I see right that the chart indicates the earthworm nutritional content to be somewhat similar to that of a silkworm(at least in the categories listed-calcium not mentioned, I see)? If so, would they be an adequate source of food? Also no biting mouths as in Supers, or expensive feeding chow for the Silkies, or noise/odor as in crickets? What are some of the Pros and Cons to Earthworms? Would you provide comments on weather they'd be a good staple, a good side food, and your thoughts as to why. Thanks for keeping us learing-Maggie

Earthworms may be nutritious, but many chams don't like them or are not attracted to shoot them. If they are wet it's hard for the cham's tongue to pick them up, they don't move around as actively as crix, and spend most of their time hiding or burrowing. Some chams learn pretty quickly that they are food, but not all. You won't want to feed the worms on compost either as it may pass along nasty bacteria. "red" worms have a bitter tasting secretion too.

earthworms are indeed nutritious! I have studied the Annelids,
and have developed several products for them. I have a liquid
gutload that works very well, and contains UPS vitamins. It will
be available this summer, to the public. You can visit my
web-site at, www.legend-labs.com to get more infomation on
earthworms. There are several people that are using the liquid
Worm-Saver before feeding the earthworms to their pets.

Legendcham