Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Can silkworms be offered as staple for panther chams? (as long as the diet is varied)

would it be healthy?

or is there another type of bug which is good as a staple? (apart from crickets, i hate crickets)

thanx

In my opinion i would have to say
Silkworms probably are the best staple for captive Chameleons there is!

Silkworms are great staples but not all chams will go for them. My jacksons love them but my male Nosy Be wont have anything to do with them. Get yourself a small amount at first and see if your chams will go for them. If they do you're set. I would love to make silkworms my staple but, with my zoo, they would be much more expensive than crickets.
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Raf

1.2 Jacksons Adults (Frank, Patty 2, Lucille)
0.0.17 Jacksons babies
1.1 Nosy Be's (Mars and Roja)
1.1 Bearded Dragons (Diego and Consuelo)
1.1 Adult Sulcattas (POOPIE and George)
0.0.2 Baby Sulcattas (frick and frack)
1.0 Home's Hingeback Tortoise (SPEEDY)
0.0.2 Red ear slider babies (Hingis, Dingis)
1.0 Yellow Footed Tortoise (Alfred)
1.1 3 toed turtles
1.0 Red Siberian Husky (Harley)
0.1 Black Lab (Krissy)
0.1 English Bulldog (Alice)
0.1 Blue Merle Great Dane (Wednesday)
Saltwater Fish and Inverts too

I agree with wraithy
On a side note how big do those sulcatta torts get?
and are they hard to keep?

Sulcatas are the 3rd largest land torts on the earth right behind the Galapagos and the Aldabras. They have been recorded as reaching weights of 250lbs at zoos. As you can see, they are HUGE but slow growing. They have been recorded at living longer than 150years in captivity. Right now, my 2 sulcatas are weighing in at 15lbs each with a carapace of 14 inches. I personally find them very easy to keep because they are very curious and are people friendly when you have fruits or veggies for them (fruits are only fed as treats and only occassionally). Some people consider them hard to keep because of the space needed to house them and the large amounts of food they need to eat. I go through a good 15 romaines per week with all my brood.

If you want further info, checkout http://www.sulcata-station.org/ for some info on Sulcatas. I love their cute little faces and the way they follow you like a puppy when you have food in your hand.
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Raf

1.2 Jacksons Adults (Frank, Patty 2, Lucille)
0.0.17 Jacksons babies
1.1 Nosy Be's (Mars and Roja)
1.1 Bearded Dragons (Diego and Consuelo)
1.1 Adult Sulcattas (POOPIE and George)
0.0.2 Baby Sulcattas (frick and frack)
1.0 Home's Hingeback Tortoise (SPEEDY)
0.0.2 Red ear slider babies (Hingis, Dingis)
1.0 Yellow Footed Tortoise (Alfred)
1.1 3 toed turtles
1.0 Red Siberian Husky (Harley)
0.1 Black Lab (Krissy)
0.1 English Bulldog (Alice)
0.1 Blue Merle Great Dane (Wednesday)
Saltwater Fish and Inverts too

Thanks
That was a very informative site
Im still undecided as to get one or not
I dont know if i want to add to my farm or not...lol

Silkworms are great as an additional feeder, but I would choose something like crickets or roaches for a staple. Silkworms are moist, soft, slow and don't escape, but crickets and/or roaches can be gutloaded with anything and have more variety in the contents of them. I know of chameleons being raised 100% on silkworms that were very slow in their growth, and from the situation, it seemed it could only be from the silkworm-strict diet. Throw some superworms in there too. They are high in fat, but great for chameleons and can also be gutloaded with anything you want.
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Tyler Stewart
Las Vegas NV
www.BLUEBEASTREPTILE.com