Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have read in many places that wax worms are a better staple diet for chameleons than cricket.so i wanted to know if any one raised these and had simple ways to keep them.also when they turn into moths would they still be able to be fed as a stable along with the worms?

I'm not sure where you heard that, but wax worms are extremely fatty. If you're looking for something other than crix, go with silk worms.
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~~Tania~~
(and Jake, Peter, and Mary) the lizard family.

are you sure? i was almost positive that it was waxworms but maybe im wrong in that case does any one raise silk worms? and if so what would be an easy meathod to keep a small colony.

Yes I'm sure, unless chams need fat more than other lizards lol.
I can find a fact sheet on it, but at the moment i'm on my way out. will get back to you
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~~Tania~~
(and Jake, Peter, and Mary) the lizard family.

Do a search on this forum. You will find TONS of stuff on raising silkworms. Big T gave a lot of info on it a few months back. You will probably get more out of reading all of the separate posts than any one response on here can give!

The other replies to your message say silk worms are good for a staple diet, but butterworms are also very good for chameleons. They don't have the high fat content of wax worms are are also a good source of calcium unlike most other feeder insects.

Although butterworms are not as fatty as wax worms, they are still high in fat content in comparison to silk worms. I dont think wax worms OR butterworms should be fed as a staple. They are more like treats.
One of the many sites that could be used to back that up...
The information on this page is very helpful, and although it is for anoles, the nutritional values are all the same no matter what lizard:
http://www.geocities.com/dozergh91/Page-Feeding.html
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~~Tania~~
(and Jake, Peter, and Mary) the lizard family.

There is one thing on that website that is *not* true.
And thats its little side note about mealworms burrowing their way out of *anything* unless it is sick or dying. There is a possibility that this might happen then, but only then.
This is a silly urban legend.
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~~Tania~~
(and Jake, Peter, and Mary) the lizard family.

Here is some info that you (org author) requested...

http://www.aurorasilk.com/raisesilk/index.shtml
this is how to raise silkworms, it is actually for harvesting silk so you can just skip those last few sections.

Here is some information on insect feeders nutritional values.
The best one for your purpose, http://www.chameleonnews.com/year2002/march2002/pages/nutrition.html here you will find a table of values, along with a section discussing the feeding of wax worms as a staple... (included in post)
"FAQ: Wax worms are often recommended for adding weight to a thin chameleon, but are not recommended for daily fare. Why?
Note the data in the above chart. Wax worms have more fat than, say, silkworms - 73% vs 43%. Because fat contains more than twice as many calories as protein, gram for gram, wax worms contain more calories than silkworms (5.7 vs 4.2 kcal/g dry, or 2.1 vs 1.0 gram as fed). So if your chameleon eats 5 grams of wax worms it will take in 10 calories. If your chameleon eats 5 grams of silkworms, in contrast, it takes in just 5 calories. As fat increases, protein decreases in prey. Because protein is only 27% in wax worms, the prey are unsuitable for full-time feeding. Your chameleon needs more protein in order to meet its needs for amino acids."
more nutrional facts:
http://www.ent.iastate.edu/misc/insectnutrition.html

If you still want to breed wax worms as a treat, here's the directions:
http://www.icomm.ca/dragon/waxworms.htm#wax
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~~Tania~~
(and Jake, Peter, and Mary) the lizard family.