Your (Chahoua's) Favorite Feeder Insects

What feeder items do your chahoua like most?

  • Butterworms

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Crickers

    Votes: 14 87.5%
  • Hornworms

    Votes: 3 18.8%
  • Mealworms

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Pinkies

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Phoenix Worms/Black Soldier Fly Larvae

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Roaches - specify type

    Votes: 9 56.3%
  • Silkworms

    Votes: 1 6.3%
  • Superworms

    Votes: 2 12.5%
  • Wax Worms

    Votes: 4 25.0%

  • Total voters
    16

Michael

The Chahoua Chamber
Staff member
Messages
381
Location
Atlanta, GA
One of the things I like to do over the spring and summer when everyone's appetites are up is offer a wider variety of feeder insects. I've tried just about everything over the years and am always down to re-try, so I'd love to hear from some of you about what food items your geckos like most. I'd say:

LOVE:
Crickets
Wax Worms

LIKE:
Horn Worms
Superworms (but I'm afraid of them biting the geckos)

MEH:
Pinkies
Red Runner Roaches
Silkworms
Mealworms

DISLIKE:
Phoenix Worms
Dubia Roaches


Probably missing some. Specifically, I've been thinking about trying silkworms again. Has anyone had luck with those?
 

vitog123

Chahoua Egg
Messages
6
I have never been able to get my Chahoua to eat pinkies. They will kill them but spit them out after a few chomps.
 

MelissaSR

Moderator & mad scientist
Staff member
Messages
132
Location
Toledo, OH
Mine love crickets and supers, babies love dubias. They will take wax worms, but they dont seem to like horn or silkworms
 

Michael

The Chahoua Chamber
Staff member
Messages
381
Location
Atlanta, GA
I have never been able to get my Chahoua to eat pinkies. They will kill them but spit them out after a few chomps.

This has generally been my experience also. I believe it was Ariel who recently posted a video of one of his chewies eating a pinky that had been dipped in fresh banana.

Pinkies are a bit of a hassle for me... my local shows never have them live, and I have some strange dislike for thawing them out.
 

Michael

The Chahoua Chamber
Staff member
Messages
381
Location
Atlanta, GA
Mine love crickets and supers, babies love dubias. They will take wax worms, but they dont seem to like horn or silkworms

Do you do anything to the superworms before feeding so they don't bite your geckos? I watched a superworm bite one of my female's lips years ago, and I could tell it hurt!
 

StikyPaws

Chahoua Egg
Messages
8
Do you do anything to the superworms before feeding so they don't bite your geckos? I watched a superworm bite one of my female's lips years ago, and I could tell it hurt!
Sounds terrible but I used to chop the supers head off before I fed them to my leos. I once had a leo get bit in the eye by a superworm and had to give her eye gel for a month :( I've never actually fed my chahoua superworms though.... I always thought them a bit "tough" and go for pheonix worms/small dubia/and the occasional silk worm.
 

Michael

The Chahoua Chamber
Staff member
Messages
381
Location
Atlanta, GA
Sounds terrible but I used to chop the supers head off before I fed them to my leos. I once had a leo get bit in the eye by a superworm and had to give her eye gel for a month :( I've never actually fed my chahoua superworms though.... I always thought them a bit "tough" and go for pheonix worms/small dubia/and the occasional silk worm.

Doesn't sound terrible at all - I think that's a great idea considering that Superworms have sizable jaws for these geckos!
 

Michael

The Chahoua Chamber
Staff member
Messages
381
Location
Atlanta, GA
So I ordered a large group of feeders and have been cycling through them over the last week. Of course, hornworms continue to be pretty positive but the reception to silkworms was about as mixed as I remember. A few of my geckos took them down pretty willingly, and probably another 70% weren't really interested at all. Here are a few videos:



 

ArborealsAnonymous

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
129
I just got excited about silkworms today because I am surrounded by mulberry trees and I remembered that's what they eat. Then I come to check and see if anyone has geckos that love them and find no good recommendations. Anyone?
 

Rufus

Chahoua Hatchling
Messages
38
Horn worms are illegal here in the UK. I like the idea of silkworms however knowing my fussy eaters they will won't be keen!
Out of 4 chahouas, 1 ate dubias. 3 ate waxworms, all of them eat crickets, all of them eat isopods.
 

Michael

The Chahoua Chamber
Staff member
Messages
381
Location
Atlanta, GA
I just got excited about silkworms today because I am surrounded by mulberry trees and I remembered that's what they eat. Then I come to check and see if anyone has geckos that love them and find no good recommendations. Anyone?

I wish they were more popular with my crew, but I probably got an overall take rate of like 15-20% :(
 

Rufus

Chahoua Hatchling
Messages
38
So today I tried small locusts and calci worms. I used tongs as I have bio active vivariums and I'm not keen on having gecko food wandering around... My eat anything female grabbed a locust, sucked out the juicy bits and spat out the skin (shell). No one wanted a calci worm.... Any tips on feeding these, bowls, dishes etc? My eurydactylodes ate calci worms straight away. I guess I have fussy chahouas!
 

ArborealsAnonymous

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
129
Calci worms are the same thing as black soldier fly/pheonix worms, and my crew hates them. The only way they will eat them is if i put them in smoothies or drizzle some honey on them. Honey isn't great to feed them often so i only do that as a treat if someone looks skinny.
 

Michael

The Chahoua Chamber
Staff member
Messages
381
Location
Atlanta, GA
Chalk up another group of chewies who don't like calci/phoenix worms. I've tried a few times with no luck.
 

Canvas_geckos

Chahoua Hatchling
Messages
72
I was cleaning out my dubia colony the other day, and tried feeding off my excess adult males to the chahouha’s.... nobody was interested 😑 I ended up having to cull the excess. They will only eat the nymphs
 

Canvas_geckos

Chahoua Hatchling
Messages
72
I just got excited about silkworms today because I am surrounded by mulberry trees and I remembered that's what they eat. Then I come to check and see if anyone has geckos that love them and find no good recommendations. Anyone?

I have an awesome silk worm vendor that does special bulk pricing for breeders. Beastmodesilks, they offer them at .12 cents for orders 2000 worms or more. Ends up only being less than $250!
 

Michael

The Chahoua Chamber
Staff member
Messages
381
Location
Atlanta, GA
I have an awesome silk worm vendor that does special bulk pricing for breeders. Beastmodesilks, they offer them at .12 cents for orders 2000 worms or more. Ends up only being less than $250!

Do your chewies like silkworms? I never had luck with them.
 
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