Carloscruz
Avid Member
I am tired of cleaning bug bins can I make them bio-active.
bio-active cleaner bins?
- Thread starter Carloscruz
- Start date
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Yes! I keep my roaches in a coco coir & soil mix about 1-1.5” deep with dwarf white isopods and springtails. I also have some cork bark in there for them to hide under and a bit of leaf litter. (Made a little cork bark house for the adults). Not only saves cleaning, but the roaches seem to breed better too. I tried keeping crickets bioactive and the nasty things ate all of the isopods.
Carloscruz
Avid Member
Ok thanks so should I tried crickets because I hate cleaning that bin
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Sorry, but no. I really gave it a good try and even replaced the eaten isopods and provided plenty of hiding spots for them. The nasty crickets still ate them and after about a month or so I gave up. I am thinking up a way that might help eliminate the need for frequent cleaning the cricket bin…a partial mesh bottom. Regular screen won’t work as the holes are too small. Hardware cloth the holes are too big. Maybe a plastic canvas used in crafts has the right diameter. I’ve just been too busy to mess around with it. If you give it a try, make sure to place the screen on the outside of the bin.
Carloscruz
Avid Member
Ok
bbyoda
Chameleon Enthusiast
Like @MissSkittles said it's easy to go bioactive with the roaches and they love it and breed better. The discoids I keep still like egg crates on top of the soil.
With crickets I put them on a 3" bed of vermiculite which absorbs odors and moisture. I clean out the vermiculite when all the roaches from a shipment are gone and I get more crickets. I keep them in a home Depot tub. I cut the top out of the lid and replaced it with screen, using an o ring and hot glue to keep the screen in place so it has an easy lid with good ventilation.
I stopped keeping them for a while bc they're annoying but I am back to keeping them for feeder variety and since we're going into winter my roaches will breed less (I don't use heating pads).
With crickets I put them on a 3" bed of vermiculite which absorbs odors and moisture. I clean out the vermiculite when all the roaches from a shipment are gone and I get more crickets. I keep them in a home Depot tub. I cut the top out of the lid and replaced it with screen, using an o ring and hot glue to keep the screen in place so it has an easy lid with good ventilation.
I stopped keeping them for a while bc they're annoying but I am back to keeping them for feeder variety and since we're going into winter my roaches will breed less (I don't use heating pads).
Carloscruz
Avid Member
ok thanks I am going to get some isopod and have them breed till I have a lot I will try cricket and see if it works
Carloscruz
Avid Member
ok thanks I hate crickets it is harder to care for them than my Chameleon
bbyoda
Chameleon Enthusiast
Seriously they are a PITA. If you can use other staples like roaches and silkworms you can phase crickets out.
Carloscruz
Avid Member
I can't because I have a leopard gecko and pac man frog and they like crickets and I could not take out crickets just so it is easy on me.
Uri
Avid Member
I wish I could fully eliminate crickets from my insects but unfortunately my geckos feed best on crickets and my viper geckos exclusively eat crickets refusing any other insect and my gargoyle will also only eat crickets and not roaches or any worm offered I wish they would all eat their soldier fly larvae and dubia like good little lizards I hate crickets with a burning passion they die in a few dies in the bins but survive to chirp when they escape
Carloscruz
Avid Member
same I had one escape in my room and I climd on me last night when I was a sleep it scared me so bad
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
I was going completely cricketless until I got my beardie. After growing big on roaches and other non-cricket feeders, he decided he doesn’t like roaches anymore and wants crickets. I should have never got some for a change of pace for him.
Uri
Avid Member
I felt that my chameleons didn’t like crickets at first and I was okay with that my leopard gecko was fine on just roaches and worms and my juvenile crested and baby crested were fine on roaches and soldier fly larvae but then I got my baby gargoyle and 2 baby viper geckos and they refused anything but crickets and now I have got my geckos high in crickets except for my leopard gecko he eats anything that moves especially my fingers
