breeding live food need help

[john118]

so i got a kricket keeper today an really wan to breed a staple food for my 2 veiled cham they have gone off crix's so can't breed them i need somthing easy that can all stay in the one keeper not sure about locusts because they bite has anyone got any ideas i will be doing this inside as uk wether is cold thanks

 

[Lizardlover]

dubia roaches are good. i dont use them but ive heard they breed rapidly and dont stink

 

[sandrachameleon]

A cricket keeper is probably a little on the small side for breeding anything in.

Roaches are easy and make an excellent feeder.
Superworms (aka Kingworms) are fairly easy, but slower to reproduce.

 

[laurie]

A cricket keeper is probably a little on the small side for breeding anything in.

Roaches are easy and make an excellent feeder.
Superworms (aka Kingworms) are fairly easy, but slower to reproduce.

Can you explain to me how the raise superworms? I raise roaches but have to buy supers. Thanks

 

[sandrachameleon]

Breeding superworms is much the same as breeding mealworms, only it takes longer. hint:They pupate faster if you separate them.
Check this thread for a common method:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/can-i-breed-my-19747/

I use bran, oats and dry coconut as substrate, yam, carrot, potatoe and dandelion leaves for moisture. Dont let the substrate get damp.

 

[yoza717]

I use bran, oats and dry coconut as substrate, yam, carrot, potatoe and dandelion leaves for moisture. Dont let the substrate get damp.

Where do you buy bran locally? I see them online but shipping isn't cost effective. I looked in grocery stores. Health food stores carry them but in small expensive quanties.

 

[BocaJan]

Some health food stores have bulk bins. You can get wheat and oat bran cheap. I mix my bran up with oatmeal. If you have a feed store by you get chicken feed. That works great. Don't forget a chunk or two of potato.

 

[Chase]

Ya'll have to remember, when putting an apple and potatoes in their habitat, it causes mold to grow because of the moisture. So, you have to cut it every few days to make sure they aren't eating the mold, plus it molds the substrate in. Here's a link to what I used to make, it worked great. And, you don't have to worry about it molding because if you make it into clups about a centimeter in diameter, they eat it fast. Hope this helps, good luck breeding them, they are slow!

https://www.chameleonforums.com/cricket-feeder-8250/

 

[sandrachameleon]

I buy bran from bulk bins or in large bags from the local grocery store. Its everywhere!? (safeway, save on, sobee, thrifties). Same with oats. Same with coconut (make sure you get unsweetened).
Some people use boxed breakfast cereal (pick the least sweetened).

If you use chicken mash, you'll need to move the superworms to another container a few days before feeding off to the chameleons. chicken mash is not recommended gutload. It can contain antibiotics, animal protein, and if it came from china melamine.

You can also give them aged (not fresh) horse manure. This is close to what they might eat in nature.
I do not recommend this.

You can raise the worms without grains, on beans, carrots etc alone - take much more work to deal with changing the food every day. Beetles will lay eggs on anything, so you must use something you can hang onto for them. Sawdust, wood chips, dried alfalfa pellets.

 

[Jayce]

I have bought large bags of bran really cheap from feed stores as well.

 

[Miss Lily]

I see that you are in Wales. I get bran from Jollyes (buy as much or little as you want) or a local petshop (ready weighed bags). Its really cheap!

I left a superworm to pupate (I've previously bred mealworms successfully in bran) and the size of the pupa really freaked me out!! Might give breeding the big guys a try one day when I'm feeling brave!!

 

[alhickabee]

I switched my beetles into a new container last week. My sister walked into the room and about flipped shit. 15-20 beetles climbing around in the container. She screamed and I laughed hahaha. I'll hopefully have my first batch of supers to feed off in about a month. They are really easy to breed just take time, like ~3 months.

 

[lyanlynn]

I've had really good luck breeding isopods. I'm not sure how much they would cost because I had a school science kit coupon for some. You put some peat moss in there, cover it with dehydrated moss from a pet store, add water to make it all moist, and they will love you forever! They eat pieces of potatoes, and they eat the moss itself. They live on decaying matter, so it's up to you what you want to put in there. My beardie ate a few and I would feed him those when he was out of crickets. They weren't his favorite as a baby. I haven't tried them with Tweety yet. Perhaps she'll like them too. They are seriously easy to grow. They reproduce like crazy.

 

[BocaJan]

I have never had a mold problem with potatoes, but apples turn mushy for me. The potatoes get a hard skin on them and the little worms burrow into the potato and hang out inside the potato with the hard skin. I shake them out if I want to change the potato. I have kept potato pieces (about 1/4 of a potato) in the super bin for a couple of weeks and no mold.

 

[sandrachameleon]

I've had really good luck breeding isopods. I'm not sure how much they would cost because I had a school science kit coupon for some. You put some peat moss in there, cover it with dehydrated moss from a pet store, add water to make it all moist, and they will love you forever! They eat pieces of potatoes, and they eat the moss itself. They live on decaying matter, so it's up to you what you want to put in there. My beardie ate a few and I would feed him those when he was out of crickets. They weren't his favorite as a baby. I haven't tried them with Tweety yet. Perhaps she'll like them too. They are seriously easy to grow. They reproduce like crazy.

Isopods make an excellent enrichment/occassional feeder. I too breed them and use them as occassional feeders for my chameleons. however They are NOT recommended as a constant /frequent/staple because they are hard to digest.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/isopods-16457/

 

[john118]

if i use these roaches an accidently lose one an if it a female am i going to get a infestation an do i need a heat mat or lamp on all the time or just when i want them to breed

 

[dodolah]

if i use these roaches an accidently lose one an if it a female am i going to get a infestation an do i need a heat mat or lamp on all the time or just when i want them to breed

dubia roaches? unlikely, unless your home's temp and humidity are tropical and there are food and water all over the place.
But, she will survive for quite a while though.

Other roaches idk...