Feeder cups

[spawn]

I'm looking for ideas on feeders cup. I've tried only ONE so far with any success for Lobster roaches (Nauphoeta cinerea) and it's a tall plastic bin that was used for sherbert. I thought my tin bowl for dog food would be good - no! I thought the ceramic cereal bowl would be good - even worse! Lobsters - unlike the bigger dubia and discoids and blaptica can climb ANYTHING.

I vowed I'd never get lobsters again after the first time I had them (I only had frogs at that time, and they were too fast for them). I'm having a different problem now - they're getting out of the bowl, and unlike crickets, they hide and sit still.

I haven't any vaseline, but I do plan to buy, I just don't want to be vaselining my cham cages now, including the roach bins.

I only went with the lobsters by the way because the price was REALLY right ($34 shipped for $2000: 1000 adults; 1000 mixed nymphs). My other bins just don't produce fast enough.

 

[Calypso]

I'm thinking about starting to breed my feeders. What's the vaseline for?

 

[spawn]

Many people rub a layer or line of vaseline around the top edge of the tub or container they keep roaches in to keep them from crawling out.

I need to breed crickets too, because I tried feeding my mossy frogs (Theloderma corticale) some roach nymphs and they simply...don't move right to attract their attention. The dimensions are off - they're flat but not much meat, and their shells are hard for them to swallow.

This is a mossy frog by the way:

Thankfully the lobster adults are small enough for them to fit them in their mouth, but jeeze. I got 5 tubs of roaches I can't even use on my frogs - half my animals!!!

 

[JackP308]

wow that frog is awesome, very cryptic camouflage

 

[GlassEyez]

that frog is amazing looking. are the lobster roaches good feeders for chameleons?

 

[Kate]

This is mine made from a litre milk bottle. I put mesh at the back for the feeders to climb and holes in the bottom for drainage.

 

[dcooley08]

stainless steel bird feeder from a local pet shop work great. just poke a hole in the screen and mount it with the wing nut that comes with it.

 

[Kate]

stainless steel bird feeder from a local pet shop work great. just poke a hole in the screen and mount it with the wing nut that comes with it.

Do you not have a problem with reflection from stainless steel?

 

[dcooley08]

nope havent run into any issues.

 

[spawn]

@ Kate: please repost picture. It's no longer displaying.

Still looking for tips!!! Lobsters crawl everything, and burrow into the substrate the first chance they get. I've resorted to sticking them in the freezer for 5 minutes before feeding just so the chams can catch them.

 

[sandrachameleon]

have you tried olive oil on the top 2 inches of the container rim?

 

[spawn]

No, but I'll have to look into that.

 

[spawn]

have you tried olive oil on the top 2 inches of the container rim?

Best advice I've gotten so far lol. I rubbed about a 1.5" layer around the top of the tub and NONE of the lobsters have escaped in 3 weeks. Looks like olive oil doesn't evaporate or break down too quickly in a cramped, feces-filled roach tub.

I need to figure something out for my uroplatus geckos now. Those guys always dive on the roaches on the cocofiber but eat more dirt than roach!! The petri dishes are too shallow but the cups I have are too tall and confuse the geckos if they come in from the side.

 

[nick barta]

Try 2 inch clear packing tape you use in a tape gun to tape packages. If that works, cover the inside of the feeder where you don't want the beasts climbing.