How do you keep your Locusts and/or Superworms?

Quantum Mark

Quantum Mark

New Member
Hello,

So, I've got the whole cricket thing down to a T. Locusts and Superworms I'm still not 100% on.

I'm trying keeping locusts in a Kricket Keeper as they have been so awesome at keeping the cricks alive and happy, but the little tykes are too lively, can climb up the sides and dont use the tubes as much.

I'm trying the Superworms in a large plastic container with an open lid, in a slightly warmish room with slightly moist oats and lettuce leaves. The problem is, I'm not sure how to tell if they're happy or not.

How do you guys keep yours?
 
I keep my crix and locusts in the tubs they some in. I buy food every week - 10 days. I clean the tubs out as necessary. Superworms I keep the same as you - I've had this batch for months! Lettuce is of no nutritional value as a gutload. I use apple, curly kale, wild rocket, potato and carrot as gutload (not all at the same time though). I also keep my superworms in bran and oats. My feeders are kept in a clear plastic box of top of the fridge.
 
Quantum Mark said:
Hello,

So, I've got the whole cricket thing down to a T. Locusts and Superworms I'm still not 100% on.

I'm trying keeping locusts in a Kricket Keeper as they have been so awesome at keeping the cricks alive and happy, but the little tykes are too lively, can climb up the sides and dont use the tubes as much.

I'm trying the Superworms in a large plastic container with an open lid, in a slightly warmish room with slightly moist oats and lettuce leaves. The problem is, I'm not sure how to tell if they're happy or not.

How do you guys keep yours?
Click to expand...


Don't moisten the oats, let your vegetables give them the water, or use 1 to 2 water cubes. You will get mold and your bedding will sour if you moisten it. Even vegetables will mold if you don't remove them within a couple of days. I don't have locusts, but I do have grasshoppers, and I keep them in a 20 gallon aquarium, they move around a lot!:D

Nick
 
Miss Lily said:
I keep my crix and locusts in the tubs they some in. I buy food every week - 10 days. I clean the tubs out as necessary. Superworms I keep the same as you - I've had this batch for months! Lettuce is of no nutritional value as a gutload. I use apple, curly kale, wild rocket, potato and carrot as gutload (not all at the same time though). I also keep my superworms in bran and oats. My feeders are kept in a clear plastic box of top of the fridge.
Click to expand...

Thanks Tiff,

I guess the Superworms must be happy if you keep them the same and they last for ages. Do you water them at all?

Also, do you get many deaths keeping cricks and locusts in the tubs they come in?
 
I missed the bit about the moist oats. That will encourage mould to grow and also attract mites. I keep mine in dry bran and oats.
 
I keep my locusts in a plastic fish aquarium. I use bran and oats as a base, and then use kale, watercress, carrots etc as a gutload. I keep a fine mesh on the top to allow good ventilation for them, and the height of the tank lets them jump and climb! I like to apply the free range theory! Haven't tried superworms yet though.
 
Quantum Mark said:
Thanks Tiff,

I guess the Superworms must be happy if you keep them the same and they last for ages. Do you water them at all?

Also, do you get many deaths keeping cricks and locusts in the tubs they come in?
Click to expand...

No I don't water them - they get plenty of water content in the food. The locusts and crix I get a few die off, but not many - maybe a couple of locusts per tub and about half a dozen crix. I do switch tubs and clean them out every few days anyway. Also bee pollen is great for gutloading - crix love it - they pick it up and carry it around and they even snatch it off each other and fight over it, lol!:D
 
I made the oats slightly moist after reading that they eat eachother if there isn't enough moisture. One of the reasons I posted was realising that mold would be an issue.

Ill pick up some cheap veggies for them on the way home tomorrow. Do you guys just chop them up and leave them on top for the worms to scout out or do you bury them in the oats a bit?

Cheers :)
 
I keep my locusts in an 28" exo with a mesh top / lid. I buy in bulk and seeing as there are so many of them and they like lots of space and I had one spare anyway, figured this the best way. Easier to house, catch and keep clean. Also allows room for food placement so they don't have to eat in seperate sittings :D Also allows me to buy a size down..and grow them on to suit all the boys who each eat different sizes ( 2 chams and one BD )
I use oats and bran and then rocket, dandelion, watercress, cabbage, spring greens, apple, mango sweet potato, butternut squash...not all the same time just which ever are in the fridge. But I always make sure I have most of them in at any given time.
 
clairf said:
I keep my locusts in an 28" exo with a mesh top / lid. I buy in bulk and seeing as there are so many of them and they like lots of space and I had one spare anyway, figured this the best way. Easier to house, catch and keep clean. Also allows room for food placement so they don't have to eat in seperate sittings :D Also allows me to buy a size down..and grow them on to suit all the boys who each eat different sizes ( 2 chams and one BD )
I use oats and bran and then rocket, dandelion, watercress, cabbage, spring greens, apple, mango sweet potato, butternut squash...not all the same time just which ever are in the fridge. But I always make sure I have most of them in at any given time.
Click to expand...

Thanks Clairf.

How do you apply the veg to the worms? Leave on top or mix in?
 
Drop the veg on top of the bran/oat bedding. Change it out regularily (dont want the oats to get moist or you'll get mold, fugus and mites). BocaJan has a good blog entry re superworms, and she does essentially what I do: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/bocajan/45-super-worm-breeding.html and she's got a copy of what Brad apparently feeds his supers: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/bocajan/51-feeding-supers.html
and here are two other related threads: https://www.chameleonforums.com/can-i-breed-my-19747/
http://www.howtobreedsuperworms.com/
 
Cool, thanks for the info.

Is it normal for them spend a lot of time either burrowed into the oat bedding or trying to get out of their container? When I go to change the veg there is clearly eating marks on it but they seem to spend more time trying to get out than eating, often flat out ignoring the good.

So far ive tried kale, sweet potato and apple.

Is it normal or maybe they dont like the oats im using?
 
I found that they don't eat a lot. Don't know if its normal though - I s'pose it must be - they've been alive for months so I must be doing something right, lol! I found that mealworms eat a lot more - they strip apple flesh off of the skin! Amy rarely gets mealies (they are for my sugar glider), but when I do give her one as a treat it is always the white newly moulted ones. Chams seem to go mad for newly molted supers too - Amy hasn't been interested in them for a week or so, but when feeding them today I found a newly moulted one and she zapped it straight away!:D
 
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