Isopod feeders

[BenjiTheCham]

I’ve heard that you can feed isopods and I wanted more information on this.

How often can these be fed? What about their nutritional value?

How fast do the breed? Could I buy some and leave em for a couple weeks and then they’d have a good population?

What is the best breed for chams in general and for breeding? If I’m doing isopods I’d like to set them up in a 10 gal tank, maybe that’ll affect the type of species to get. Also It’d be nice if they could be okay if I let some go in my tank as cuc.

How would I set this up for them to breed the most optimally (I don’t think that made much sense but we’ll go with that). Can’t I just use a normal jungle substrate and keep it moist? Add some wood on top

Thanks for answering all my feeder questions in general btw. I’m trying to find an easy feeder to breed that isn’t crickets or roaches.. Any other recommendations are welcome. I’ve looked into most normal feeders btw but I’ll take anything.

Also in another note, what’s the deal with waxworms? They are pretty cheap (not asking about breeding) but they are pretty fatty right? Are they worse than superworms? I’m just looking for more variety

 

[saradoggy10]

Isopods don't make the best chameleon feeders but they clean up the tank really well. You can set up your ground in the bioactive way with drainage, dirt, a bit of sand, wood chips, and leaf litter. You can feed isopods with droppings and basically anything that decomposes because, well, THEY'RE the decomposers. if you make a humid environment with lots of food they will breed as much as they can, they'll all die out, and then the ecosystem will stabilize itself.
Waxworms aren't the greatest but silkworms are great! You can feed them mulberry leaves or some nasty store bought chow. I've also considered putting stickbugs in my terrarium because they poop a lot for the isopods to eat but they also make great cham snacks.
Stickbugs eat oak leaves and most vegetation.

 

[saradoggy10]

I've heard stickbugs also breed like crazy. There's a lot of cool random bugs you could use like hornworms as well. Also you could probably just use jungle substrate for isopods if you added some leaves and wood. They also burrow so you won't be able to get the isopods out to feed anyway.

 

[JoXie411]

Giant canyon isopods are great CuC and as for using them as feeders you can feed them once in awhile but not to often because they are high in phosphorus? @jamest0o0 i need my bug master, to much League of leagued on my mind not enough bug info

 

[BenjiTheCham]

I've heard stickbugs also breed like crazy. There's a lot of cool random bugs you could use like hornworms as well. Also you could probably just use jungle substrate for isopods if you added some leaves and wood. They also burrow so you won't be able to get the isopods out to feed anyway.

Do you breed your own stick bugs? I’ve thought about them before and never really looked into it.. where do you get them??

You can set up your ground in the bioactive way with drainage, dirt, a bit of sand, wood chips, and leaf litter. You can feed isopods with droppings and basically anything that decomposes because, well, THEY'RE the decomposers

Yeah, my tank is bioactive and it would be cool to have the stick bugs feed my cham AND my isopods..

Giant canyon isopods are great CuC and as for using them as feeders you can feed them once in awhile but not to often because they are high in phosphorus? @jamest0o0 i need my bug master, to much League of leagued on my mind not enough bug info

How much is an okay amount to feed and what does the phosphorus do??

 

[saradoggy10]

Do you breed your own stick bugs? I’ve thought about them before and never really looked into it.. where do you get them??



Yeah, my tank is bioactive and it would be cool to have the stick bugs feed my cham AND my isopods..


How much is an okay amount to feed and what does the phosphorus do??

I didn't breed stickbugs but my wildlife professor was SUPER into it. I just did some research myself too. You could look up "buy stickbugs" and some website will surely come up.

 

[BenjiTheCham]

I didn't breed stickbugs but my wildlife professor was SUPER into it. I just did some research myself too. You could look up "buy stickbugs" and some website will surely come up.

Thanks I definitely will

 

[JoXie411]

How much is an okay amount to feed and what does the phosphorus do??

So too much phosphorus affects the body‘s ability to absorb minerals. You always want the perfect balance of phosphorus versus calcium. That is why you rotate the Calcium with D3 in with the calcium without D3. Since isopods like to eat high-protein they have huge amounts of phosphorus.

 

[BenjiTheCham]

So too much phosphorus affects the body‘s ability to absorb minerals. You always want the perfect balance of phosphorus versus calcium. That is why you rotate the Calcium with D3 in with the calcium without D3. Since isopods like to eat high-protein they have huge amounts of phosphorus.

Good to know

 

[BenjiTheCham]

I didn't breed stickbugs but my wildlife professor was SUPER into it. I just did some research myself too. You could look up "buy stickbugs" and some website will surely come up.

Looking into it, I don’t think I’m going to do stick bugs, it can take quite a while for their eggs to hatch, I’m looking for something with a relatively short life cycle (including the egg time).

Ik I’m kinda difficult lol, but I’m pretty impatient and I’d like to be able to test out a generation of the bugs to see how it goes. I think I might just stick with doing superworms. Cheap to start and maintain. Pretty cheap to maintain. I guess a little more work than silkworms bc you have to have separate all the eggs from the beetles and separate the supers to pupate. I would definitely do silkworms because I think they’re kinda fun, but the mulberry is the problem. I don’t want to spend so much on the mulberry (ik it’s still cheaper than buying silkworms, but I will just buy cheaper feeders instead) and the only reason I didn’t jump to supers is bc i was hoping to breed a staple that could be fed daily

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I’m just looking for more variety

Variety is good. What's the problem with roaches?

There's a lot in the Resource section (see links at bottom of page as well), and on the web about insect feeder nutrition, and I'm sure you've been given the drill on gut loading, and seen the charts.

nutritional value of insect feeders

The above link is to a search, because I've found that nutritional values of various feeders can vary from chart to chart—source to source.

Supers are good (I use dubias & supers as staples) but they can be addicting, which can be a PITA (but not enough for me not to feed or recommend them—just something to keep in mind.)

 

[BenjiTheCham]

Variety is good. What's the problem with roaches?

There's a lot in the Resource section (see links at bottom of page as well), and on the web about insect feeder nutrition, and I'm sure you've been given the drill on gut loading, and seen the charts.

nutritional value of insect feeders

The above link is to a search, because I've found that nutritional values of various feeders can vary from chart to chart—source to source.

Supers are good (I use dubias & supers as staples) but they can be addicting, which can be a PITA (but not enough for me not to feed or recommend them—just something to keep in mind.)

Thanks, I probably should have looked at nutrition, so yeah, thanks

About the roaches.. first of all, I hate roaches, I am okay with basically any other big besides spiders, but roaches are just gross for me. I wouldn’t be able to hand feed. It’s also my worst fear for them to somehow get out and breed in my house..

One question. I thought superworms are more for treats? Don’t they have a lot of fat? If I can feed as a staple I definitely will. I am also planning on primarily feed bsfl

 

[JoXie411]

Silkworms can be used as a staple, bsfl can not be a staple

 

[BenjiTheCham]

Silkworms can be used as a staple, bsfl can not be a staple

What? I heard that bsfl can be used as a staple.. why can’t they??

Also, I said superworms not silkworms (I’m assuming that’s what you were talking about)

Edit: yeah I did a quick search on Cf and all the places say that bsfl can be used as a staple. The flies won’t have as much nutrients tho. If you have some other info I’m missing, please inform me I’m still learning

 

[JoXie411]

What? I heard that bsfl can be used as a staple.. why can’t they??

Also, I said superworms not silkworms (I’m assuming that’s what you were talking about)

Edit: yeah I did a quick search on Cf and all the places say that bsfl can be used as a staple. The flies won’t have as much nutrients tho. If you have some other info I’m missing, please inform me I’m still learning

No I meant silkworm and supers are treats. Bsfl are snack insects. They don’t have much nutritional value nor do they hold nutritional value when you feed them

 

[JoXie411]

When I first started to keep reptiles I found out my husband was severely allergic to crickets. Being in the same room as them have him an allergic reaction. So for 3 months I only feed silkworms because it was the only insect that wouldn’t effect my husband. So if you don’t like roaches silkworms are a great staple to consider and the moths and be get off as well

 

[BenjiTheCham]

No I meant silkworm and supers are treats. Bsfl are snack insects. They don’t have much nutritional value nor do they hold nutritional value when you feed them

What?!? Everywhere I’ve read says bsfl are very nutritious and are great staples! Im really confused now

 

[MissSkittles]

Speaking as one who is also completely grossed out by and hates roaches, I have to say that they are the best and easiest feeder you can breed yourself. The feeder roaches aren’t anything like the German cockroaches that we are most familiar with and hate. They aren’t even as nasty as palmetto bugs (massive flying roaches). Feeder roaches are more like yucky beetles. Being in Florida, I have Discoid and while I still won’t touch an adult one with a bare hand, I’ve actually grown somewhat fond of my icky little things. I find super worms more disgusting than my roaches.

 

[MissSkittles]

Get yourself one of these and you’re all set.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

About the roaches.. first of all, I hate roaches, I am okay with basically any other big besides spiders, but roaches are just gross for me. I wouldn’t be able to hand feed. It’s also my worst fear for them to somehow get out and breed in my house..

OK—the skeevy factor. I don't "hand" feed them (difficult for me to hang on to), but I do occasionally feed them using a forceps tweezers. No biggie.

Speaking as one who is also completely grossed out by and hates roaches, I have to say that they are the best and easiest feeder you can breed yourself. The feeder roaches aren’t anything like the German cockroaches that we are most familiar with and hate. They aren’t even as nasty as palmetto bugs (massive flying roaches). Feeder roaches are more like yucky beetles.

I agree with this, except that dubias of appropriate feeding size remind me more of isopods (roly-polies).

Dubias aren't going to breed in your house unless you live in one of the states where they're illegal anyway (which is why they're illegal in those states). The only ones I've ever had escape weren't big enough to reproduce, and wouldn't survive long enough to. For whatever reason, IME they die within a day or two when outside the colony.

I don't (have to) handle them per se; I either pick them up with the forceps, or tap them into a feeder bowl much the same as a cricket tube, which I find works very well.

One question. I thought superworms are more for treats? Don’t they have a lot of fat? If I can feed as a staple I definitely will. I am also planning on primarily feed bsfl

The key word was variety. It's probably more a question of interpretation whether I use them as a staple or supplemental feeder. I often (usually?) put both in the feeder bowl together, with a higher ratio of dubias (by weight).

BSFL are fine as a staple (again, variety) and don't require dusting with calcium—they're high in calcium on their own (see nutrition charts). My experiences with them were not good, and eventually, they just weren't worth the trouble for me. Others swear by 'em and I wouldn't argue.