New staple feeders?

[bloftis1]

So I wanted to know what are your guy's staple feeders? I'm tired of crickets just because of the hassle, smell, and escapees no matter what. Roaches have to be a no go for me due to my mom having like a huge phobia of them thinking they'll escape and attack the house LOL. I want to get a nice nutritious new "staple" feeder I've read about praying mantis which could be one of my options but any recommendations?

 

[Remkon]

Unless your house is like 28C a dubia roach will not 'attack the house'.
I'm keeping and breeding dubia for quite a while now and I usually find any escapees dead in the same room or alive under their bin (which is heated by a heating cable)...
In my experience Dubia roaches are way better to keep, breed and are way cleaner than crickets. They are also noise free and barely ever escape the feeder cup.

Silkworms or hornworms could be a possible replacement staple but the cost they bring and the difficulty of breeding and raising them makes them far from ideal.

 

[bloftis1]

Unless your house is like 28C a dubia roach will not 'attack the house'.
I'm keeping and breeding dubia for quite a while now and I usually find any escapees dead in the same room or alive under their bin (which is heated by a heating cable)...
In my experience Dubia roaches are way better to keep, breed and are way cleaner than crickets. They are also noise free and barely ever escape the feeder cup.

Silkworms or hornworms could be a possible replacement staple but the cost they bring and the difficulty of breeding and raising them makes them far from ideal.

Ikr with the horns and silkies I had ants infest and kill my pupas. But I'm going to keep trying to convince her. But I'm pretty sure here in Florida they are illegal here except for 1 or 2 different kinds of them. I reeeally want to switch to roaches though lol

 

[Longhorn1234]

BSFL and BSF. Two in one!

 

[Daniel266jz]

Ikr with the horns and silkies I had ants infest and kill my pupas. But I'm going to keep trying to convince her. But I'm pretty sure here in Florida they are illegal here except for 1 or 2 different kinds of them. I reeeally want to switch to roaches though lol

Discoid Roaches are legal in florida since they cannot thrive here from what i have heard. I buy them here during reptile shows and i have my own colony with about six adults waiting fro some babies anytime soon and then my colony will take off.

 

[Longhorn1234]

I thought discoid roaches were legal in Florida because they had already established there. I believe they're native to South America.

 

[Daniel266jz]

I thought discoid roaches were legal in Florida because they had already established there. I believe they're native to South America.

I have no idea someone told me it was because they cant thrive like dubias can so they are legal. Either way I know theyre legal lol

 

[jamest0o0]

Really nothing else that is easy to get in the US. They all have a catch one way or another. Silkworms would probably be next in line, but they are expensive and a pain to raise/keep. Hornworms are pretty much bags of water, great for hydration though. BSFL are nutritious, but small and hard to digest. And the main problem with all of these worms is they don't gutload well.

One thing I'm experimenting with is isopods. Most are too small, but there are a few larger species. The problem I see with them is they take too long to mature in size to make a good regular feeder.

Roaches are what all of us non cricket users use.

 

[NickTide]

So I wanted to know what are your guy's staple feeders? I'm tired of crickets just because of the hassle, smell, and escapees no matter what. Roaches have to be a no go for me due to my mom having like a huge phobia of them thinking they'll escape and attack the house LOL. I want to get a nice nutritious new "staple" feeder I've read about praying mantis which could be one of my options but any recommendations?

Since you are in florida... Does your cham live outside most of the time? If so, would a culture of discoids raised in a shed be an option? You would have to see if they could handle the heat of a shed... It perhaps just a rigged up shelter with lots of ventilation to keep the animals and rain out and a light bulb for food nights (hooked to a thermostat).

As for your actual question... I hate crickets too. Luckily my wife trusts my judgement with the roaches and living farther north, they can't get established in my house.

Black soldier flies are probably your best bet. They are cheap by the thousand and you can get a $60 wine fridge to keep them for months. I have viable larvae that I put in there April first... So 3 and a half months and counting. If they are native to your area, you could set up a bin. I feed the adult flies. Separating larvae from substrate is a pain.

Silkworms bought as eggs or bred at home is the only other viable option i can think of. Charm city chameleons uses them as a staple.

Other than that, everything would be supplement... Either not the proper nutrition or not easy/cheap enough. Breeding mantids is a pain. You can collect eggs in the fall of buy them but that s only good for a few months a year. Stick bugs are easy but they are a pain to get out of their cage and into the cham cage. Super worms are great for feeding say 2-4 (maybe a little more often) times a month but not as a staple.

 

[bloftis1]

Thank you guys alllll sooo much!! I'm definitely looking into everything right now and placing some orders This was very helpful for me