SUPERWORMS

[Paulycham]

Ordered a Snack Pack-Herp Snacker from Mulberry Farms, i got 500 medium superworms and they came in a bag??? I think they're gonna last a while... lol... could anybody tell me a best way to keep them in and a good gutload? Thanks for your help like always.

 

[Nicholasdeaan]

Just get a large ice cream bucket to keep them all in. You may want to do two buckets since you have 500. Fill it with about 4-5 inches of oats or bran. Then take out 1-3 at a time, when you plan to feed them off, and gutload them for 3 in advance in a smaller container. If you try putting the gutload food in with the oats or bran, mold will grow rather quickly. Good foods to use are kale, some apple, mustard greens, etc. They can eat almost anything. Hope this helps!

 

[Paulycham]

Just get a large ice cream bucket to keep them all in. You may want to do two buckets since you have 500. Fill it with about 4-5 inches of oats or bran. Then take out 1-3 at a time, when you plan to feed them off, and gutload them for 3 in advance in a smaller container. If you try putting the gutload food in with the oats or bran, mold will grow rather quickly. Good foods to use are kale, some apple, mustard greens, etc. They can eat almost anything. Hope this helps!

Awesome, thank you very much. I forgot to mention i also got hornworms and Repti worms, same gutloading?

 

[Nicholasdeaan]

Awesome, thank you very much. I forgot to mention i also got hornworms and Repti worms, same gutloading?

No problem. Hornworms will need hornworm chow. You may get away for a 2 or 3 days with other foods. Like kale and other leafy greens. But usually chow works best. They just seem to like it over anything else.

You won't need to gutload your reptiworms unless you plan to feed them off as larvae. If you do, they'll liquify anything they're fed. Like greens or fruits. Otherwise just let them pupate into flies and then gutload the flies with greens and etc. Again, the flies as well will liquify any food and STINK.

 

[Decadancin]

Awesome, thank you very much. I forgot to mention i also got hornworms and Repti worms, same gutloading?

Hornworms grow FAST if supplied with food all the time. If you want to try to slow the process you can try to keep them in a cool location or near some ice packs. They wont last in the fridge, but a cooler with some ice packs helps.

 

[gotwqqd]

Plastic container
Fill half way with rolled oats
Put an egg crate on top
Now you have a place to put gutloading

Though it could be more economical to separate some for loading

 

[Extensionofgreen]

I don't use bran as it has antagonistic properties and isn't good for reptiles that ingest prey feeding on it. I won't kill your chameleon and the threat is not major, but I choose to keep my worms in organic, compared, hardwood, mulch. This doesn't mold, holds some moisture, and provides food, between feedings. To gutload, I sprinkle chopped greens, veggies, and fruit on top of cardboard eggcrate and some on the mulch. I also place the hydrated water crystals on the egg flats occasionally, so I can keep the mulch from becoming inundated with soiled or decaying food or water crystals.

 

[trickedoutbiker]

let them pupate into flies and then gutload the flies with greens and etc. Again, the flies as well will liquify any food and STINK.

Actually Black Soldier Flies don't eat, but their larvae can, and do, eat all organic material. Soft vegetables work best, such as steamed carrots, but the larvae will eat basically anything you give to it (although it will take it longer to eat more leafy or more solid foods)

A black Soldier Fly will only drink water, as it's mouth is not equipped to eat. They rarely even drink (but can) as their only purpose is to mate and then die. They only live for a few days. I have lots of them right now

 

[Nicholasdeaan]

Actually Black Soldier Flies don't eat, but their larvae can, and do, eat all organic material. Soft vegetables work best, such as steamed carrots, but the larvae will eat basically anything you give to it (although it will take it longer to eat more leafy or more solid foods)

A black Soldier Fly will only drink water, as it's mouth is not equipped to eat. They rarely even drink (but can) as their only purpose is to mate and then die. They only live for a few days. I have lots of them right now

Right. My bad. Forget the actual flies don't eat. Only the larvae. I still would rather let them pupate immediately. The larvae smell like shit when feeding. Lol I never noticed them having trouble eating anything. Pretty sure the saliva they secrete breaks down anything rather quickly. No need to steam carrots

I don't use bran as it has antagonistic properties and isn't good for reptiles that ingest prey feeding on it. I won't kill your chameleon and the threat is not major, but I choose to keep my worms in organic, compared, hardwood, mulch. This doesn't mold, holds some moisture, and provides food, between feedings. To gutload, I sprinkle chopped greens, veggies, and fruit on top of cardboard eggcrate and some on the mulch. I also place the hydrated water crystals on the egg flats occasionally, so I can keep the mulch from becoming inundated with soiled or decaying food or water crystals.

The superworms won't feed on the oat. It's only a medium for them to burrow into. I've never seen any side effects from using it. They will eat mulch tho and burrow inside a piece. Nor do I ever give them water crystals. I don't think I've ever had a single worm die on me either. I only gutload what I'm going to feed off. Makes for less worrying and simplifies things.

 

[Kingkush]

I feed mine sweet potatoes chopped greens they seem to prefer red or white sweet potatoes..out of many things put together for choices its preferred by the worms over even carrots

 

[KapitalJ]

I choose to keep my worms in organic, compared, hardwood, mulch.

Mulch? like for the garden?
Can you give me a link to what you are using? You have me curious.
Thanks.

 

[cyberlocc]

I don't use bran as it has antagonistic properties and isn't good for reptiles that ingest prey feeding on it. I won't kill your chameleon and the threat is not major, but I choose to keep my worms in organic, compared, hardwood, mulch. This doesn't mold, holds some moisture, and provides food, between feedings. To gutload, I sprinkle chopped greens, veggies, and fruit on top of cardboard eggcrate and some on the mulch. I also place the hydrated water crystals on the egg flats occasionally, so I can keep the mulch from becoming inundated with soiled or decaying food or water crystals.

Ya linkey linkey to what you are talking about . Please.

As far as gut load, I have been just giving them the same gut load I made for roaches. Which is the ice cube blended stuff. They are tearing through it lol. They eat it faster than the roaches do! .

as far as container, I am suing 1 of the plastic shoe box things from walmart, they are a dollar. I cut a hole in the center and put screen in the top. However I have 500 babies .

 

[KapitalJ]

@cyberlocc I use wheat bran and oats for a bedding. I also sprinkle a few other things in there. I keep carrot, sweet potato, and random greens in there also, I have yet to prep my veggie garden for the season so they are full of dandelion. I received my order of 1000 this week and keep them in 3 show box totes. I feel they are still too crowded.

 

[cyberlocc]

@cyberlocc I use wheat bran and oats for a bedding. I also sprinkle a few other things in there. I keep carrot, sweet potato, and random greens in there also, I have yet to prep my veggie garden for the season so they are full of dandelion. I received my order of 1000 this week and keep them in 3 show box totes. I feel they are still too crowded.

Ya I think I will need to up the shoeboxes when mine get bigger but they are so small .

They came with carrots in the bag that they were devouring I put that in there as well. With my chow, which is blended, bunhc of greens and veggies.

Its umm off the top of my head. Carrot, Collard greens, Kale, Dandelion (lots of dandelion), Orange, A little bit of mango, some apple, sweet potato, and I think a few more that I cant remember now lol. I also added about a teaspoon of calcium, and a dash of reptivite, for the whole mix which is quite a bit. It filled the blender 2 times, the frozen cubes almost fill a gallon ziplock lol. I gave them that and they are going crazy for it.

I am going to make a better gutload later (in the next week or 2), but I had all that stuff on hand (except the dandelion, grows wild everywhere here). Next time however, I am going to go through sandras blog and get all of it in 1 mix and make a bunch .

I was also thinking before. If this works for all these greens ect. Could we make silkie chow like that? Take a bunch of fresh mulberry and maybe splash in some other stuff and make chow like that?

 

[KapitalJ]

I tried doing that wet mix in ice cube trays for my crickets. I found that after a day it turned into a super weird feeling moist lump... lol.. it was almost like a sponge. I would worry that with the super worm bedding it would promote mold quickly.
I threw all of mine out.

My supers are massive! and crazy active.. I can just sit there and watch them all crawling around..neat stuff..

 

[cyberlocc]

I tried doing that wet mix in ice cube trays for my crickets. I found that after a day it turned into a super weird feeling moist lump... lol.. it was almost like a sponge. I would worry that with the super worm bedding it would promote mold quickly.
I threw all of mine out.

My supers are massive! and crazy active.. I can just sit there and watch them all crawling around..neat stuff..

Put it on a shallow lid, then it doesn't actually touch the bedding .

I just did it for the roaches so I dont have to use the crystals, too many horror stories with the crystals.

However on the crystal front, I have seen people say they make the wet chow. And instead of freezing they use non flavored gelatin to make it a jello. I wonder if that would work as a water source?.

 

[Extensionofgreen]

I'm buying more mulch tomorrow and will try to remember to snap a pic of the bag. I've kept them on oats and see no problem with that, just not bran. Any colorless, finely ground, hardwood or pine bark mulch is fine. I use it in my roach and cricket bins, as well. Coir is another good choice, as moisture doesn't lead to mold, with these materials, unless overly done.

 

[Nicholasdeaan]

I just did it for the roaches so I dont have to use the crystals, too many horror stories with the crystals.

I found crystals to be a waste of money. I give my roaches fresh greens as a water source every 3-4 days instead. Works well and I rarely have any die on me. Maybe 3 in the past several months. Just something to consider.

 

[cyberlocc]

I found crystals to be a waste of money. I give my roaches fresh greens as a water source every 3-4 days instead. Works well and I rarely have any die on me. Maybe 3 in the past several months. Just something to consider.

Well ya that is why I made the Ice cubes. The issue with fresh greens IMO, is they go bad very fast in the fridge. Also keeping track and switching it up is so much a pain like that.

The cubes I can mix and freeze and not have to worry about it, the greens my family likes are not good for the animal, so the stuff they need is not in the house all the time. (well aside from carrots and oranges and a few other things).

Plus with the cube method, I can and plan on adding spirulina and bee pollen and stuff. I can also add calcium to the mix so the bugs ingest that as well.

I just change the gut load out everyday, I could likely do it every 2 days as then it becomes the hard flake.

As for the crystals costing money, I am not too worried about that. It is the dried crystal stuck to a cricket or roach that kills a cham that worries me. Read a lot of people have had that happen.

 

[Extensionofgreen]

I didn't care for the idea of a man made polymer being used to hydrate feeders, but all other methods were unsanitary and allowed for drowning. I make the most of my crystals and add organic juices, coconut water, and other nutrient-rich liquids. The only negative things I've heard related to dried crystals being ingested by chameleons. Since I hydrate my crystals in a gallon jug and remove unused crystals, long before they dehydrate, this is not an issue of concern for me.