The Superior Feeder.....

AnamCara

Chameleon Enthusiast
I honestly can't believe it took me so long to fully convert but F crickets! Mona is not even hesitant with her dubias anymore she gobbles them down. These dudes freaked me out for so long but holy crap the maintenance difference is HUGE and as stated in my previous post about them THEY DON'T DIE. They eat like champs -- gut loading is super easy.

Cleaning their tub is also super easy -- they just scoot into their new container boop boop boop and then I clean the one they were in. Since they don't jump I really see it being hard to have escapees around the house which means my brother will enter my house again! I'm fully gonna start a colony of these dudes. I knew I was a weird kid but I never thought I'd get so excited about roaches. Crickets were such a pain in the *** for so long. Eeep!
 
but they're just so icky!!! Actually I think the (large) crickets gross me out more than the roaches... but I wouldn't want to find any of them loose in my house!

Pinheads aren't so bad... except that about 100 of the brats escaped my cricket keeper yesterday and infested my bedroom.

Everybody knows silkworms are where its at!!
 
but they're just so icky!!! Actually I think the (large) crickets gross me out more than the roaches... but I wouldn't want to find any of them loose in my house!

Pinheads aren't so bad... except that about 100 of the brats escaped my cricket keeper yesterday and infested my bedroom.

Everybody knows silkworms are where its at!!

I do love silks they're kinda freakin cute though! I dont' think in 1000 years I would breed silks but roaches I feel are doable.

My latest batch of silks came with the chow -- I'm not a huge fan. I like feeding leaves as I can clean out the waste super easy -- with the chow, the feces just sits on top and I find I clean it out twice a day. Overkill? Underkill?
 
If you are buying silks from someone else, the chow cups are a bit of a PITA. If you are raising your own, its easier to clean the poop if you are using a more open, flat container vs a round deli cup. They are still slightly higher maintenance but minus the ick/escape factor!
Raising my own sounds insane! I'm a very visual learner I would need a step by step video tutorial for any of that biz! :ROFLMAO:
 
I have started a Dubia colony and when they are big enough to feed, the crickets are going Bye bye. Well most of them anyway.
Like AnamCara pointed out they are easy to care for, don't smell or make noise and live forever.
 
How do you guys present the dubias? Run cups? I find they don't move enough and fail to attract his attention. But maybe thats just because he's used to the crickets.
 
How do you guys present the dubias? Run cups? I find they don't move enough and fail to attract his attention. But maybe thats just because he's used to the crickets.

I use the full throttle feeder. I mix them with silks -- hold the silk in my hand so she sees it and have her watch me drop it in. Since she's a female and I feed less I don't tend to have issues with her eating. She's hungry on feeding days.
 
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I haven't been super thrilled with any of the feeder runs I've tried, so I just free range the bugs on branches wherever possible. Dubia I put in a small sandwich container and hand feed those. Most of the chams eat them quickly, but it would be more convenient to put them in a run. My problem is that I've had escapes, hidden bugs, and general lack of movement with all the runs I've tried.
 
but they're just so icky!!! Actually I think the (large) crickets gross me out more than the roaches... but I wouldn't want to find any of them loose in my house!

Pinheads aren't so bad... except that about 100 of the brats escaped my cricket keeper yesterday and infested my bedroom.

Everybody knows silkworms are where its at!!

Silkies are good, but nothing tops bsfl!!!!
 
I do not jest, and please stop calling me Shirley! (Not sure the home lands in text). Seriously though, silkiest are great, but their calcium phosphorus ratio pales in comparison to bsfl. Earthworm would be a close second if they weren’t crawling with parasites.
 
I know, I know...the joke doesn’t play as well in text, but no one’s ever accused me of being clever. I’ve had no luck breeding bsfl in any quantity, so you’re right there. That said, I’ve had no luck breeding slinkies in any quantity either. I wish I had better access to silkies here, in the land of the maple leaf. They’re super seasonal. Anyways, you’re rock shit hot! Thanks for the reply!
 
I do not jest, and please stop calling me Shirley! (Not sure the home lands in text). Seriously though, silkiest are great, but their calcium phosphorus ratio pales in comparison to bsfl. Earthworm would be a close second if they weren’t crawling with parasites.

Mineral powder is an easy way to correct the ratio. BSFL are good, but can't compare to silks IMO. the size, ease of digestion, mulberry(which is nutritious), etc make silks the better option in my mind. They both are great though and have their place. Also, good luck getting a large chameleon full on BSFL lol. Funny thing about that though, my Parsons will eat BSFL, but refuses silkworms and hornworms.
 
As always, James, it’s a pleasure to hear from you! You are absolutely right about portion size problems with bsfl, and I agree that silkies are definitely superior in this regard. The ca:p ratio is undeniably in favour of the bsfl, but I’d definitely incorporate more silkies, had I consistent access to them. It’s funny that your cadillacs prefer bsfl to silkies: they must crush several hundred per feeding. Yes, I called your parson’s a Cadillac, cause let’s be real here
 
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