Update on super babies

[BocaJan]

I finally see teeny tiny worms in my darkling beetle box. I stirred around the nesting material and overturned a piece of old potato and saw some movement on the piece. On closer examination they were supers. It has taken quite awhile for this to happen. I have about 15 beetles, and now afraid I may end up with way too many worms eventually. Can I feed beetles to my veilds?

 

[Vibrant Chameleons]

I finally see teeny tiny worms in my darkling beetle box. I stirred around the nesting material and overturned a piece of old potato and saw some movement on the piece. On closer examination they were supers. It has taken quite awhile for this to happen. I have about 15 beetles, and now afraid I may end up with way too many worms eventually. Can I feed beetles to my veilds?

My Panthers leave them alone, but I'm not sure if a Veiled will act the same way towards them or not. Those beetles will die off in a short period of time, so I wouldn't worry too much about being over run by them.

 

[AndrewH]

I don't think there is any harm in feeding the beetles, but from what i've read, most chams don't like black beetles. You can always try selling them.

 

[TylerStewart]

Supposedly they have a very strong garlic taste to them as a defense.... I had I tried using them before I knew that, but the cham didn't go for round 2 after eating one.

 

[Lille]

I would just try it, my cham ended up really liking them.

 

[Eric Adrignola]

Superworm beetles (zoophobus) have a very strong chemical defense - and it is not garlic-like in any way! It's persistant, and if you handle a beetle, and do not wash your hands with an abrasive scrub brush, and your fingers end up in your mouth late ron in the day - you will find out yourself...

It tastes like a burnt out electrical transformer smells - burnt plastic and metal. Kinda like the WTC site after 9-11 smelled. Seriously. It's bad.

However, I've found that simply washing the rear end of the beetles makes them palatable to the chameleons. Never had one eat an unwashed beetle, never had one spit out a washed one.

 

[laurie]

If you know anyone with bearded dragons, they love those ugly, nasty things!! I want to hear more about how you are "growing" superworms, I always have to buy them.

 

[sandrachameleon]

I imagine the beetles are tough to digest, so dont offer too many too often.
You're not going to be over-run with worms. Just start feeding off the worms earlier, when they are still small, or dont feed the worms well and they will eat eat other, making fewer bigger worms

Laurie - see https://www.chameleonforums.com/can-i-breed-my-19747/

 

[BocaJan]

If you know anyone with bearded dragons, they love those ugly, nasty things!! I want to hear more about how you are "growing" superworms, I always have to buy them.

Laurie, if you check my blog you will see an entry on raising superworms. It takes awhile, but it is super easy and once you get started you can keep it going and going and going. You will need to start with some purchased supers. It will take 3 - 4 months before you have a worm large enough to feed off, but it is easy and cheap (did I say that before?)

LOL, anyway, here is the link to my blog if you need it, otherwise click under my info where you see blog entries.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/bocajan/45-super-worm-breeding.html

 

[blackbetty]

However, I've found that simply washing the rear end of the beetles makes them palatable to the chameleons. Never had one eat an unwashed beetle, never had one spit out a washed one.

Not sure Id want to explain the hubby why I am washing the rear of a bug. LOL!

 

[BocaJan]

Rotflmao hahahahahahaa

 

[Picasso]

I finally see teeny tiny worms in my darkling beetle box. I stirred around the nesting material and overturned a piece of old potato and saw some movement on the piece. On closer examination they were supers. It has taken quite awhile for this to happen. I have about 15 beetles, and now afraid I may end up with way too many worms eventually. Can I feed beetles to my veilds?

Jan,

I also starting breeding them...I'm still waiting to see the babies supers. How long did it take from egg laying or mating to seeing the baby supers?

You have any pictures?

 

[Syn]

I wanna see pictures of these once they are big enough to see!!!

 

[BocaJan]

I tried taking pictures but the worms are so small you just can't see them in a photograph. I will try posting one in a week or two, or at least after a shed.

 

[sandrachameleon]

It take about a month after beetle mating and egg laying until you have worms. Takes another couple months for the worms to be a useful size. But once you've got various ages of worms and beetles going, its extremely easy and cheap to raise these. Not that its all that expensive to buy them, but at least this way you know what they were raised on and always have them on hand (including baby worms for baby chameleons)

 

[ciafardo 4]

HOW BOUT THAT WASHIN THE BUGS WASHIN THE BUGS DA NA!!!!

 

[laurie]

I imagine the beetles are tough to digest, so dont offer too many too often.
You're not going to be over-run with worms. Just start feeding off the worms earlier, when they are still small, or dont feed the worms well and they will eat eat other, making fewer bigger worms

Laurie - see https://www.chameleonforums.com/can-i-breed-my-19747/

Thanks Sandra, My sister pays .22 each for superworms so she will really love this info.

 

[dondeb562]

This does seem like a long drawn out process. It took my worms about a month to turn into beetles and now I am just waiting for worms! lol! Interesting experience though

 

[sandrachameleon]

Its not a fast process, but really it doesnt need to be. Once you get going, the time it takes for pupating and egg laying/hatching etc is irrelevant, since you'll if you're like me) always have four or five containers in different stages. One container for beetles laying eggs. One container for itty bitty baby worms (which a month ago was the bin that had beetles in it). One container for medium worms. One for big worms. One with fresh pupaes in it, waiting to become the next batch of beetles. Oh, well, and a few small containers (some people use film canisters or pill bottles) for those individual worms that you are coaxing into pupating.

For me, all the bins are small and take little effort to look after. basically, adding food. and then cleaning the container after all the worms are eaten so I can reuse it at the beginning of the line again.

 

[BocaJan]

This does seem like a long drawn out process. It took my worms about a month to turn into beetles and now I am just waiting for worms! lol! Interesting experience though

I check the underside of my potato pieces for the tiny worms. It is really cool to see the wheat germ roil around under it with the little babies. Can't see the babies but you see the wheat germ moving as the worms dig down to hide.