What do you wish you had known (dubia, hornworms, waxworms)

[KeanuChameleon]

I am getting my first shipment of small dubia roaches, hornworms and waxworms. What do you wish you had known when getting your first shipment and/or when feeding these critters to your chameleon for the first time?
Thanks!

 

[ERKleRose]

Dubias are slow and clumsy. They never move around when I feed them. I feed red runners and discoids, along with other roaches, over dubias now. Hornworms can get massive quick, and should only be hand-fed. Waxworms can be gutloaded with honey and are healthy to feed when pupated into moths (same with hornworms, if your cham can handle really big moths)

 

[Beman]

I wish I would have known:

Dubias need to be on heat to gutload.

Hornworms grow really fast. Cycling them on and off cold packs every 12-24 hours slows their growth.

Waxworms are fat sacks and should only be treats. I thought that they could be fed all the time and they should not be.

 

[KeanuChameleon]

Dubias are slow and clumsy. They never move around when I feed them. I feed red runners and discoids, along with other roaches, over dubias now. Hornworms can get massive quick, and should only be hand-fed. Waxworms can be gutloaded with honey and are healthy to feed when pupated into moths (same with hornworms, if your cham can handle really big moths)

Thank you! Great info!

 

[KeanuChameleon]

I wish I would have known:

Dubias need to be on heat to gutload.

Hornworms grow really fast. Cycling them on and off cold packs every 12-24 hours slows their growth.

Waxworms are fat sacks and should only be treats. I thought that they could be fed all the time and they should not be.

I had no idea about the heat or really any of this. Thank you!

 

[jamest0o0]

Well, they don't eat much if at cooler temps. Think of insects like reptiles, their metabolism is dependent on heat, some need more heat than others though.

 

[Lindasjackson]

So how do you provide heat to Dubia? I have 50 of them and I thought I only had to feed them fresh veggies! So do I have to provide heat to my crickets as well? Can I just put a heating pad on low under their plastic bins?

 

[Persnickety Parson's]

I wish I had known that domestic crickets will eat the animal they are being fed too, rather than find out the hard way.

 

[KeanuChameleon]

@Persnickety Parson's, Oh no, that's awful. I'm sorry.

 

[KeanuChameleon]

So how do you provide heat to Dubia? I have 50 of them and I thought I only had to feed them fresh veggies! So do I have to provide heat to my crickets as well? Can I just put a heating pad on low under their plastic bins?

That's a good question. I'm not sure, hopefully someone can help us out.

 

[Lindasjackson]

Jamest0o0 said that I don’t really have to. I pmd him about it. I imagine if it were really cold in my house I would, but it’s not. He said you can add a heat mat if you want to but not to worry about it

 

[MissSkittles]

Crickets stink and are nasty. Superworms can bite. Hornworms can also bite and have very sticky little feet, making it not safe to just put on a branch for your chameleon. It is very easy and full of bonuses to start your own roach colony…breed your own. Last, don’t overfeed your chameleon.

 

[KeanuChameleon]

Great advice, thank you!

 

[Lindasjackson]

Crickets aren’t my favorite, but I will get evicted from my apartment if I’m caught raising Dubia or any kind of roaches I’m sure!

 

[ERKleRose]

Just call them beetles!

 

[Lindasjackson]

 

[Flick boy]

I hate crickets ( hate being a bit stronge) but the jumpy little shites do my head in lol so for me personally I would like to know/ understand more about silkworms as I can't seem to keep alive long . Just got around 100 4th hooper locusts wow can they eat lol but loving the learning

 

[Lindasjackson]

Why do you like grasshoppers any better than crickets??

 

[Persnickety Parson's]

@Persnickety Parson's, Oh no, that's awful. I'm sorry.

That happened decades ago, now if crickets aren't eaten within six hours I remove them from the cages, especially with hatchlings.

 

[Beman]

I had to use a heat mat... I have never had luck getting them to eat unless it is warmer then 78. So I keep them on a heat pad for a tank and keep them in the tank in their containers. If you have a hot area of your house that works too. I just never have had a garage that I could utilize.