Would it be OK to do this?

[ridgebax1]

Many times I have gotten a tub of phoenix worms with the hard black non-motile worms. would it be OK to put some of these things into the dirt around the plants and let them transform into flies? I have gotten containers in the past that have flies in them which I have released into Omar's cage for him to hunt.

 

[fluxlizard]

yes but make sure your cham doesn't eat dirt going for stray worms.
Also, if they aren't black, they still need to eat and grow before going into the dirt.
I have had a fun summer with a garbage can colony of these worms. Some of the crawl off worms that I was feeding to the chameleons avoided detection in the cages and turned into flies and flew around in the cage before being eaten. Seems like fun for chameleons to me!

 

[Deevo]

I always just assumed these were dried up/dead worms. I have some wax worms that seem to be in this stage. If I put them in the dirt like a seed they should come out in a week or so?

 

[pigglett79]

I always just assumed these were dried up/dead worms. I have some wax worms that seem to be in this stage. If I put them in the dirt like a seed they should come out in a week or so?

You dont even have to put them in dirt. They will just tun on their own. The phoenix worms turn in to black soldier flies and the wax worms to moths.

 

[little leaf]

wait- what ??? - lol the black hard wax worms are not dead ??

 

[pigglett79]

wait- what ??? - lol the black hard wax worms are not dead ??

You can google wax worm pupa

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/189/491407776_c6b62b3124.jpg

 

[little leaf]

hmmmm - well, I'll be darn ! I will save a few, and see if they turn into anything - ty for the info guys

 

[ridgebax1]

Omar really likes chasing down the flies so I will let him have a surprise! What about butters? I had a whole bunch of them get really hard and dried out looking in the fridge, I assumed they were also dead and threw them away! Would they have turned into a fun bug to hunt?

 

[teejayteej]

really ..darn I just tossed a bunch of them in the trash yesterday. I have been just tossing the black wax worms out as dead. boy have I been wasting money and food for the kids. lol

 

[ridgebax1]

I have a container of phoenix worms with some of the hard dark worms in it so I set it aside a couple of weeks ago. I opened it today inside Omar's cage and found 3 flies; one was all hatched out and ready to go the other two were still working on it. Needless to say the one flying around had a very short life! So I "planted" a few of them under the philodendron.

 

[werecat]

We had some really big black ones (Phoenix worms) for awhile and I separated them into containers of about 5 each. They started turning in the containers and for a couple weeks I had a steady supply of about 2-3 flies a day that I could just release into Egon's cage. He loved them! I definitely recommend as an enrichment feeder.
*I like the idea of just "planting" some in the pot in his cage though! Seems easier than my method.

 

[pigglett79]

Omar really likes chasing down the flies so I will let him have a surprise! What about butters? I had a whole bunch of them get really hard and dried out looking in the fridge, I assumed they were also dead and threw them away! Would they have turned into a fun bug to hunt?

Butter worms are hit with radiation prior to export to prevent them from reproducing. So unfortunately those wont be turning in to anything.

 

[ridgebax1]

I knew they could not reproduce but I guess I thought they would still turn into something! What about superworms. I had one turn into an alien, then a beetle. I think we let it go or maybe my son killed it I don't remember. Can the chams eat those aliens or the beetles or are they too hard to digest?

 

[DanSB]

Wax moths love to eat your clothes so be careful not to lose any in the house... I personally would never feed a wax worm they aren't very healthy but in my opinion the moths are good enrichment.

The black soldier fly larvae will eat any flies that hatch if you don't separate them. The flies don't eat and burn most of the healthy benefits after metamorphose. I think if you feed them immediately they are ok but I have nothing to base that on. And are definitely a fun enrichment feeder.

I wouldn't feed beetles personally. I just don't think it is worth any risk when roaches give the same feeding experience and are healthy and not made of pure armor.

Also I would just put any pupae in a cup instead of the dirt just in case, to reduce risk of fecal contamination and for any dirt rating issues.

 

[spottea]

I had two superworms accidentally turn into these black, shiny beetles. They just appeared out of a grapevine one day. Piko wouldn't eat them, and when I grabbed one to throw it over the patio fence, my hand smelled of gasoline...eewww!

 

[DanSB]

As a side note, because it has been said a few times in this thread: Do not release any captive insects. If it is an unwanted feeder kill it or give it away. While most captive feeders are either already present in an ecosystem, or would quickly die off there is always a small risk of some kind of pathogen or an invasive issue.

I know I sound like an old hen but I love this hobby and don't want big brother to have any excuses for making new laws or cracking down on unenforced current ones.

If we can't play responsibly the I'll informed masses will be more than happy to take away that which we enjoy.

 

[pigglett79]

As a side note, because it has been said a few times in this thread: Do not release any captive insects. If it is an unwanted feeder kill it or give it away. While most captive feeders are either already present in an ecosystem, or would quickly die off there is always a small risk of some kind of pathogen or an invasive issue.

I know I sound like an old hen but I love this hobby and don't want big brother to have any excuses for making new laws or cracking down on unenforced current ones.

If we can't play responsibly the I'll informed masses will be more than happy to take away that which we enjoy.

Very true. You should never release any feeder outside. You can give them to someone else, kill them, burn them or freeze them. And we can sometimes lose sight of the fact that many of us are housing very invasive pests as feeders.