Alternatives to Crickets?
- Thread starter AZJ0SH
- Start date
If you can use enough I would try ordering in bulk from a vendor - they last way longer than pet store crickets. Mine will last over a month from online sources with very minimal care. How are you keeping them?
AZJ0SH
New Member
My wife won't let me get roaches in the apartment, so im looking for other options.
I keep them in one of these: http://lllreptile.com/load-image/StoreInventoryImage/image/4734
I only put about 40 at a time in there, plenty of veggies food and water gels, I keep them down underneath in the dark and they get good airflow.
I just hate crix in general, my cham seems to prefer worms.
Yeah those cricket keepers suck. I had immediate success keeping them alive much longer as soon as I stopped using those. Now I have hardly any deaths at all and order hundreds at a time. Here's what I use:
Butterworms, silkworms, hornworms, gutloaded superworms are good options.
Butterworms, silkworms, hornworms, gutloaded superworms are good options.
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AZJ0SH
New Member
Yeah those cricket keepers suck. I had immediate success keeping them alive much longer as soon as I stopped using those. Now I have hardly any deaths at all and order hundreds at a time. Here's what I use:
Butterworms, silkworms, hornworms, gutloaded superworms are good options.
Looks just like tupperware and window screen and some hot glue? I can make that today if needed, seems like a good idea.
Can a 3 month old cham eat hornworms or butterworms?
Right now he is eatng 1" meal worms and 1/2" crix no problem.
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Texas Ranger
Avid Member
Hornworms are small when you first get them. But they grow FAST. Butterworms are not that big. I think a 3month old could handle them too. Just get the small ones to try first.
Bruno
New Member
http://www.elliotsbutterworms.com/
http://www.ladysilkworm.com/
I order from both and both have great products
AZJ0SH
New Member
Thanks! Just ordered 100+ 1/2" silk worms.
So my cham will be fine on a mix of crix, silks, and meal worms? Only about 10% of his diet will be mealworms tops.
Bruno
New Member
Ya Nancy (Lady silkworm) is the best!!!
clarkrw3
New Member
I have been feeding my little almost 3 mo panther 2-3wk crickets, silkworms, hornworms, fruitflies, a couple baby superworms/wk, and a phoenix worm now and then. I would say his favorite are the horns and silks. I have had some crickets (with a orange) in his feeder bowl for 2 days and he hasn't touched them just waits for me to come and put a worm on a branch and then ZAP. The horns are funny because they often times hold on enough that his tongue brings him to the worm not the other way around. I think most Cham's are in love with anything green He has been eating a lot of 1/2 to 3/4" silks which I think is the same as several 1-2wk crickets. The hardest think I find is that when I dust the bugs he seems to not eat them right way and they die and when I don't dust he eats them right up....I think he is messing with me. BTW if you order silks from the silklady make sure you transfer them out right away otherwise they will die. The silk cups from Mulberry farms seem to have a little more leeway.
He has been eating a lot of 1/2 to 3/4" silks which I think is the same as several 1-2wk crickets. The hardest think I find is that when I dust the bugs he seems to not eat them right way and they die and when I don't dust he eats them right up....I think he is messing with me. BTW if you order silks from the silklady make sure you transfer them out right away otherwise they will die. The silk cups from Mulberry farms seem to have a little more leeway.I took the plunge into setting up a colony of Dubia cockroaches. Forget the stigma.....go dubias. EASY to setup. EASY to care for. NO smell (virtually).
I keep mine in a large 64-quart tub with the lid cut open and mesh glued on. If you stick your nose right in it you can smell it but even a few feet away it is gone (and you can easily keep it in the garage or wherever). I just wrap a heat-cord around the entire time and I have a 2nd tub that I switch it out to every month for cleaning (just move the eggcrate and food, takes maybe 10minutes tops). I bought ~25 adults at the end of february and right now I have probably about 250-350 nymphs...the food/water usage has skyrocketed.
I could not possibly recommend them more!
I keep mine in a large 64-quart tub with the lid cut open and mesh glued on. If you stick your nose right in it you can smell it but even a few feet away it is gone (and you can easily keep it in the garage or wherever). I just wrap a heat-cord around the entire time and I have a 2nd tub that I switch it out to every month for cleaning (just move the eggcrate and food, takes maybe 10minutes tops). I bought ~25 adults at the end of february and right now I have probably about 250-350 nymphs...the food/water usage has skyrocketed.
I could not possibly recommend them more!
Shenzi Sixaxis
Member
ladysilkworm
Established Member
I have been feeding my little almost 3 mo panther 2-3wk crickets, silkworms, hornworms, fruitflies, a couple baby superworms/wk, and a phoenix worm now and then. I would say his favorite are the horns and silks. I have had some crickets (with a orange) in his feeder bowl for 2 days and he hasn't touched them just waits for me to come and put a worm on a branch and then ZAP. The horns are funny because they often times hold on enough that his tongue brings him to the worm not the other way around. I think most Cham's are in love with anything green
hmm... that's for letting me know.. I think I put in way too many silkworms and that it gets overcrowded in a little cup.. .. and now I've cut down on the number of silks in there.. which isn't a good thing either, cuz of course one would want more silkworms!
but hey, you didn't order any silkworm cups from me??? !! you ordered the ones raised on leaves and they don't eat chow!
clarkrw3
New Member
Sorry wasn't trying to bash...I think your product is high quality. Just as a newbie I didn't transfer them soon enough so I was trying to help someone else out (that is also a newbie) I am pretty new to this ordering worms and I guess I didn't order correctly
ladysilkworm
Established Member
Sorry wasn't trying to bash...I think your product is high quality. Just as a newbie I didn't transfer them soon enough so I was trying to help someone else out (that is also a newbie) I am pretty new to this ordering worms and I guess I didn't order correctly
Ah! I remember now
You ordered some silkworms raised on leaves and you ordered cook chow (got a good discount on that coz I miscalculated your shipping
).. I emailed you about the silkworms on leaves not eating chow, but didn't get an answer, and so I included an additional half cup of chow with silks raised on chow.. it was not a real chow cup, but a few chunks of chow with silkworms wrapped around it.
Yeah, chow really isn't my favorite thing. They can't withstand heat very well... and come to destination all stinky and smelly.. and some can get crushed...
also, shipping to AZ scares me!! certain states in the south can really make me sweat
I can't believe it is going to hit 100 tomorrow over by you!Here in NY, it was in the 60's today, can you imagine??
Chamifornia
Established Member
Can you gutload silkworms are do they only eat the chow and leaves? If you cant gutload would they still be healthy to feed your cham as a staple?
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