ColorCham427
Avid Member
Pill & Sow Bugs (Isopods)
Panchlora nivea (Green Banana Roaches)
Panchlora nivea (Green Banana Roaches)
Are these good for Panther Chameleons?
- Thread starter ColorCham427
- Start date
THECHAMMAN
Established Member
banana roaches are good. idk about the rest.
Dean Pulcini
Avid Member
Sow bugs are very good high in calcium low in fat. Banana roaches are good for small chameleons they also can fly.
ColorCham427
Avid Member
Thanks for the replies. ill have some soon, cant wait for my chams to try em~!
SSimsswiSS
Avid Member
I keep both of these together in a ten gallon tank. The P. Nivea need ground soil and decaying roots to feed on. THe pill bugs help to break down roots, and added veggies. Careful though, Nivea females are good at escaping.
SoCaliSon
Avid Member
Very interesting... Never knew Roley Poleys(what we called them as kids, my first "pet"
)were a good food source... I would be curious to know more details about how you raise these two together Steve.. Sounds pretty cool... Or on the hand... forget the banana roaches... I tolerate no escapes and an invasive flying roach is something I do not want.... But Pill bugs... That sounds like something I would like to get into.
SoCaliSon
Avid Member
Looks like a girl lost a green acrylic Nail. Maybe I can tell that to the roomates when they are doing fly by's in our house...lol. The reason I picked dubies, is becasue they can't Climb, Fly, hop, chirp, stink... and they are slow... so If I drop one... It doesn't jet under the furniture before I can lean over and pick it up. I have found that male Dubies can actually flutter just enough to make there way out of my feeding cup. Takes the males like 5 tries, but after listening to them fall to the bottom of the cup four or five times...they finally make it out...and hide in the top corner of the cage. I would pluck the wings ...but McLovin loves the winged ones for some reason.
So honestly... Are these Bananas really a better option than dubias? Are they worth the risk?? I was reading up and they are considered "Invasive".
So honestly... Are these Bananas really a better option than dubias? Are they worth the risk?? I was reading up and they are considered "Invasive".
dodolah
Retired Moderator
if you have dubia colony set up already, i don't see any reason to get the banana one.
The only difference for your cham is the color.
Since cham usually goes nut over green insects, he probably would zap these feeder quicker than dubia.
But, the flying and their elusive ability to hide and escape scare me the most.
as far as i know, these green guys do not like to breed indoor.
The only difference for your cham is the color.
Since cham usually goes nut over green insects, he probably would zap these feeder quicker than dubia.
But, the flying and their elusive ability to hide and escape scare me the most.
as far as i know, these green guys do not like to breed indoor.
SSimsswiSS
Avid Member
Females don't fly, but somehow get pass the vasiline barrier. There not to invasive, need high humidity, so dry out and die here in southern Cal., mostly find escapees in the other roach tanks from time to time. Have never seen a male (the green guys) get out. But then again possible they could of flew to coop.Very interesting... Never knew Roley Poleys(what we called them as kids, my first "pet"
SSimsswiSS
Avid Member
Harder to keep. Slow growth species, plus the humidity / temp. thing. They take a little effort to keep colony
SSimsswiSS
Avid Member
Just fill a ten gallon tank with about two inches of garden soil. Can add oak leaves or mulberry for cover. I use egg crates. I feed them carrots, squash, dark leafy greens, etc. I just add water once a week ( kinda flood them out), and let dry out the rest of week. I collected the pill bugs from the backyard. In a short time you'll have plenty. I use as a snack treat from time to time. Maybe once every 3 months for smaller chameleons, or females. So pretty sparingly.
beenpanced
New Member
Given ample food, water and living space, how large could a pillbug grow? I've seen and held many "Rollie-Pollies" but never really seen any big ones (more than an inch).
SSimsswiSS
Avid Member
It's said there high in chitin content. Like all shelled insects. Much like mealworms. So I try not to over do it, on them.
SSimsswiSS
Avid Member
I have to add, the pill bugs work good on/with fussy eaters. They have a different movement action than most prey items. All those tiny legs propeling them along, seems to simulate a feeding response.
ColorCham427
Avid Member
Niiice. What kind of roaches would u rec. me using?
sandrachameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
Pill bugs / wood sows / rollie polies
They are easy to raise. An Aquarium works well. Or a really big jar. Or a rubbermaid type bucket. They can not climb glass, but they can climb the silicon seams in the corners of aquairums, so if you use that you'll need a lid or vaseline. I prefer to use really big plastic buckets. Put some sand on the bottom. Make it moist, but not wet. Throw in some dead leaves, some bark, moss and such. Add wood bugs. Feed fruit and vegetable matter, dead (from natural causes) crickets, the skin your chameleons shed off, dead leaves, and anything you'd feed crickets. Wood sows eat almost anything, but are mostly fond of the things they'd eat naturally (decaying wood and other veg debris). Keep moist (they need moisture for their "gills"). Give them things to hide under like a broken clay pot. I use a piece of coconut shell as the "food dish" for the fruit and veg, so that I can remove anything that starts to stink. After a few years, the amount of "soil" on the bottom will increase. I keep a couple earth worms in there, to help break things down even faster, then just dump it on my garden flower beds periodically (saving the pill bugs to restart the colony).
CAUTION - like anything else with a hard shell, pill bugs can take a while to digest, so dont feed these to your chameleons every day.
Very interesting... Never knew Roley Poleys(what we called them as kids, my first "pet"
They are easy to raise. An Aquarium works well. Or a really big jar. Or a rubbermaid type bucket. They can not climb glass, but they can climb the silicon seams in the corners of aquairums, so if you use that you'll need a lid or vaseline. I prefer to use really big plastic buckets. Put some sand on the bottom. Make it moist, but not wet. Throw in some dead leaves, some bark, moss and such. Add wood bugs. Feed fruit and vegetable matter, dead (from natural causes) crickets, the skin your chameleons shed off, dead leaves, and anything you'd feed crickets. Wood sows eat almost anything, but are mostly fond of the things they'd eat naturally (decaying wood and other veg debris). Keep moist (they need moisture for their "gills"). Give them things to hide under like a broken clay pot. I use a piece of coconut shell as the "food dish" for the fruit and veg, so that I can remove anything that starts to stink. After a few years, the amount of "soil" on the bottom will increase. I keep a couple earth worms in there, to help break things down even faster, then just dump it on my garden flower beds periodically (saving the pill bugs to restart the colony).
CAUTION - like anything else with a hard shell, pill bugs can take a while to digest, so dont feed these to your chameleons every day.
