Giant Reptile Feeding

[Andee]

So I am having a hard time finding the answer to this question I have so I have not yet narrowed down a species of roach to feed to giant species of reptiles. I am not interested in raising hissers at all. But I was checking out larger species of winged roaches without the really harsh defensive smells.... So I was wondering if anyone had an average roach size they fed to their giant chams of hissers? I am trying to figure out general weight I am reaching for?

@jpowell86 @OldChamKeeper @Extensionofgreen (if he hasn't left for his trip yet) @AZChamFan ummm not sure who else to call yet because almost everyone else I know off the top of my head has juveniles or babies

 

[Matt Vanilla Gorilla]

My Parsons easily eat Dubia roaches that are half the size of adult Dubias. I am sure they can eat bigger Dubias but I don't like walking on the edge! Lol

 

[AZChamFan]

I guess I'm not positive what the question is - surely my lack of perception!!!!! I totally agree with MVG in regards to not pushing size to the limit. My Verrucosus can handle adult Dubias but I still give him "one size down" usually. Are you looking for a species other than Dubias? I understand you don't want hissers. I can't really help with other species unfortunately as I've only raised Dubias.

 

[JoeDigiorgio]

My Meller's can take adult discoids no problem and they're not fully grown. They prefer just below adult size for the most part but don't struggle with adults at all. Adult discoids are about 50% larger than adult dubia in my experience.

 

[Action Jackson]

My Parson's easily eat adult Dubia and Orange head roaches. I also feed hissers but I usually only feed medium sized ones. Big hissers are knarly and have spikes on their legs. I have seen my Parson's shoot a big hisser, bring it into their mouth and not be able to manipulate it in order to smash it up. Pretty scary see them swallow a big live hisser.

 

[Andee]

Odd for the first two replies, I have a relatively small panther (Ryker for those who aren't particularly aware of who I personally own) he's never been large. But when he was eating on his own he was adult dubia (larger males) when he was picky with roaches and ate them no problem. But he chews well. He has always eaten huge prey items though. Certain ones I am definitely more careful about. Like roaches with spikier legs etc. Hes also eaten one of my older females who got injured to the point where I couldn't help her and was slowly dying but I didn't feel right wasting her.

 

[Andee]

I have been looking at... I think it's glow spot roaches? Starting a colony of them because they are supposedly some of the heaviest roaches for their length (other than hissers) so they would have a lot of meat on them and weight, even as nymphs. I don't remember though if it was glow spot or another type. And the thing is they are no longer than a dubia. I think it'd be cool to be able to offer them because they could feed larger species of chams easier and yet still make a better meal for a smaller or younger cham? Any thoughts?

 

[Andee]

I guess I'm not positive what the question is - surely my lack of perception!!!!! I totally agree with MVG in regards to not pushing size to the limit. My Verrucosus can handle adult Dubias but I still give him "one size down" usually. Are you looking for a species other than Dubias? I understand you don't want hissers. I can't really help with other species unfortunately as I've only raised Dubias.

Yes I am raising various species of roaches very soon and plan to have several Florida legal, several smaller species available, and then since I get so many requests for larger feeders I would like to have specifically one species of roach that would be better for larger reptiles.

 

[jpowell86]

I am all about the Orange Heads. Andrew got me hooked on them. My melleri love them.

On a different topic, it would be cool if someone would raise hornworms up and let them pupate and sell the pupae. That way the person can just wait for them to emerge. I feed these more than the hornworm themselves and it is an awesome meal for a large chameleon. Just saying it would be cool. Not sure how the process would pay off as far as profits are concerned, but I would rather pay for this than the worms. But that is coming from someone who owns large chameleons.

 

[Andee]

Lmao XD I wish Joel, I wish so bad I could raise hornworms and sell off any form of them to the people who want them. Sadly one thing I cannot have are giant flying moths. I have a fiance who has a phobia of moths, butterflies are more lenient and as long as they are small it isn't as much of an issue. But anything he knew could turn into something that looked like and was the size of a hawkmoth he would burn my insect room/shed down because of sheer terror. I don't blame him, he's been very compromising on something he's scared of for some unknown reason. I mean he lets me have my silkmoths and that's all u really need.

 

[OldChamKeeper]

I am all about the Orange Heads. Andrew got me hooked on them. My melleri love them.

This.

As for size, I always go a size down with armored prey items.

 

[EveryGreen]

does it have to be a roach? my veild scarfs down hornworms all the time. he only eats one or two but still he loves em. but their juicy so dont blame me if it explodes everywhere

 

[laurie]

So I am having a hard time finding the answer to this question I have so I have not yet narrowed down a species of roach to feed to giant species of reptiles. I am not interested in raising hissers at all. But I was checking out larger species of winged roaches without the really harsh defensive smells.... So I was wondering if anyone had an average roach size they fed to their giant chams of hissers? I am trying to figure out general weight I am reaching for?

@jpowell86 @OldChamKeeper @Extensionofgreen (if he hasn't left for his trip yet) @AZChamFan ummm not sure who else to call yet because almost everyone else I know off the top of my head has juveniles or babies

I get orange head roackes from Nick Barta. I have a young parsons and I am careful not to feed items larger than his mouth is wide and long. They are meatier than dubia. Let me know if I can offer any other info

 

[Andee]

does it have to be a roach? my veild scarfs down hornworms all the time. he only eats one or two but still he loves em. but their juicy so dont blame me if it explodes everywhere

I raise other things as well but like I said before in to a post above I can never raise hornworms. But not much is being sold right now because my colonies need to stabilize and such.

 

[Extensionofgreen]

Orange heads have a good meat to shell ration and not nearly as much fat as hissers. I like Discoids, but they are a lot of wing and not as much meat, though they are leaner. Orange heads do smell more than other roaches, in large numbers and they breed much faster than some of the others, like dubia. Giant lobsters are great, but they do climb. I used to feed a lot of lobster roaches to my melleri and they also breed quickly, though are smaller than Dubia as adults.
I believe having several roach species adds interest and they do assimilate nutrients different per species, so it is like having different feeders, when you use more than one species of roach. If I had to choose one roach, it would be orange heads.

 

[Andee]

See I like that train of thought, I may get orange heads, not sure yet. I am still on the fence about them. They like higher protein and do better with it, so I may have to adjust my gutload correctly.

 

[Extensionofgreen]

I think moisture is more important than protein. I feed all of my roaches and crix the same diet.

 

[jpowell86]

I think moisture is more important than protein. I feed all of my roaches and crix the same diet.

Yeah, but your roaches and crickets eat better than 99% of the people on this Forum!!! LOL

 

[Andee]

It depends, what is your list again @Extensionofgreen, it depends on the average protein percentage, protein doesn't just come from animals. I have an average 18% protein for my current gutload and it all greens/fruits/seeds/nuts and a low amount of high protein grains.

 

[Extensionofgreen]

My list varies, but it is all plant based, chia flour, pumpkin seed flour, hemp seed flour, almond flour, and similar sources. It is a myth that insects fed the same diet will have the same nutrition. Insects and all animals and plants, assimilate and store elements in their tissues differently, depending on their internal chemistry. A panda has evolved to extract all of the proteins it needs from bamboo, while many animals would find that diet too deficient. It is true that they insects will all carry the same nutrients in their guts, but that's only one piece of the puzzle. Orange heads chew one another's wings. That's just what they do. Some speculate it's a need for protein, others moisture. I am among the camp that less crowding and constantly available moisture makes for less, but not zero wing chewing. The roaches survive just fine without their wings, anyway.