How to turn reptiworms to flies?

[kwengkynator]

My chams used to love these wiggling worms but after a while they became less interested in them. I'm thinking the ones with wings flying around their enclosures would better trigger their interest.

I recently acquired a few of them (IDK how, I have a few ideas *its in my previous post*) My very picky veiled cham, Diego seems to be very fond of them. I'm planning on offering them a few more of these winged feeders. Just saw him trying hard to get one. He was dangling and standing on his hind legs, it was awesome

QUESTION: How do I get the larva to mature and whats the care and gut loading? Do I dust them or spray them with supplements?

THANKS!

 

[frikitiki]

just let them sit in the container.

 

[frikitiki]

I let them pupae in the container. Once they start to pupae I will cut a small hole on the lid and place it in a small critter keeper and they will emerge as the change. just keep the medium in the container from drying out completely.

 

[kwengkynator]

Seems rather easy. I'm gonna have to try it out. My chams seems to enjoy hunting them down.

How about their nutrition are they the same as the worms? Thanks for the replies

 

[frikitiki]

I never had to feed them at fly stage... When you have as many chameleons as I have they all fed off the same day they become flys. I just have a little gel crystal in the kritter keeper next to them.

 

[kwengkynator]

Interesting. Seems like they are rather easy. Just leave them there till they pupate and turn to flies and let loose in the cage. Okay

 

[jajeanpierre]

My chams used to love these wiggling worms but after a while they became less interested in them. I'm thinking the ones with wings flying around their enclosures would better trigger their interest.

I recently acquired a few of them (IDK how, I have a few ideas *its in my previous post*) My very picky veiled cham, Diego seems to be very fond of them. I'm planning on offering them a few more of these winged feeders. Just saw him trying hard to get one. He was dangling and standing on his hind legs, it was awesome

QUESTION: How do I get the larva to mature and whats the care and gut loading? Do I dust them or spray them with supplements?

THANKS!

They are soldier fly larvae. You can feed the larvae vegetable matter. I end up with pounds of them in my composter during warm weather. I've tried to keep a few in my house for my chameleons with disastrous consequences--they migrated to a pile of my son's dirty laundry and then into my washing machine, my kitchen, just everywhere.

Do a search of how chicken keepers raise them. Basically, you feed them up and take advantage of their natural desire to move out of the rotting vegetable pile to pupate. Chicken keepers have devised all kinds of DIY bins to catch the pupating larvae. You do want to feed them otherwise they won't have any nutrition, but they aren't "clean." They can turn vegetables into compost in a very short period of time.

Here's one link to get you started:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpzuJhRc8Qk

 

[kwengkynator]

Damn.. It would be hard to have a decomposing pile of stuff in my apartment though. Im thinking I might do this during the spring or summer outside my apartment. That would be the case. Although I might run a test batch right now just to see and pick up lessons here and there.