Need an alternative to Dubia and crickets

[Repti]

I have been feeding my vailed chameleon crickets all this time but now I’m getting tired of the small and the noise they make, I would like to breed dubia but my roommate hates cockroaches. Is there another type of feeder that I can use as a staple and is also easy to breed. I also feed variety but I need something that I can feed most of the time.

 

[Paige21. Chameleon]

I would stick with crickets, most other stuff that isn't a dubia is really fatty. For example meal works are ok once in a while. However they are really high in fat so you don't want to give it to your chameleon all the time.

 

[jamest0o0]

Try banded crickets. Roaches or crickets generally make up the staple. Silkworms are good, but may be difficult/expensive to feed as a staple.

 

[JacksJill]

I was going to suggest silkworms. They rare a quality feeder but as above you pay for that quality. The only smell I get from them is the day I mix up their chow.

 

[NickTide]

The common staples that I know of are crickets, roaches and silkworms. Silks wouldn't be too expensive if you hatched from eggs but that does require work and you better have another feeder on stand by in case they fail.

Big fan of black soldier flies here. I usually let them turn into flies and feed them that way. I use them as maybe 40% of their diet. Pretty hard to raise inside but are supposed to be pretty easy outside if you are in an area where they live. They are also pretty cheap in bulk but you would need a wine fridge (mine was $60) to keep them at about 55 degrees so that they last months. Blue bottle flies are pretty good but I don't have much luck with them.

That's all I can think of.

 

[Repti]

What about green banana roach they don’t look like roaches so maybe my roommate might be ok with them. Are they easy to breed?

 

[nick barta]

GBR's are not your best choice as the adults climb and fly. The adults are green, the nymphs are brown. You could do Isopods (Pill-bugs-Roly-polies), you can use the search feature here on the forum. Black Soldier flies are a good choice too, both as larvae and as flies.

CHEERS!

Nick

 

[jamest0o0]

I feel like the main thing your missing without crickets or roaches is the gutloading. Not many other insects efficiently eat the range of gutload that roaches/crickets will. Worms do, but don't store nearly as much in the gut. It just goes through them.

BSFL/BSF's are definitely great feeders, but I feel it'd be a PITA to use them the majority of the time. Giant canyon isopods are a favorite of my chameleons and they are high in calcium, but they take awhile to get to a feeding-off size. Which would make it very difficult to continuously use them.

I recently tried GBR and my chams went right for them, but they're small and need to be handfed off most of the time or they'll just quickly hide somewhere. Same goes with porcelain roaches

 

[Graves923]

Tell your roommate that dubias cant climb or fly. If you keep them in a storage container, your roommate will never see them and they dont smell or make noise. My girlfriend hated the idea of roaches but after I got them in for my tarantulas (yes she was ok with spiders but not roaches) she realized how much more pleasant they are to keep compared to crickets.

Alternatively, you can just make the switch from crickets to roaches and not tell your roommate... Unless they go looking for your feeders lol

 

[Graves923]

Tell your roommate that dubias cant climb or fly. If you keep them in a storage container, your roommate will never see them and they dont smell or make noise. My girlfriend hated the idea of roaches but after I got them in for my tarantulas (yes she was ok with spiders but not roaches) she realized how much more pleasant they are to keep compared to crickets.

Alternatively, you can just make the switch from crickets to roaches and not tell your roommate... Unless they go looking for your feeders lol

Dubias also die rather quickly in a household environment. Houses tend to be too dry and cool for their liking and only breed if the temps are above 70*F so no risk of infestation. Compared to crickets which I find escapees every other day or so around my house....

 

[Ceycham]

Unless you're roommate is pretty savvy already, just call the Dubia's "Beetles". They don't look as roachy as some roaches.

 

[jamest0o0]

Agreed, just dont let them see the males. They look roachy lol

 

[nick barta]

The best solution is to get a new roommate...just sayin'

 

[NickTide]

Unless you're roommate is pretty savvy already, just call the Dubia's "Beetles". They don't look as roachy as some roaches.

The local pet shop labels them as just "Dubias" because people would act stupid when the label said "dubia roaches" Even if they cant see them.

The best solution is to get a new roommate...just sayin'

Sounds like a plan.

 

[bloftis1]

Ghann's crickets IMO were the best I ordered 250 banded crickets, no smell, even with 2 day shipping I haven't found a dead one, plus they make no noise for me they don't have their wings. Silkworms, I would just buy the eggs, cheaper. I got 250 eggs for like $15 free shipping. You can do superworms sometimes.