Fretfreak13
New Member
Hey all,
Thinking about getting a cham this summer (male veiled) and this is the first time I'm considering setting up breeding cultures of food. When I used to keep other reptiles, I just bought crickets when needed. I know my mother wont be too keen on having tons of bugs in the house, so the first of my questions are what are the temp ranges suitable for some easy insects and can I keep the cultures in the garage for the summer (between 70-100F)? I'm pretty sure once my mom falls in love with the cham, she wont want him to starve over the winter and will allow me to move the bugs into the basement.
My second question is about what to keep them in. I have a spare 30g long aquarium sitting around. Can I section it off with acrylic sheets and use it to house multiple species of bugs? It will have a screen top. I'm thinking three equal sections, or maybe two if three is pushing it. Maybe I could even get a hold of a 55g...
What kind of substrate should I use in the bins? I'd prefer none, I figure it'd be easier to clean if it was barebottom, but I always see substrate in insect bins.
Is gutloading and simply feeding the insects the same thing? I see people often give them fruits and veggies, can I just give them what my family doesn't eat?
I've been looking through the "Feeders" blog that is commonly linked to newbs like myself, but there's a ton of info there and I'll eventually read the whole thing, just not in one sitting. Any tips or tricks to offer here on certain buggies?
**EDIT!!! I'd LOVE to see pics of your own insect set ups for some inspiration!
Thinking about getting a cham this summer (male veiled) and this is the first time I'm considering setting up breeding cultures of food. When I used to keep other reptiles, I just bought crickets when needed. I know my mother wont be too keen on having tons of bugs in the house, so the first of my questions are what are the temp ranges suitable for some easy insects and can I keep the cultures in the garage for the summer (between 70-100F)? I'm pretty sure once my mom falls in love with the cham, she wont want him to starve over the winter and will allow me to move the bugs into the basement.
My second question is about what to keep them in. I have a spare 30g long aquarium sitting around. Can I section it off with acrylic sheets and use it to house multiple species of bugs? It will have a screen top. I'm thinking three equal sections, or maybe two if three is pushing it. Maybe I could even get a hold of a 55g...
What kind of substrate should I use in the bins? I'd prefer none, I figure it'd be easier to clean if it was barebottom, but I always see substrate in insect bins.
Is gutloading and simply feeding the insects the same thing? I see people often give them fruits and veggies, can I just give them what my family doesn't eat?
I've been looking through the "Feeders" blog that is commonly linked to newbs like myself, but there's a ton of info there and I'll eventually read the whole thing, just not in one sitting. Any tips or tricks to offer here on certain buggies?
**EDIT!!! I'd LOVE to see pics of your own insect set ups for some inspiration!
