NOT so bad...

[lindawaz]

I took the plunge an ordered my beetles. All of you know what they are.

They arrived today. Everyone of them made it INTO their feeder bin ( which is more than I can say for my crickets)

The container did not smell and maybe it is the size I bought but they remind me more of Pill bugs. Hopefully I will see them that way as they grow.

If it is going to be this easy, I really hope Lily likes them so I can do away with Crickets being main staple and have them just be the variety in her diet

Thanks Dave!
( I was Home)

 

[Miss Lily]

I have some adults of those 'beetles'! Ugh! Not nice - my friend gave them too me as hers were breeding so fast and she had far too many! Didn't realise they got quite that big, lol! Ugh! I agree, the babies are so cute, just like woodlice! Even the babies are too big for my Montysaurus yet!

 

[lindawaz]

Lily cup feeds and I put 3 in there. different sizes. I did not even get the cup all the way into the cage and she took the biggest one!

I was so surprised I almost dropped the cup

yeah the big ones not so cute

 

[clarkrw3]

They really are "not that bad" the males still look a little too much like roaches But keep in mind that often in a cup the just sit still and don't stimulate chameleons. To fix this just add a bug in the cup that will keep bothering them and they will move around more. Also if you have a way for them to climb in the cup that can help.

 

[lindawaz]

Thanks I will remember that! This time it was easy I put a tad of calcium in the cup-
As I was walking to the cage I was swirling them to get it on them they ended up on their backs feet were moving and Lily attacked

I am sure this will not happen every time but for today It worked and good thing too since I did not realize they will stay still

 

[Txherp]

What beetles?

 

[lindawaz]

Blaptica dubia= roaches
Blaptica dubia=beetles

 

[Miss Lily]

Hehe! That's funny! It doesn't change how they look though, sadly! Those huge males are just gross! I hate the scratchy noise their horrible little feet make too! UGH!

 

[lindawaz]

I have not heard them yet - maybe I will just feed all the big ones off and may I never hear them

 

[Miss Lily]

How are you gonna get the big ones out of where you keep them?! Have you felt how strong those things are!

 

[lindawaz]

no, I have not TOUCHED them. They were in a TP tube and I banged the ones out into the cup.

I don't want to touch them, I don't want to know how strong they are, triple


tweezers??? with a Lonnnngggg Handle?

 

[clarkrw3]

I have not heard them yet - maybe I will just feed all the big ones off and may I never hear them

You have this all wrong You leave the big ones alone so you have a never ending supply of Beetles The bad part is you really need to feed off the males every once in a while because you need 1/5 the males as you do the females and they are the ones.

 

[lindawaz]

I have to sex them? lift there little amour bottoms?
I am wondering how to clean them, never mind breed them.

 

[Hoj]

I have to sex them? lift there little amour bottoms?
I am wondering how to clean them, never mind breed them.

to sex them is easy as adults, the males are the ones with fell wings and the females have just lil wings.
as forclening i just shake them all to one end of the bin poo and all then move the carboad to the other end and they will all scatter down to that end then i just use a spoon that i bent to make it easier ( and so it dosent get used for cereal ) and scoop out all the mess. you really only have to do it like once a month and they do not stink
and breeding well they will just do that on thier own and you will see lil nymphs, and unlike crickets they do not eat their own young so no need to worry.
they do take some time to get used to.. i have had them for a month noe and am just starting to catch and handfeed some of the medium ones with just my bare hands.

 

[KCcham]

For cleaning, I learned a lot from watching the YouTube videos from "the roach hut". You don't really have to touch them at all . That really helped me since I developed an allergy to beetle frass!

 

[lindawaz]

Thanks I went and watched their videos! really good to except he touches them--a lot (his choice, not going to be mine)

I also looked at a couple others and they were no where near as good as the ones you pointed me to. So glad I so those first! thanks again

 

[camimom]

I use the TP tube idea too.
I breed crickets, I REFUSE to intentionally bring 'beetles' in my house, lol.
But trying to catch 5-10 adult crickets is hard, even in the big tub they are in.
So I put several tp tubes in there, then I just pick up the tube and shake the bugs out into my dusting cup, then they get shook out into the feeding cup. Never gotta touch them.

 

[Lintini]

I was interested in them because I hate crickets, but the guys at the petstore said if any of them get out, then ill have an infestation in my house and not be able to get rid of them. Is this really true?? I could keep them outside in the aviary I guess. Although those big males might make me want to squish them...

 

[clarkrw3]

They are really easy to confine to a tub. They can't climb smooth surfaces and even slightly textured plastic is too much for them. Some people that are really nervous about it put the tub in a larger tub that has a couple inches of water in it so that they will drowned if they get out....but that is pretty overkill. I do put a thick strip of packing tape around the inside top of the bin that even if they climbed up to it they could not pass it. The best part of having a good colony going is you ALWAYS have the right size of feeders for any and all chams you own.

 

[suzi]

Lol, I remember when i took the plunge! and just for the record, they do not resemble pill bugs when they get big, sadly !