Penny Pinching...

[WAMBO]

Josh's Frogs are where I got my last batch of banded crickets. I was buying them from eBay before that.

 

[Chameleon Crazy Chick]

This is great info, guys! I really appreciate it! So, what I've got so far:

• Dubia are the best option.
• Dubia are the least money-sucking feeder.
• Stickbugs are the next best thing.
• If all else fails, silkworms are good.
• Crickets smell.
• Keep going at the parents until they cave.

And no, my parents made it very clear to me when I expressed interest in a chameleon that it was all on me. I've been doing really well (for a new guy to reptiles) and Nik The Cham is very healthy and growing steadily, so I"ve never really turned to them for help.

 

[Theveiled]

Hey OP! I am relatively young too and the whole cost of my cham is put on me too. As for feeders, usually I go to reptile expos and buy in bulk, the initial cost is expensive but if you work it right they will last. A great money maker where I live is petsitting and thats where I make all my money. I also try to save as much as I can so when vet time comes, I can pay it. Stark has been to the vet twice already each over $100 but I have managed great without my parents help. Im also looking to upgrade his mister and hopefully get another cham!

 

[WAMBO]

Banded crickets seem to live longer than other types. Dubias can live as long as 2 years.

 

[Andee]

This is great info, guys! I really appreciate it! So, what I've got so far:

• Dubia are the best option.
• Dubia are the least money-sucking feeder.
• Stickbugs are the next best thing.
• If all else fails, silkworms are good.
• Crickets smell.
• Keep going at the parents until they cave.

And no, my parents made it very clear to me when I expressed interest in a chameleon that it was all on me. I've been doing really well (for a new guy to reptiles) and Nik The Cham is very healthy and growing steadily, so I"ve never really turned to them for help.

If you can convince them to, I have a huge colony with too many adults, I need to thin the heard. Which most of them would be great breeders for you especially considering all females coming to you would likely be pregnant. I also am really good with my ratios to keep males happy. But I won't send you any roaches at all until you have first tried them with your cham? (I don't remember if your guy likes them or if you have tried them?) And have a suitable place for them set up. But I could easily send 50 females and 10-20 males with just you paying for shipping or something. I just really need to thin it out a bit.

 

[Remkon]

This is great info, guys! I really appreciate it! So, what I've got so far:

• Dubia are the best option.
• Dubia are the least money-sucking feeder.
• Stickbugs are the next best thing.
• If all else fails, silkworms are good.
• Crickets smell.
• Keep going at the parents until they cave.

And no, my parents made it very clear to me when I expressed interest in a chameleon that it was all on me. I've been doing really well (for a new guy to reptiles) and Nik The Cham is very healthy and growing steadily, so I"ve never really turned to them for help.

Personally I would say, sorted on nutrition and cost efficientcy:
1 dubia - nutritious and cheap and low maintenance
2 crickets - still nutritious and fairly cheap but smell and make noise
3 grasshoppers - cheapest to feed (Grass is free, hay and sugar barely cost athing), less nutritious and higher maintenance
4 silkworms - probably the most nutritious out of the 4 but have a very specific diet and will be to moist to be fed a lot to yer cham.
5 stick insects - They basically eat ivy (at least PSG1 does) and not much else so no

I would also consider isopods, I had them for a while, found them in my backyard and they are real cleaners so you can just feed them scraps (still have to wash off pesticides).
You only need a few to start a colony...

 

[Andee]

Most stick insects I have found that will willingly eat bramble, also eat privet, ivy, evergreen oak, rose, rasberry as well.

 

[Virgil1972]

If you can convince them to, I have a huge colony with too many adults, I need to thin the heard. Which most of them would be great breeders for you especially considering all females coming to you would likely be pregnant. I also am really good with my ratios to keep males happy. But I won't send you any roaches at all until you have first tried them with your cham? (I don't remember if your guy likes them or if you have tried them?) And have a suitable place for them set up. But I could easily send 50 females and 10-20 males with just you paying for shipping or something. I just really need to thin it out a bit.

You could sell your extras on ebay.

 

[Andee]

I have issues doing that, when I raise them I feel like I need to look after their well being. So I am very particular about where they go. I want to make sure they will be treated well before fed off.

 

[Nursemaia]

If you can convince them to, I have a huge colony with too many adults, I need to thin the heard. Which most of them would be great breeders for you especially considering all females coming to you would likely be pregnant. I also am really good with my ratios to keep males happy. But I won't send you any roaches at all until you have first tried them with your cham? (I don't remember if your guy likes them or if you have tried them?) And have a suitable place for them set up. But I could easily send 50 females and 10-20 males with just you paying for shipping or something. I just really need to thin it out a bit.

I wouldn't mind helping you thin your herd if you want some help. It's taking forever for mine to become adults and start breeding.

 

[Angelwolf]

Hey OP! I am relatively young too and the whole cost of my cham is put on me too. As for feeders, usually I go to reptile expos and buy in bulk, the initial cost is expensive but if you work it right they will last. A great money maker where I live is petsitting and thats where I make all my money. I also try to save as much as I can so when vet time comes, I can pay it. Stark has been to the vet twice already each over $100 but I have managed great without my parents help. Im also looking to upgrade his mister and hopefully get another cham!

Congrats on your success! To the OP, you have yourself an advantage, too. You can care for reptiles properly. So many people loose their pets, because the pet sitter doesn't truly know what they're doing.

 

[Angelwolf]

Banded crickets seem to live longer than other types. Dubias can live as long as 2 years.

D@#N! I never knew that!! 2 years?! Wow.

 

[Andee]

I wouldn't mind helping you thin your herd if you want some help. It's taking forever for mine to become adults and start breeding.

Send me a message Hun and we will work out the details ^^