Phoenix Worm Growth

[cushcameleon]

So I got my silkworms and phoenix worms in the mail today. I was a bit nervous to see if my chameleon would eat, mainly because he has only ate one cricket since I first bought him. I tried every possible way to get him to eat more crickets other than free range, because I have a hard time finding the ones he doesn't eat. Anyways, right when I got back home I held up the dish of silkworms to his cage and his eyes went crazy. I placed the silkworms one at a time right in front of him on a vine and he immediately snapped them up. He ate five good size worms till he decided he was full. Now to get to my question (sorry for the lavish story, I am just super excited that I was able to feed him ), but the phoenix worms I bought are the small size and were way smaller than I thought. How long does it take for phoenix worms/maggots to grow to medium size or larger?

 

[jannb]

Phoenix worms are always small but my guys still like them. Glad he liked his silk worms but keep trying the crickets, too.

 

[dondeb562]

oh goodness! Yes the small pheonix are VERY small. I feed them to new born chams! They love them. The pheonix worms in those containers are pretty slow growers. I have left a container of smalls for nearly a month and all were still alive and only grew a smiggen. I dont know if you offer them a actual food source instead of wet bran they may grow faster....

 

[dragongoddess]

The largest a pheonix worm will grow is 3/4 of an inch, that's it. But still, chams love them and they are a good for them.

 

[Malicious]

They are small and and won't grow much if any after placed in the media. They are vitually mantainance free, just add a few drops of water to the container every few days to keep it moist. Smalls were great for 2 month olds and meds were fine at 3 months. The darker ones contain the most calcium and should be fed off first. The only thing I don't really like is the fact that they should be stored at roughly 60 degrees. To cold in the fridge and room temp is a bit warm. They recommend a wine chiller for storage..... I'm sure we all have one of those right!?!?!? If you do...well more power to ya, and can you store these for me?

-Jay

 

[dragongoddess]

They recommend a wine chiller for storage..... I'm sure we all have one of those right!?!?!? If you do...well more power to ya, and can you store these for me?

Doesn't everyone in California have a wine chiller and live close to the beach? Haha

 

[Malicious]

Doesn't everyone in California have a wine chiller and live close to the beach? Haha

So true....

We all surf, have tattoos, and pink mohawks!

 

[Zen Reptiles]

They will grow very rapidly if you want them to, just give them some scraps to munch on.

They secrete chemicals and enzymes that inhibit mold/bacterial/fungal growth, so any scraps you throw in there shouldn't make much smell at all.

They reach full size after hatching in about 3-4 weeks at optimum conditions. Which is about 85F (although, they produce their own heat, so having an insulated area for them helps maintain an ideal temperature).

I'd suggest anyone breed them in their compost if you have the means to. They break down compost at a rate of 95% (which means, only 5% of it is left in the bottom, and the rest goes to 'making' new worms). They're non-invasive, they secrete a info-chemical that tells other pest insects to 'stay away', and they eat everything including meat scraps. As I mentioned, they secrete chemicals and enzymes that prevent conditions for offensive odor to build up, and the adults only live for 5-10 days or so and only reproduce during this time. The adults actually don't have mouth parts, so they have no intention of 'bothering' you, plus chams love the adult black soldier flies just as much or more than the phoenix worms.

This website has some great info for breeding your own. http://blacksoldierflyblog.com/

Even if you don't use them for feeders, they are just great to have in your compost. They are also self harvesting, so it makes it really easy to get the biggest ones. It'd be worth it even if you have just one chameleon, as the calcium content of phoenix worms is extraordinary.

In a few decades, I would expect that every household will have phoenix worms to process putrescent wastes in their composts, even for apartments since they have no smell.

 

[Howdyco]

That's great info thanks Brock.

I take the little phoenix worms and put a few in a small cup and hand feed them to my cham. He'll watch a group of 6 move and then pick them off in groups of two or three and chomp them down.