Several Questions....

[Chameleon Crazy Chick]

Hey guys!

I am creating a small superworm colony, and was wondering whether to use whole oats. The superworm containers from the store have tiny mashed up oats, and the whole oats look HUGE in comparison. What do ya'll use?

Second, I am coming up with a plan for a new enclosure for Nik. It'll have two parts, one inside and one outside (for nice summer days) and I just realized that plexiglass is RIDICULOUSLY expensive. Do you have any good replacements for plexiglass? I mean, it's not like I can make my own glass, so I'm a little stuck. Should I just use screen? How do you stop the mist from the Mistking from getting on the carpet? It's frustrating.

How big of a container do you guys have for crickets? In order to start a breeding colony, do you have to have a light AND heat?

Any and all suggestions appreciated! Thanks!

 

[kinyonga]

For superworms breeding I use soil that had one area that is moist and the rest dryer. I placed a piece of rotting wood in the moist area and a peanut butter jar lid of my gutload (greens and veggies and a little fruit) in the terrarium with them. It seems to work. Temperature was about 75 during the day and slightly cooler at night.

The outside cage should be screen IMHO. The inside cage depends on where you live, whether you have air-conditioning, etc.

I bred crickets by "accident" only...they bred in cages of my turtles and some lizards on their own.

 

[Chameleon Crazy Chick]

Did you use potting soil or just soil from outside? How did they like the soil?

 

[kinyonga]

I'm sorry I don't have the bag anymore...it was not from outside (obviously) but it also didn't have those little bits of white stuff in it.

 

[Chameleon Crazy Chick]

OK. Awesome! Has anyone else used this? All the superworms i've seen have been in oatmeal. However, I've seen mine just laying around in the bin doing nothing since I've added whole oatmeal. Is that normal? are they dying? Sorry, I'm usually not home to see the activity of my supers.....
@kinyonga so it didn't have the perlite? OK. I will look for that. See if that works. Thanks!

BTW just contacted Todd @ LYR and I accidentally called him Nick. Oops. Now I feel terrible. Argh..... *wince* not one of my best moments.

 

[kinyonga]

I'm not positive but I think oatmeal would dry them out.

 

[Andee]

If you do oatmeal, grind it until it's like chunky powder. I also add my homemade gutload and wheatbran.

 

[Furciferocious]

I use wheat bran as the substrate. I had a lot of problems with oatmeal getting moldy, and no problems with wheat bran.

 

[Furciferocious]

I use wheat bran as the substrate. I had a lot of problems with oatmeal getting moldy, and no problems with wheat bran.

In the latest Chameleon Breeder Podcast, John Courteney-Smith explained that bran is a really bad gutload, so I guess I need to reconsider.

 

[Trex {Omega}]

Hey guys!

I am creating a small superworm colony, and was wondering whether to use whole oats. The superworm containers from the store have tiny mashed up oats, and the whole oats look HUGE in comparison. What do ya'll use?

Second, I am coming up with a plan for a new enclosure for Nik. It'll have two parts, one inside and one outside (for nice summer days) and I just realized that plexiglass is RIDICULOUSLY expensive. Do you have any good replacements for plexiglass? I mean, it's not like I can make my own glass, so I'm a little stuck. Should I just use screen? How do you stop the mist from the Mistking from getting on the carpet? It's frustrating.

How big of a container do you guys have for crickets? In order to start a breeding colony, do you have to have a light AND heat?

Any and all suggestions appreciated! Thanks!

i dont breed superworms but i have a 10 gallon glass tank i keep them in sense my reptiles cant eat them all at once and supers live a while compare to most feeders, i use oatmeal and what bran and only ment to use what bran (long story) anyway my superworms arnt dying in the oatmeal and what bran and are doing perfectly fine, i dont suggest grinding either of them up into powder as they will basically choke to death and i figured that out the hard way, i put a few carrots and potatoes in there a week and they have been doing fine.

 

[Andee]

In the latest Chameleon Breeder Podcast, John Courteney-Smith explained that bran is a really bad gutload, so I guess I need to reconsider.

Anything that is grain based should not be used as the only gutload. It has poor calcium or binding oxylates.

 

[jamest0o0]

So bran shouldn't be used as bedding for supers? (Sorry don't mean to hijack) I only feed 1-2 supers max a week. Usually dipped in the multi or d3.

 

[Andee]

not purely bran