Worms as primary food source

[manderson]

Hello,

I have been trying to figure something out regarding feeders, however there seems to be a lot of different opinions on this topic.

I have room mate who really does not like the fact that i could be keeping crickets in the apartment, the noise in particular. So my question is, can i just use super worms as the staple feeder? i know they have smaller stomachs for gutload, and that there should never be a "staple" feeder as variance is key. about 10 days of the month my room mate is gone, so at this time i will feed gut loaded crickets.. will be dusting feeders with Calcium every feed and multivitamin + D3 a few times a month.

I have seen people on this forum say that Super worms are ok as the daily feeder, but some say its not ok..

(booting room mate out is not an option)

Any one care to chime in ?

Thanks!

 

[LLGabriel]

Hello I keep and breed a variety of feeders for my little ones. My male Nosy Be will food strike for supers though. He rarely gets them now because of it. Haha I LOVE them but over the years I have heard the on and off same opinions. They are fairly good to gutload and VERY easy to breed. Con for me.. I don't know if it's just my dusting technique but I can never get a good coat of my supplements on them.

I would say check out :
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/bbprinting/817-nutrional-information-your-feeders.html

The key really is to provide a variety. Gutload and supplements. Have you thought about trying dubia roaches? They are super easy to breed and don't stink. Clean up is really easy too. Just a thought. I hope I helped a little.

 

[chnk]

if you buy medium size sub adult crickets they will not chirp, if you keep them in a 10 gallon fishtank or a similar sized tuber ware its too high for them to jump out and too slick for them climb.

Also dubia roaches make a pretty good feeder, much less odor and smell compared to crickets, plus if anyone askes what they are you can say they're rolly pollies

but crickets are generally cheaper when bought in large quantities

 

[CLP]

I would suggest trying dubia roaches, but if your room mate is unhappy with the crickets, I can't imagine he/she would be happy with roaches . HOWEVER, the roaches don't smell like crickets do, and don't make any noise (which is a huge plus in my mind). They are easy to breed also. Of course, it depends on where you're located as they are illegal in some areas. And you can do what I did and call them tropical beetles. No one else in my house looks at them closely enough to know the difference !

 

[manderson]

Cool, thanks for the responses!

If sub adults do not chirp that should be fine, i would like roaches because i hear there is no smell however i remember reading that they are not easy to obtain in Canada.

Thanks for the link laurenleeg!

As far as buying in bulk, i would rather buy as few as possible even if it means going to my local shop a few times a week and paying a little more in hopes of keeping the smell down.

HAHah not a bad idea CLP..not a bad idea at all...

Thanks again !

 

[CLP]

Ah, a fellow Canadian! Dubia roaches are illegal in Canada, but you can get them. I got mine from a guy named Nathan in Ontario. If you're interested in pursuing it, PM me and I'll send you his email address.

And yes, sub adult to not chirp. But keep in mind that they grow to full size in 6 weeks, so you won't want to order too many at a time. I've ordered 4 week old crickets, and had some chirping before I could feed them all off

 

[Olimpia]

I would suggest trying dubia roaches...

I totally agree with CLP. Roaches might sound gross, but they're going to be your best option. Species like dubias, discoids, etc., do not climb smooth surfaces, they don't fly, they don't make any noise, and the adults can live for several years, so you don't get dying stinky insects. They breed like, well, roaches, so they end up being extremely cost effective as well. They are more meaty than crickets and gutload super well, too.

No reason your roommate needs to know what they're eating! lol But this way you always have food at home that you can feed from. And then you can add things like superworms, hornworms, sulkworms, mantis, the occasional cricket, etc. for variety.

 

[AndrewBrian]

It's funny but my chameleons that just got here last week dont like dubian roaches... my male chameleon off fed for 4 days i though he was just adjusting but just this morning i asked some of my employees to catch grasshoppers he ate them like crazy.... my new female chameleon ate dubias but choosing from the 2 she'd go for grasshoppers in a heartbeat... maybe they resemble crickets more... 2 out of 3 of my chams eat superworm the other doesnt like them.... i guess all chams eat crickets

 

[manderson]

Well its good to know that sub adult crickets do not chrip, so i think i will start out with crickets / superworm as a feeder. After that likely move on to roach / superworm.

Thanks again!