Dexter's Giving Attitude

[Beardomania]

Don't know why they have like six different names..lol

The different names are all from different companies trying to market them. One reason is because "black soldier fly larvae" isn't a very easy or catchy thing to say. The other reason is to sell them branded for more money and lazy/unknowing customers will think that Phoenix worms/Calciworms/Reptiworms are exclusively available from the companies that market them not knowing that they can buy cheaper generic, unnamed black soldier fly larvae that are the same virtually everywhere.

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

Oh my goodness ur lizard is a spoiled lil brat! 100$ on roaches , if ur already picking up the roaches with ur fingers id say its time for a colony (i mean no disrespect to the guy who told u to buy em off ebay they would be cheaper but u dont know what hes feeding his bug) heres the thing about starting a colony, it takes anywhere from 3-9 months for a roach to sexually mature (3months for common house roaches 9months for discoid) and you need to buy alot at first so it might be 200$ worth at first but once ur established you’ll only need to pay for their food from here on out, heres what i did, I bought discoid roaches(i live in FL and cant get dubia , they have basically the same care) i got mine from “luna roaches” they pride themselves in “clean feeders” i have mine in a lowes bucket with a lid with 5 tiny holes , i have about 2 inches of dirt for them to lay their eggsack in i put a small layer of bark chips on the top to trap in moisture for the dirt (you want it damp but not wet, thats very important i mist the bucket once a week) i put in a handful of leaves for my cleaner crew bugs to eat(spring tails, earwig, roly polys, and 1 large millipede, and 3 other kinds of bugs, u want atleast two of these guys to clean the dirt) , i have egg crates in there proped up so the roaches can climb and get away from the ground dwelling bugs, food: i feed mine potato as a staple(doesn’t rot,dry out, I actually have one right now in my bucket that’s growing roots lol!) carrot is a must!! I offer romain lettuce for its water rather its nutrition, and broccoli for the protein, the 3 key things are #1protein for the females to make babies #2humdity is a must or the babies will die #3heat (as long as ur house isnt 50 or below for a week straight u should be fine) i know ive said alot and it can be daunting, but once the bin is set up it takes care of itself, I haven’t cleaned mine since i set it up(of course i take out old food and replace the eggcrates for new ones) i think ud be better off raising ur own ull save alot of mony in the longrun, and you’ll be giving dex better more nutritious bugs aswell and thats what really matters, if u need clarification on anything please do ask

LOL He is spoiled. My kids say worse than they ever were. Snicker. This is great information thanks tons, Skybug. I'm gonna start a colony now. I'll start looking for supplies (bins/buckets and such). I'll keep you posted on progress.

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

Just ordered from Backwater reptile & another is rainbow mealworms.

Hmmm . . . I'll go check their sites. Thanks!

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

I thought Phoenix worms were a great thing to feed but rarely see people mention them & like you, they say as a treat. Should I not feed these once mine gets a certain age?

I think someone here mentioned them as a good treat worm and called them Phoenix. No hard exterior, etc. Nasty looking things. I was cautioned to only give as treats as they are high in fat? I didn't hear of any cut-off on how long to give them. I assumed into and during adulthood. Not sure, but Dexter luvs them and would probably scarf more down if I gave him more. lol He eyeballs his bowl for more every time. When I mentioned it to the pet store they started ordering some for me. I just called them phoenix worms and they knew what I was talking about.

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

The different names are all from different companies trying to market them. One reason is because "black soldier fly larvae" isn't a very easy or catchy thing to say. The other reason is to sell them branded for more money and lazy/unknowing customers will think that Phoenix worms/Calciworms/Reptiworms are exclusively available from the companies that market them not knowing that they can buy cheaper generic, unnamed black soldier fly larvae that are the same virtually everywhere.

Good to now. I'm all for buying them cheaper.

 

[2Pacalypse]

Oh my goodness ur lizard is a spoiled lil brat! 100$ on roaches , if ur already picking up the roaches with ur fingers id say its time for a colony (i mean no disrespect to the guy who told u to buy em off ebay they would be cheaper but u dont know what hes feeding his bug) heres the thing about starting a colony, it takes anywhere from 3-9 months for a roach to sexually mature (3months for common house roaches 9months for discoid) and you need to buy alot at first so it might be 200$ worth at first but once ur established you’ll only need to pay for their food from here on out, heres what i did, I bought discoid roaches(i live in FL and cant get dubia , they have basically the same care) i got mine from “luna roaches” they pride themselves in “clean feeders” i have mine in a lowes bucket with a lid with 5 tiny holes , i have about 2 inches of dirt for them to lay their eggsack in i put a small layer of bark chips on the top to trap in moisture for the dirt (you want it damp but not wet, thats very important i mist the bucket once a week) i put in a handful of leaves for my cleaner crew bugs to eat(spring tails, earwig, roly polys, and 1 large millipede, and 3 other kinds of bugs, u want atleast two of these guys to clean the dirt) , i have egg crates in there proped up so the roaches can climb and get away from the ground dwelling bugs, food: i feed mine potato as a staple(doesn’t rot,dry out, I actually have one right now in my bucket that’s growing roots lol!) carrot is a must!! I offer romain lettuce for its water rather its nutrition, and broccoli for the protein, the 3 key things are #1protein for the females to make babies #2humdity is a must or the babies will die #3heat (as long as ur house isnt 50 or below for a week straight u should be fine) i know ive said alot and it can be daunting, but once the bin is set up it takes care of itself, I haven’t cleaned mine since i set it up(of course i take out old food and replace the eggcrates for new ones) i think ud be better off raising ur own ull save alot of mony in the longrun, and you’ll be giving dex better more nutritious bugs aswell and thats what really matters, if u need clarification on anything please do ask

I looked up Luna roaches & they won't ship outside of Florida until spring but anyway. When you say mist the bucket-would that be the sides of actual bucket or just the dirt or where? How much do you consider mist? Should soil always Feel moist or only after misting?
The leaves you feed-what are leaves? I mean I know what leaves are (trees) but what are you referring to?
Where did you get cleaner bugs?
Do you never replace the potato? You said one is growing roots? If I feed cricket/roach chow, still need carrot, potato, R. Lettuce & broccoli? What do cleaner bugs eat/drink?
I'm thinking of using 20 gal tank/screen I have sitting around. How do you recommend keeping warm & humidity?
My house is never very warm, it's big & old & heaters barely work.
Do you separate once babies grow? No? How do you not become over run?
I Love all critters & even tho they will be eaten, I still don't want any to suffer by improper care on my end so that is why I ask so many questions...
I'm sorry if it's annoying!

P.s. I think I am the guy you said not to listen to about eBay but I said not to order from eBay or amazon. The bugs arrive dead & I think it's sad they suffered in the heat or cold or with no food/water source.

 

[2Pacalypse]

They have an insane number of names. Phoenix worms, Calciworms/Calcigrubs, Reptiworms, etc... But they are all just black soldier fly larvae. The were called Phoenix worms first and if I remember clearly from many years ago, the company did a small study with baby beardies and found that those fed only black soldier fly larvae as their protein grew larger/faster than when fed anything else including a varied diet. Of course, at the time, they were the only ones offering them and set them at sky high prices so they performed the experiment with significant financial conflicts of interest.

So should adults (over one year) eat BSFL or is Dubai roaches the better choice?
Do they not get calcium or vitamin powder after a certain age? I got spinach leaf (someone told me not to give) so what green leaf Is best? I read dandelion but never saw that at a grocery store. Walmart had chard or spinach when I was there.
(He liked the spinach tho)

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

I looked up Luna roaches & they won't ship outside of Florida until spring but anyway. When you say mist the bucket-would that be the sides of actual bucket or just the dirt or where? How much do you consider mist? Should soil always Feel moist or only after misting?
The leaves you feed-what are leaves? I mean I know what leaves are (trees) but what are you referring to?
Where did you get cleaner bugs?
Do you never replace the potato? You said one is growing roots? If I feed cricket/roach chow, still need carrot, potato, R. Lettuce & broccoli? What do cleaner bugs eat/drink?
I'm thinking of using 20 gal tank/screen I have sitting around. How do you recommend keeping warm & humidity?
My house is never very warm, it's big & old & heaters barely work.
Do you separate once babies grow? No? How do you not become over run?
I Love all critters & even tho they will be eaten, I still don't want any to suffer by improper care on my end so that is why I ask so many questions...
I'm sorry if it's annoying!

P.s. I think I am the guy you said not to listen to about eBay but I said not to order from eBay or amazon. The bugs arrive dead & I think it's sad they suffered in the heat or cold or with no food/water source.

Good questions. I'll probably have tons more once I get started. lol

My house is always warm so I don't think I need to worry there. Can you get overrun? I mean, Dex is not an adult yet so he'd eat more, but I'm not sure how many he'll eat as an adult. I'm considering selling any access I may have to the pet store where I get bugs now. Seems like they are always in demand and they now know me by name so it might be an opportunity.

Agree, I do stress about Dex's freakin' crickets and roaches some. More because I know he'll be eating them, but I don't want them to suffer and all die either. Partly because that's mean and partly because that's a waste of money. I always make sure they have plenty of water gel and grain, plus they get some of Dex's salads daily. lol I clean their container out each week, too.

I've never ordered bugs from amazon or ebay. I have from Josh Frogs many times and bugs have always arrived live and healthy. Mostly I order from the pet store. They place their orders every Monday and I do pick-ups every Thursday (Friday if order is late). They have my number and will call each week when my orders in. It's standard now. I don't even have to call in anymore, they'll just place my order with theirs. Unfortunately right now there's a shortage of large dubia from their supplier. Sigh.

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

So should adults (over one year) eat BSFL or is Dubai roaches the better choice?
Do they not get calcium or vitamin powder after a certain age? I got spinach leaf (someone told me not to give) so what green leaf Is best? I read dandelion but never saw that at a grocery store. Walmart had chard or spinach when I was there.
(He liked the spinach tho)

I think most would say the roaches are the best all around to give, though I could be wrong. I've only ever given Dex BSFL as a treat. I'll continue giving him his crickets and roaches through adulthood, but I have heard their protein intake should be lower as adults. More 80% veges 20% protein vs the other way around as babies and juveniles.

My guy's favorites greens are bok choy, endive, dandelion, collard greens, and parsley. His favorite vege is probably squash, followed by bell peppers and broccoli.

I think spinach is ok for them to eat as long as it's not often. Not sure about that. It might be a good staple. I guess I really haven't purchased any spinach for Dex. Good question, though.

 

[2Pacalypse]

Good questions. I'll probably have tons more once I get started. lol

My house is always warm so I don't think I need to worry there. Can you get overrun? I mean, Dex is not an adult yet so he'd eat more, but I'm not sure how many he'll eat as an adult. I'm considering selling any access I may have to the pet store where I get bugs now. Seems like they are always in demand and they now know me by name so it might be an opportunity.

Agree, I do stress about Dex's freakin' crickets and roaches some. More because I know he'll be eating them, but I don't want them to suffer and all die either. Partly because that's mean and partly because that's a waste of money. I always make sure they have plenty of water gel and grain, plus they get some of Dex's salads daily. lol I clean their container out each week, too.

I've never ordered bugs from amazon or ebay. I have from Josh Frogs many times and bugs have always arrived live and healthy. Mostly I order from the pet store. They place their orders every Monday and I do pick-ups every Thursday (Friday if order is late). They have my number and will call each week when my orders in. It's standard now. I don't even have to call in anymore, they'll just place my order with theirs. Unfortunately right now there's a shortage of large dubia from their supplier. Sigh.

I don't want to get on anybodies nerves by asking alot of questions but I prefer to get my answers from someone who knows what they are talking about. The internet is full of conflicting statements.
You are lucky that your local store not only carries something besides crickets but that you can actually place orders-how wonderful!
Guess you could sell the surplus! That's an awesome idea!

 

[Skybug]

I looked up Luna roaches & they won't ship outside of Florida until spring but anyway. When you say mist the bucket-would that be the sides of actual bucket or just the dirt or where? How much do you consider mist? Should soil always Feel moist or only after misting?
The leaves you feed-what are leaves? I mean I know what leaves are (trees) but what are you referring to?
Where did you get cleaner bugs?
Do you never replace the potato? You said one is growing roots? If I feed cricket/roach chow, still need carrot, potato, R. Lettuce & broccoli? What do cleaner bugs eat/drink?
I'm thinking of using 20 gal tank/screen I have sitting around. How do you recommend keeping warm & humidity?
My house is never very warm, it's big & old & heaters barely work.
Do you separate once babies grow? No? How do you not become over run?
I Love all critters & even tho they will be eaten, I still don't want any to suffer by improper care on my end so that is why I ask so many questions...
I'm sorry if it's annoying!

P.s. I think I am the guy you said not to listen to about eBay but I said not to order from eBay or amazon. The bugs arrive dead & I think it's sad they suffered in the heat or cold or with no food/water source.

I mist the sides and the food dish (i have water crystals in a teeny tiny lid) i do replace the potato every week except the one that has started growing in the container , i put it in the dirt, the cleaner crew bugs will munch on the tender roots, the bin should always be humid so it should always be damp but not wet or soaked, that’s important, if u added to much water leave the lid off for a couple hours, for the leaves i just went outside to our forest and grabed a handful of leaves off the ground, (you want dry, not rotted,no spots on the leaves) baked them in the oven at 250degrees to kill any bugs or fungi, the leaves are ment to rot in the dirt the cleaner crew bugs eat them as they break down and ur roaches might nibble on them for some fiber, i got my spring tails from “thebiodude” (i highly recommend pillbugs as well, they need moisture aswell) the food dish for the roached should be shallow but have a lip so dirts not getting kicked in it , everyone will eat out of the dish, I would give ur feeders fresh veg over chow anyday, u should have ur bugs eating atleast 3 different vegs to keep them healthy , if ur gonna use the 20 gal make shure its blacked out on all sides (roaches like the dark) u might want an under tank heater but that might kill ur spring tails so i cant give advice on that :/ , my bearded dragon eats the roaches pretty steadily i dont get overwhelmed , they breed slow, babies can be left in the tank, something youll want to monitor, roaches shed their exoskeleton like spiders and crabs , they’re vulnerable in this state, if you notice that while one has started the molting process its been cannibalized on by the other roaches, this means ur bugs arnt getting enough protein and u either need new broccoli or some other veg high in protein (dog food can be given but it cant mold easily so only give as a last resort) sorry if i missed any of ur questions, im happy to hear u care about your feeders, i love all bugs, and i take out the adult female roaches and look them over constantly just to make shure they’re happy , I didn’t mean to come off as rude or disregard your advice I apologize if it offended you, if u you start a colony make a thread ill be happy to answer any questions i can.

 

[2Pacalypse]

I mist the sides and the food dish (i have water crystals in a teeny tiny lid) i do replace the potato every week except the one that has started growing in the container , i put it in the dirt, the cleaner crew bugs will munch on the tender roots, the bin should always be humid so it should always be damp but not wet or soaked, that’s important, if u added to much water leave the lid off for a couple hours, for the leaves i just went outside to our forest and grabed a handful of leaves off the ground, (you want dry, not rotted,no spots on the leaves) baked them in the oven at 250degrees to kill any bugs or fungi, the leaves are ment to rot in the dirt the cleaner crew bugs eat them as they break down and ur roaches might nibble on them for some fiber, i got my spring tails from “thebiodude” (i highly recommend pillbugs as well, they need moisture aswell) the food dish for the roached should be shallow but have a lip so dirts not getting kicked in it , everyone will eat out of the dish, I would give ur feeders fresh veg over chow anyday, u should have ur bugs eating atleast 3 different vegs to keep them healthy , if ur gonna use the 20 gal make shure its blacked out on all sides (roaches like the dark) u might want an under tank heater but that might kill ur spring tails so i cant give advice on that :/ , my bearded dragon eats the roaches pretty steadily i dont get overwhelmed , they breed slow, babies can be left in the tank, something youll want to monitor, roaches shed their exoskeleton like spiders and crabs , they’re vulnerable in this state, if you notice that while one has started the molting process its been cannibalized on by the other roaches, this means ur bugs arnt getting enough protein and u either need new broccoli or some other veg high in protein (dog food can be given but it cant mold easily so only give as a last resort) sorry if i missed any of ur questions, im happy to hear u care about your feeders, i love all bugs, and i take out the adult female roaches and look them over constantly just to make shure they’re happy , I didn’t mean to come off as rude or disregard your advice I apologize if it offended you, if u you start a colony make a thread ill be happy to answer any questions i can.

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply & for all the information! This answers so many questions! I truly appreciate it!

 

[Broly]

I don't want to get on anybodies nerves by asking alot of questions but I prefer to get my answers from someone who knows what they are talking about. The internet is full of conflicting statements.
You are lucky that your local store not only carries something besides crickets but that you can actually place orders-how wonderful!
Guess you could sell the surplus! That's an awesome idea!

It’s fine if you fed spinach already or if you feed it very occasionally, your beardie will be fine but the reason it’s recommended to avoid is that spinach contains a high number of oxalates that are considered unhealthy for as they bind calcium and prevent it from being absorbed. There are plenty of other greens which are recommended. Barb just suggested quite a few

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

I don't want to get on anybodies nerves by asking alot of questions but I prefer to get my answers from someone who knows what they are talking about. The internet is full of conflicting statements.
You are lucky that your local store not only carries something besides crickets but that you can actually place orders-how wonderful!
Guess you could sell the surplus! That's an awesome idea!

No worries . . . ask away! I'm a newb so don't know many of the answers to your questions, but more experienced peeps will chime in and help out. Most are very kind and understanding and have a wealth of knowledge. It's why I like this forum.

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

I mist the sides and the food dish (i have water crystals in a teeny tiny lid) i do replace the potato every week except the one that has started growing in the container , i put it in the dirt, the cleaner crew bugs will munch on the tender roots, the bin should always be humid so it should always be damp but not wet or soaked, that’s important, if u added to much water leave the lid off for a couple hours, for the leaves i just went outside to our forest and grabed a handful of leaves off the ground, (you want dry, not rotted,no spots on the leaves) baked them in the oven at 250degrees to kill any bugs or fungi, the leaves are ment to rot in the dirt the cleaner crew bugs eat them as they break down and ur roaches might nibble on them for some fiber, i got my spring tails from “thebiodude” (i highly recommend pillbugs as well, they need moisture aswell) the food dish for the roached should be shallow but have a lip so dirts not getting kicked in it , everyone will eat out of the dish, I would give ur feeders fresh veg over chow anyday, u should have ur bugs eating atleast 3 different vegs to keep them healthy , if ur gonna use the 20 gal make shure its blacked out on all sides (roaches like the dark) u might want an under tank heater but that might kill ur spring tails so i cant give advice on that :/ , my bearded dragon eats the roaches pretty steadily i dont get overwhelmed , they breed slow, babies can be left in the tank, something youll want to monitor, roaches shed their exoskeleton like spiders and crabs , they’re vulnerable in this state, if you notice that while one has started the molting process its been cannibalized on by the other roaches, this means ur bugs arnt getting enough protein and u either need new broccoli or some other veg high in protein (dog food can be given but it cant mold easily so only give as a last resort) sorry if i missed any of ur questions, im happy to hear u care about your feeders, i love all bugs, and i take out the adult female roaches and look them over constantly just to make shure they’re happy , I didn’t mean to come off as rude or disregard your advice I apologize if it offended you, if u you start a colony make a thread ill be happy to answer any questions i can.

Thanks Skybug! This is helping out a lot. I'm cutting and pasting your info into a document I can print out and refer to as I set up and continue to use once I get going. lol I'll probably have more questions later, but I think you've given me a great head start. Thank you, thank you!

 

[Skybug]

Thanks Skybug! This is helping out a lot. I'm cutting and pasting your info into a document I can print out and refer to as I set up and continue to use once I get going. lol I'll probably have more questions later, but I think you've given me a great head start. Thank you, thank you!

No problem, please do some additional research on roach types , as all i can get here in Florida is discoids, theres all kinds u can get for dex , im pretty shure some are higer in protein and fat than others, please give dex a Beard rub for me

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

No problem, please do some additional research on roach types , as all i can get here in Florida is discoids, theres all kinds u can get for dex , im pretty shure some are higer in protein and fat than others, please give dex a Beard rub for me

Will do. I've only ever gotten dubia as that's what the pet store carries. Heard there were different varieties, but stuck with dubia. Gotta get set up first and then I'll go from there. Talked to the owner of pet store last night when I went to pick up Dex's bug order. She said she would reach out to her supplier to see if she could get me some breeders. Woot! They always look good when I purchase them for Dex. She said would consider purchasing my surplus . . . she'd have to see how they looked and how many I could supply, etc. Apparently they are picky about who they purchase from. lol Which is fine.

 

[Beardomania]

Will do. I've only ever gotten dubia as that's what the pet store carries. Heard there were different varieties, but stuck with dubia. Gotta get set up first and then I'll go from there. Talked to the owner of pet store last night when I went to pick up Dex's bug order. She said she would reach out to her supplier to see if she could get me some breeders. Woot! They always look good when I purchase them for Dex. She said would consider purchasing my surplus . . . she'd have to see how they looked and how many I could supply, etc. Apparently they are picky about who they purchase from. lol Which is fine.

Not from my own experience but from research, Discoids are known to put on weight faster than Dubia, mature faster than Dubia, definitely reach a max size larger than Dubia, and reproduce at roughly double the speed of Dubia. However, they might be able to emmit a low level musk as a defensive odor. The other downside is that Discoids are not that easy to sex, maybe not possible from looking above while Dubias allow a very easy view of how many excess males you have that can be fed off.

As I said before, I would recommend combing Craigslist for established Dubia colonies. Even if you have to drive several hours to buy them, it will save you a year's time in getting a new colony up to feeding speed, which you would have to wait if you bought some breeders from the pet shop. Alternatively, there are massive Dubia kits, maybe $300 or something on eBay that are shipped with live arrival guarantee what would put you on better footing that starting with some 30 adult founders.

 

[BeardieLover<3]

Hello, a great website is Dubia Roaches – Reptilian Arts i order roaches on their and its about 12 degrees where i live during the day and -3 at night. My roaches always come with a heat pack and i dont even hold them at the post office just in the mailbox.

 

[BrandiH]

Good questions. I'll probably have tons more once I get started. lol

My house is always warm so I don't think I need to worry there. Can you get overrun? I mean, Dex is not an adult yet so he'd eat more, but I'm not sure how many he'll eat as an adult. I'm considering selling any access I may have to the pet store where I get bugs now. Seems like they are always in demand and they now know me by name so it might be an opportunity.

Agree, I do stress about Dex's freakin' crickets and roaches some. More because I know he'll be eating them, but I don't want them to suffer and all die either. Partly because that's mean and partly because that's a waste of money. I always make sure they have plenty of water gel and grain, plus they get some of Dex's salads daily. lol I clean their container out each week, too.

I've never ordered bugs from amazon or ebay. I have from Josh Frogs many times and bugs have always arrived live and healthy. Mostly I order from the pet store. They place their orders every Monday and I do pick-ups every Thursday (Friday if order is late). They have my number and will call each week when my orders in. It's standard now. I don't even have to call in anymore, they'll just place my order with theirs. Unfortunately right now there's a shortage of large dubia from their supplier. Sigh.

I just started a colony of Dubai’s myself. It gets expensive buying them all the time...haha. We’ve had our bearded baby for three weeks and after the first week of him eating between 20-30 roaches per feeding, I decided to raise my own. After tons of research, I went with a 40 quart steralite container and ordered egg flats, food, water gel stuff, 25 breeder females, and 5 males. I went through Dibiaroaches.com. I’m so impressed with their service. And with my last shipment, they sent me 1000 BSFL for free! Be prepared though...the breeder roaches are HUGE...I screamed the whole time I was unpacking them. Lol. My husband thinks I’ve lost my mind as he is not a fan of bugs in general...They have between 25-35 babies every 65 days and two days after mine came, I had babies already. And they are live bearers, so no need to worry about eggs. I’m keeping the new babies in the container with my breeders and still ordering small ones until my colony establishes itself. But it’s a start. Haha. I feed them fresh fruit and veggies every morning and lightly mist their enclosure every evening. It’s pretty low maintenance. Anyway, I’m a total newbie and not experienced in the least, but thought I’d throw what little experience I had in there. Good luck!