Ideas for breeding and Gut loading feeder insects

[TechnoGeek]

Since a few people are coming to the forum with questions about feeding wild caught insects, or asking about feeders or how to feed them I decided to make a thread for people to share pics and ideas regarding the feeding and breeding of feeder insects for the cheap.



This is my parrot's leftovers, it's basically the crushed remains of parrot pellets, barely, oats, and nuts. He won't eat that and therefore I literally have no use for it, if it wasn't for my mealworm colony and other feeders I would've discarded them. They make excellent gut load for the insects and they're totally free.

Occasionally I feed biscuits nearing expiry date or repashy bug burger, but I mean one 3 oz bottle lasts me over 4 months. It's only for supplement. For moisture and hydration I provide whatever fruit and vegetable scraps are left from cooking or from the parrot's meals. Bits of potato, apple, lettuce, cabbage, corn or carrots. Again, none of it is bought specifically for the insects and it would've been trash if it wasn't for them eating it.

One more thing, if you're breeding and end up with hundreds of insects try to split them into multiple smaller containers. That way, if something happens to one of them, such as a mite, bacteria, or mold outbreak you will have less insects to remove and replacing the food substrate will be much easier.





I have a few hundred, probably more than a thousand, fat mealworms from doing this (I started with a population of 75 or so).. and they didn't cost me a single penny

Almost all feeder insects that I'm aware of (other than silkworms) will thrive on such diet.. obviously owning a parrot or any bird isn't a must.. you can use everything from crested gecko diet to cat/dog food to fish flakes to your own table scraps.

Bonus tip: every once in a while I would sift one of the containers and use the fine dust (mealworm droppings called frass) as a fertilizer for my plants.. my mint plants grow like crazy thanks to it. Yeah you'll lose some eggs this way, but I literally still get more worms than I need for all of my pets combined so I don't really care.

 

[CutThroat Kid]

Bonus tip: every once in a while I would sift one of the containers and use the fine dust (mealworm droppings called frass) as a fertilizer for my plants.. my mint plants grow like crazy thanks to it. Yeah you'll lose some eggs this way, but I literally still get more worms than I need for all of my pets combined so I don't really care.

This is actually genius. Wonder if all my roach frass would do the same if I added it to my houseplants.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

This is actually genius. Wonder if all my roach frass would do the same if I added it to my houseplants.

That’s something that I overlooked it never crossed my mind I been throwing away roach frass for a decade or so now lol .. could had an epic mint garden . Occasionally I did dump it in the flower garden .

Since a few people are coming to the forum with questions about feeding wild caught insects, or asking about feeders or how to feed them I decided to make a thread for people to share pics and ideas regarding the feeding and breeding of feeder insects for the cheap.

View attachment 451308

This is my parrot's leftovers, it's basically the crushed remains of parrot pellets, barely, oats, and nuts. He won't eat that and therefore I literally have no use for it, if it wasn't for my mealworm colony and other feeders I would've discarded them. They make excellent gut load for the insects and they're totally free.

Occasionally I feed biscuits nearing expiry date or repashy bug burger, but I mean one 3 oz bottle lasts me over 4 months. It's only for supplement. For moisture and hydration I provide whatever fruit and vegetable scraps are left from cooking or from the parrot's meals. Bits of potato, apple, lettuce, cabbage, corn or carrots. Again, none of it is bought specifically for the insects and it would've been trash if it wasn't for them eating it.

One more thing, if you're breeding and end up with hundreds of insects try to split them into multiple smaller containers. That way, if something happens to one of them, such as a mite, bacteria, or mold outbreak you will have less insects to remove and replacing the food substrate will be much easier.

View attachment 451309

View attachment 451310

I have a few hundred, probably more than a thousand, fat mealworms from doing this (I started with a population of 75 or so).. and they didn't cost me a single penny

Almost all feeder insects that I'm aware of (other than silkworms) will thrive on such diet.. obviously owning a parrot or any bird isn't a must.. you can use everything from crested gecko diet to cat/dog food to fish flakes to your own table scraps.

Bonus tip: every once in a while I would sift one of the containers and use the fine dust (mealworm droppings called frass) as a fertilizer for my plants.. my mint plants grow like crazy thanks to it. Yeah you'll lose some eggs this way, but I literally still get more worms than I need for all of my pets combined so I don't really care.

View attachment 451311

Yeah are mealworm still a meal for larger Ts ? Breeding super worms is too much of a pain so I raise roaches instead .

 

[TechnoGeek]

This is actually genius. Wonder if all my roach frass would do the same if I added it to my houseplants.

I believe the frass itself should be fine but I dunno how you would do the sifting since roaches tend to be much better at escaping than mealworms.

That’s something that I overlooked it never crossed my mind I been throwing away roach frass for a decade or so now lol .. could had an epic mint garden . Occasionally I did dump it in the flower garden .

Yeah are mealworm still a meal for larger Ts ? Breeding super worms is too much of a pain so I raise roaches instead .

I use them for Ts up to 4 inches or so, and you can feed multiple if needed. Above 4 inches of might be time to switch to a bigger insect but this approach should work for just about any insect colony.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I use them for Ts up to 4 inches or so, and you can feed multiple if needed. Above 4 inches of might be time to switch to a bigger insect but this approach should work for just about any insect colony.

Just wondering because I could easily go to pet shop and buy mealworms and breed them . I only have a few Ts under 4” ..3 so there’s that . Super worms are much much more work to breed . Although I know how to do it all. Hence the Dubai roaches …

 

[CutThroat Kid]

I believe the frass itself should be fine but I dunno how you would do the sifting since roaches tend to be much better at escaping than mealworms.

Talking about my hisser colony. Not too many left anymore. And, I actually have them in a cool little breeder box with a drawer under a screen that the frass falls into. So sifting is already done!

 

[TechnoGeek]

Just wondering because I could easily go to pet shop and buy mealworms and breed them . I only have a few Ts under 4” ..3 so there’s that . Super worms are much much more work to breed . Although I know how to do it all. Hence the Dubai roaches …

Mealworms make the ideal insect for my needs, they're less picky eaters than a goat lol, and just about everything eats them! My parrots, reptiles, tarantulas, scorps, hell even my carnivorous plants and dog eat them, and I use them in my garden to attract wild birds, which seem to cherish them. If you have a dog, you can freeze them and then mix them with wet food or raw food (if you feed raw which I strongly recommend). And to think, all of that is essentially for free since they turn my food waste into protein lol.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Mealworms make the ideal insect for my needs, they're less picky eaters than a goat lol, and just about everything eats them! My parrots, reptiles, tarantulas, scorps, hell even my carnivorous plants and dog eat them, and I use them in my garden to attract wild birds, which seem to cherish them. If you have a dog, you can freeze them and then mix them with wet food or raw food (if you feed raw which I strongly recommend). And to think, all of that is essentially for free since they turn my food waste into protein lol.

Hmm I could definitely try them out as a way to let my roaches live longer before feeding off and population can skyrocket higher . Any good guides to raising them ?
I really don’t remember how much the pet shop has of them if it’s enough for a starter colony. It’s more of a long time frame end game thing. We’re do you suggest buying them ?