Recommend a unique colony that can also be used for feeders

[Jayvicularia]

Termites are excellent for amphibian feeders. If u find an established source u can collect for some time without having to breed them. Hopefully that source is not your house!

 

[KevinsWither]

Panchlora banana roaches! Speckled banana roaches make good feeders!

 

[Gnarled Gnome]

Would it be acceptable to harvest T. Sinensis ootheeca and raise them to feeder size for your cham jimbob? They r not native here in pa but they r well established and not going anywhere. I wouldn't see why putting a dent in a non native species would be a bad thing. Out of curiosity i offered my G pulchripes a spotted lantern fly last year. It ate it.

PA native here also. Great idea on the spotted lantern fly as a food source. I thought they may be poisonous or have had a greater chance of contact with pesticides though so I'm not sure if I'd be comfortable trying it.

 

[Gnarled Gnome]

Have you kept buffalo beetles? They are a bit small for a chameleon feeder, but they can clean up after your other colonies.

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

Would it be acceptable to harvest T. Sinensis ootheeca and raise them to feeder size for your cham jimbob? They r not native here in pa but they r well established and not going anywhere. I wouldn't see why putting a dent in a non native species would be a bad thing. Out of curiosity i offered my G pulchripes a spotted lantern fly last year. It ate it.

First, I love mantids, and they themselves make great pets. I once was overrun with T. sinensis nymphs, but my frogs and lizards completely ignored them.

 

[Galapoheros]

I'm pretty sure beetles native to your state are just fine to keep but transporting them across state lines is the law issue. I've never looked into but it just makes sense. If any native from your state that is not protected from your state is illegal to keep, that would be a ridiculous law to me if it's there. The ones that eat rotten wood, hard to see a threat there anyway and we've probably destroyed some habitat where they were native so some may have been native to a state that aren't anymore, who knows.

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

I'm pretty sure beetles native to your state are just fine to keep but transporting them across state lines is the law issue. I've never looked into but it just makes sense. If any native from your state that is not protected from your state is illegal to keep, that would be a ridiculous law to me if it's there. The ones that eat rotten wood, hard to see a threat there anyway and we've probably destroyed some habitat where they were native so some may have been native to a state that aren't anymore, who knows.

There is a law against collecting any animals (including beetles) in California.

 

[Galapoheros]

There is a law against collecting any animals (including beetles) in California.

Actually I think there is a law like that in Tex, seems to be "0" enforced though. There was a lot controversy about it, something to do with a tx politician. The game warden I talked to said everybody he works with thinks it's over-reach, not practical at all. He said that technically, you're not even supposed to pick a pill-bug off your own property. I talked to somebody else and they said the game warded I talked to had it wrong, they misunderstood something. I just use some common sense and don't worry about it. I forgot to say he said you can collect wildlife here in Tx if you have a hunting license, so it also sounds like a money-grab here.

 

[Jimbob]

Would it be acceptable to harvest T. Sinensis ootheeca and raise them to feeder size for your cham jimbob? They r not native here in pa but they r well established and not going anywhere. I wouldn't see why putting a dent in a non native species would be a bad thing. Out of curiosity i offered my G pulchripes a spotted lantern fly last year. It ate it.

Mantids would be cool, but aren't they kept separately?

Termites, definitely termites. They are amazing feeders.
I'm trying to get a colony started right now.

I've heard termites mentioned before, they're pretty small though... aren't they? Would definitely make an interesting feeder!

Panchlora banana roaches! Speckled banana roaches make good feeders!

I've only seen speckled banana roaches for sale once, what makes them different than the regulars or giants? Happen to have any pictures of them?

Thank you everyone!!

 

[Bob Lee]

I've heard termites mentioned before, they're pretty small though... aren't they? Would definitely make an interesting feeder!

Well, depends on the species. Some african termites are huge . I just caught some pacfic dampwood termites today, and they are defintely good sized for scorpion slings. Maybe even juveniles.

 

[Jayvicularia]

Mantis are kept seperately as pets but chinese mantis are growing like weeds in my state and they are non native. A bigger one could do mechanical damage to a cham but smaller ones seem a viable feeder. Hundreds hatch out of one ootheca and u could collect them in the fall and put them in the fridge until u are ready to hatch under a heat lamp. I havent tried this...just entertaining Jimbob's question. They are nearly a half inch a few days after hatching.image retrieved from petforhomes.com. do u think they would be viable feeders?

 

[Jimbob]

Termites are probably too small, but I appreciate the suggestion. Small mantids are probably too small as well, but maybe if i could raise some to a bit larger. Other than seeing them in my yard I'm not really familiar with them or how dangerous they can be to the cham. I'd be surprised if they survived long enough to fight back after the initial bite. He eats wasps and bees outside with no problems. He's a juevenile still and is able to eat adult orangehead roaches among others. The adults have been known to eat birds lol. So I'm thinking I might give hornworm moths a try. They seem easy to pupate, but I hear they're messy so maybe I can set something up outside. Can be a summer project since the cham brumates over winter anyway.

 

[KevinsWither]

Speckleds breed a lot quicker and they live longer too. I'll be happy to sell some to you.

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

Termites are probably too small, but I appreciate the suggestion. Small mantids are probably too small as well, but maybe if i could raise some to a bit larger. Other than seeing them in my yard I'm not really familiar with them or how dangerous they can be to the cham. I'd be surprised if they survived long enough to fight back after the initial bite. He eats wasps and bees outside with no problems. He's a juevenile still and is able to eat adult orangehead roaches among others. The adults have been known to eat birds lol. So I'm thinking I might give hornworm moths a try. They seem easy to pupate, but I hear they're messy so maybe I can set something up outside. Can be a summer project since the cham brumates over winter anyway.

If you are going to raise hornworms outside, then please catch them near you. They are quite common, and it prevents the spread of possible diseases. Besides, as with lots of other feeder insects, those moths are USDA-regulated.

 

[Jayvicularia]

Yeah just grow some organic tomatoes and they will show up but i think they may be poisonous when gut loaded with tomato leaves. Can anyone confirm if this is true?

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

Yeah just grow some organic tomatoes and they will show up but i think they may be poisonous when gut loaded with tomato leaves. Can anyone confirm if this is true?

They can use the toxins for defense, but they are not that hard to rear. I think there are some solanaceous plants that have less toxins, so you could feed them one of those.

 

[Introvertebrate]

Milkweed bugs supposedly lose their toxicity when put on a shelled sunflower seed diet.

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

Has anyone suggested firebrats (Thermobia domestica)? They are a unique feeder, and they seem to be the only food for Metallyticus splendidus if you want a cool, new pet.