| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Auld Baldy |
Posted - 05/09/2013 : 13:44:33
Trick for keeping crickets, mealies and roaches alive for any length of time is cleanliness. I've had a tub of crickets last over 2 months with very few dying off.
I use these Clippy Boxes from Poundland. (Surprise Surprise.  )
For Crickets put a thin layer of wood shavings in as a substrate with half and egg carton for a hide. Empty the crickets into the tub without the supplied bug-grub food. It will already be contaminated with crix-crud. Use bottle tops for your choice of Bug-Grub and water-gel. That is more than enough for a day or two days maximum. Best to change the gel daily to prevent bacteria build up. Remove dead daily but they should survive well enough. Change and disinfect the tub and shavings weekly. No need to put in the fridge. They will tend to die off if left much more than half an hour.
For Mealworms and Mealie Beetles. Use oatmeal, bran or crushed cornflakes as a base cover. Give the mealworms a very light mist of water maybe once a week. Once they pupate and turn into beetles then provide with water gel on a piece of plastic. A strip cut from a bug tub lid is ideal. Replace gel daily.
Mealworms only need cleaned out maybe every 2 months. Depends on how long they last. My T's won't eat them but will take a beetle now and again. Just add a spoonful or two of your favourite bug grub, oats or whatever every day sprinkled over the mealies. They will demolish it.
For the Beetles. These will last for months without any cleaning. Just add daily grub and fresh gel. Eventually they will build up a layer of dry poop. This is non-smelly but quite dusty so be careful not to stir op too much stoor as it can irritate your 'tubes'. They will lay their eggs in this and soon you will have baby mealies. Perfect if you have any small T's. Sort out any pupae that frazzle and turn black.
For Dubia Roaches. Same tub, same oats or bran as a thin starter substrate. I use small flat stainless sauce pots from (you guessed it) Poundland for bug gel and food. Bits of carrot, banana, orange, apple or just about any 'wet' fruit will do. Also a sprinkle of Bug Grub and oats every other day just tossed into a corner.
Use egg carton in layers for roach style housing. I get the card divider trays used for apples and other fruit from Morrisons as eggs are mostly pre-packed plastic around here. I'm trying to get a colony started so I can do away with noisy crickets. Once it gets established I'll set up a bigger tub.
Roaches are quiet and very clean as long as you don't leave fruit lying around for more than a day. They are fantastic beasties to study as they grow, moult and mature.
This is the Clippy Boxes I use. Just drill a load of small 1/8" ventilation holes across the top.
This is the simplest set up for the Crickets. Use a cardboard tube (Smartie Tube is ideal) as a catcher.
Easy set up for the mealworms and mealy beetles.
Set up for the starter colony of Dubia Roaches. Obviously without the trays. The blue tub has water to increase the humidity. Roaches need a bit of heat to grow and survive so the tub is half on a small statted heat mat.
That's them starting to mature into adults. Babies soon.
These set ups work for me. I tried Locusts but they didn't do so well. Hope this give you some useful ideas for bug keeping. |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Mort13 |
Posted - 01/12/2013 : 13:57:11
Mealworms and dubias are great to breed. Crickets are banned from my house though, dirty chirpy blighters!! |
| lupi lou |
Posted - 29/11/2013 : 21:51:58
I do like the dubias, just waiting for them to start breeding now |
| scottishbluebird |
Posted - 29/11/2013 : 20:29:30
lol thankfully i just stick to the wonderful dubias |
| lupi lou |
Posted - 29/11/2013 : 10:34:31
I have no idea on the number of Beetles I have, luckily it was the meal worms that i knocked off, i think i got them all. I have had locusts end up loose too now them little critters are a nightmare! |
| smart bunny |
Posted - 29/11/2013 : 10:17:52
Oooops Lou lol!! |
| Freddiesmum |
Posted - 29/11/2013 : 08:34:03
Sbb lmao!
Oh dear.....sounds like something I'd do (but shhhh haha) |
| scottishbluebird |
Posted - 28/11/2013 : 22:28:42
quote:
Originally posted by lupi lou
Pmsl SB
Freddiesmum they can't climb up the plastic so they can't escape, the only time they escape is when you have the lid off and you accidentally knock the tub off the table
how many did you have? and how many did you catch? |
| lupi lou |
Posted - 28/11/2013 : 18:28:55
Pmsl SB
Freddiesmum they can't climb up the plastic so they can't escape, the only time they escape is when you have the lid off and you accidentally knock the tub off the table |
| scottishbluebird |
Posted - 28/11/2013 : 15:06:16
quote:
Originally posted by smart bunny
But but but they WILL escape!! You hear of it all the time, they get out at night, and lay next to you in your sleep, and size you up and... oh no wait...
lmao |
| smart bunny |
Posted - 28/11/2013 : 13:56:23
But but but they WILL escape!! You hear of it all the time, they get out at night, and lay next to you in your sleep, and size you up and... oh no wait... |
| Freddiesmum |
Posted - 28/11/2013 : 11:12:10
Thanks for that lupi! Now i just need to convince the OH that bettles are ok and won't escape lol. |
| ScalySituation |
Posted - 27/11/2013 : 17:53:07
I'm thinking of starting a mealie colony for our garden birds :)
|
| lupi lou |
Posted - 27/11/2013 : 17:37:05
I can tell you what I do Freddiesmum, I started breeding mealies when I just had Jeff (as we know I have slighlty increaded the number of leos I have!) In a medium sized faun I have the darkling beetles on poridge oats and give them some fresh veg daily,the eggs and mealies get left in untill they are big enough to feed. The pupa I have in a separate tub. The mealies do take a long time to mature, you always have the option of feeding some of the mealies to the birds if you end up with too many. I just keep all the darkling beatles so I replace any that die. One think I have found is to keep an eye on humitiy if it gets too humid you end up with flour mites! Hope that helps |
| Freddiesmum |
Posted - 26/11/2013 : 13:54:45
I know this is an old thread but I have a couple of questions! Is it worth breeding mealies for only 1 leopard gecko?
And do you just leave the beetles, pupae, mealies and eggs altogether, collecting mealies for feeding time? What happens when you have too many bettles? |
| Callazagy |
Posted - 05/09/2013 : 22:08:32
Nice post |
| ScalySituation |
Posted - 05/09/2013 : 19:54:59
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSticky!!!!
Nice one Auld |
| Lee |
Posted - 05/09/2013 : 18:43:34
excellent, thank you |
| Moppet |
Posted - 05/09/2013 : 16:45:17
Excellent guide. Thanks Auld Baldy Do you just keep your crickets at room temperature? |
| scottishbluebird |
Posted - 05/09/2013 : 15:43:09
My excuse for eating prawn pringles is i like the lids for the water crystals! |
| Freddiesmum |
Posted - 05/09/2013 : 14:19:39
Great thread, thanks very much! |
