Bsfl questions

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Altb42613

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I have been feeding my 10 week old (7.5 inch long) hatchling bsfl worms as primary feeder since getting him about 1 month ago. I plan to start supplementing with crickets in the near future. I would like to start growing the worms a bit but the recommendations I've seen are to use high quality bread mixed with baby food as worm food. What are the opinions on using bread? I am concerned because I would never feed my beardie bread, but what the worms eat he eats... Any other experiences with growing the worms using other things?
Also I just want to confirm that I don't need to dust them with calcium ever? He eats between 25-35 worms per day plus greens and veggies.
 

Taterbug

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I breed BSFL. They will eat just about anything. They prefer things that are soft and going bad so things like old salad, mushy veggies and stuff would work good. My colony gets all my kitchen scraps and when well fed they get pretty big compared to what you buy.

Be aware when they are wet at all they can climb vertical (an even the lid) surfaces so make sure your container is escape proof all around.
 

Altb42613

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Great thank you! I will start to cook down the veggies a bit to soften them first. I just want to confirm that the worms don't need any calcium dusting. I dust them 2x week with the multivitamin and that's it.
 

Taterbug

BD.org Addict
Altb42613":2rghtc5m said:
Great thank you! I will start to cook down the veggies a bit to soften them first. I just want to confirm that the worms don't need any calcium dusting. I dust them 2x week with the multivitamin and that's it.
Yep, they naturally have a good ratio.
I've found freezing and thawing veggies softens them enough too.
 

Taterbug

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Interesting - the price isn't so bad considering it comes with so many larvae but I'm skeptical of the claims. I'll have to revisit my references but soldier fly larvae have a high calcium content as a part of their biology, not necissarily gut-loading/diet like other feeder bugs.
 

wpappas

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How bad does the container you raise the worms in smell? I am assuming this is an outside the house operation?
 

Altb42613

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I'm not sure if you mean the smell with breeding or growing. In my experience of growing them I've tried a bunch of veggies and some smell really awful even after 24hrs. I change the food every 48hrs. The least smelly was butternut squash and greens. I was able to grow the small amount I needed in a Tupperware container with small holes that I kept in the house. The smell was only when container was open. I've since ordered symton's large size and they are good without growing. For now :D
 

Taterbug

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wpappas":22n7ymu0 said:
How bad does the container you raise the worms in smell? I am assuming this is an outside the house operation?
When I have them in the house I rinse them off, keep them on dry bedding and feed them only as much as they will eat in a day. Thy don't smell so bad.

In my colony outside they smell about as bad as whatever is in the bin. Basically like rotten/composting food, the longer they take to eat it the worse it smells but it's not overpowering really. For the most part dairy and meat are not adviced since it makes for wretched smells.

The container is maybe 24"x18"x12" and I can only smell it when I open it up.
 

wpappas

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Taterbug":3q8nhhpu said:
wpappas":3q8nhhpu said:
How bad does the container you raise the worms in smell? I am assuming this is an outside the house operation?
When I have them in the house I rinse them off, keep them on dry bedding and feed them only as much as they will eat in a day. Thy don't smell so bad.

In my colony outside they smell about as bad as whatever is in the bin. Basically like rotten/composting food, the longer they take to eat it the worse it smells but it's not overpowering really. For the most part dairy and meat are not adviced since it makes for wretched smells.

The container is maybe 24"x18"x12" and I can only smell it when I open it up.


Thanks, I was referring to breeding them, I keep the ones I have been buying in a cooler in the house no smell at all but when I read about breeding them I thought about the smells and where I live the container would need to be near our house and we have neighbors fairly close on both sides. If it only smells when open that could work for me.
 

wpappas

Member
Altb42613":2r1ndskz said:
I'm not sure if you mean the smell with breeding or growing. In my experience of growing them I've tried a bunch of veggies and some smell really awful even after 24hrs. I change the food every 48hrs. The least smelly was butternut squash and greens. I was able to grow the small amount I needed in a Tupperware container with small holes that I kept in the house. The smell was only when container was open. I've since ordered symton's large size and they are good without growing. For now :D


Thanks, sounds like breeding is something I might try!
 

Taterbug

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This is my bin, it's on my back patio about 8' from my door. It actually smells kindof rank right now but I'm chalking that up to experimenting with food. Sticking to produce/fruits/veggies seemed to smell less, but still like rotten veggies. Personally I don't mind it, I can't really smell it until I open it and I'm not in there too often. Sortof like a outside trash can if that make sense.



 
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