Superworm Care and Breeding, a Step by Step Guide

[Alix1378]

maybe on your own substrate that will work the stuff out of their system if they have anything after a generation or 2

 

[goblinsly]

Heh for that to happen they must actualy grow. But i will be patient, i will keep adding bettles inside and wont move them to other substrate until i see ground moving. Becuase last time i moved them to new environment every 3 weeks and i ended up with a whole bunch of substrate and 5 worms inside.

 

[h0ndap0w3r]

i heard somewhere that the beetles can actually eat the small worms and eggs. . . and that the small worms can start to eat the beetles. . . i move mine after 3 weeks in the tub.

 

[goblinsly]

What you said is a fact. But in 3 weeks 50 beettles seem to lay soo few eggs that you end up with a ton of substrate and few worms in it.

 

[fresnowitte]

What you said is a fact. But in 3 weeks 50 beettles seem to lay soo few eggs that you end up with a ton of substrate and few worms in it.

I change mine to new substrate every 3 weeks...and with about 2 dozen beetles breeding I end up with about 100 to 200 baby worms every 3 weeks. Also the beetles don't need a large container to breed in if you go with a smaller one you'll not have so much substrate. Just a thought! :wink:

 

[vhsairforce]

what is the diff between breeding superworms and mealworms? I'm thinking of starting a colony of meal worms for my 2 1yr. old babys.

 

[fresnowitte]

what is the diff between breeding superworms and mealworms? I'm thinking of starting a colony of meal worms for my 2 1yr. old babys.

Mealworms are not really good for your beardies they are low in nutrition and the chitins(shell) is much to hard for their digestive system.

 

[vhsairforce]

ok. so the superworms would be a better choice?

 

[fresnowitte]

ok. so the superworms would be a better choice?

Most definitely. :wink:
Here's a link that gives the nutritional values of some live feeders check it out;
http://www.feedersinc.com/insect-comparison/
Sorry it doesn't mention the chitins but if you ask just about anyone on this site they will tell you that it's to hard on mealworms for beardies digestive track.

 

[vhsairforce]

ok. so the superworms would be a better choice?

Most definitely. :wink:
Here's a link that gives the nutritional values of some live feeders check it out;
http://www.feedersinc.com/insect-comparison/
Sorry it doesn't mention the chitins but if you ask just about anyone on this site they will tell you that it's to hard on mealworms for beardies digestive track.

Thanks i really glad i talked about this before i started.

 

[fresnowitte]

Thanks i really glad i talked about this before i started.

:wink: Your Welcome!

 

[jargonchipmunk]

thank for putting up this in depth guide. I'd found a few sources as I looked around, but most of them were very general guidelines and didn't include all of the don'ts with the do's. My superworms are due today, and my beardies are due in a month or so. Hopefully, by the time they're big enough to eat these guys, I'll have a thriving colony big enough to support them.

One question: What is the purpose in waiting until a dragon is 16" to feed superworms (I get the digestive tract thing) Is there a reason you couldn't simply feed off of baby superworms? I'd imagine (although I have no clue what I'm talking about obviously) maybe their chitin content is a lot higher prior to the final morph? Just wondering, because if they're still nutritious as smaller worms, I could also feed out of the colony to my leopard geckos.

I will heed the 16" advice and not feed them to the beardies prior to that size, but I just wondered as to why the worms must be fed after reaching the 2" size, and not before.

Prior to that, it'll be bulk crickets.

*edit* oh yeah, one other thing I was wondering. A few people have said that they move the adult beetles around on the 3 week cycle to avoid issues with the worms, and end up with a lot of substrate and very few worms. Tell me if there is an issue with the following solution. When moving the beetles to a new container with fresh bedding, only include 1/2" or so of the bedding. When you move the beetles and start seeing the worms, if you have only a few worms, you can combine multiple tubs of "small batches" (up to four of them to reach a 2" deep bed) that way you aren't wasting as much space. If you see a LOT of movement and are sure of a good production in that tub... simply add more bedding as you normally would with a lot of worms. Is there issue with this approach?

 

[goblinsly]

Also, would it be ok to feed worms that are white ( the ones that just shedded ) ?

 

[h0ndap0w3r]

thank for putting up this in depth guide. I'd found a few sources as I looked around, but most of them were very general guidelines and didn't include all of the don'ts with the do's. My superworms are due today, and my beardies are due in a month or so. Hopefully, by the time they're big enough to eat these guys, I'll have a thriving colony big enough to support them.

One question: What is the purpose in waiting until a dragon is 16" to feed superworms (I get the digestive tract thing) Is there a reason you couldn't simply feed off of baby superworms? I'd imagine (although I have no clue what I'm talking about obviously) maybe their chitin content is a lot higher prior to the final morph? Just wondering, because if they're still nutritious as smaller worms, I could also feed out of the colony to my leopard geckos.

I will heed the 16" advice and not feed them to the beardies prior to that size, but I just wondered as to why the worms must be fed after reaching the 2" size, and not before.

Prior to that, it'll be bulk crickets.

*edit* oh yeah, one other thing I was wondering. A few people have said that they move the adult beetles around on the 3 week cycle to avoid issues with the worms, and end up with a lot of substrate and very few worms. Tell me if there is an issue with the following solution. When moving the beetles to a new container with fresh bedding, only include 1/2" or so of the bedding. When you move the beetles and start seeing the worms, if you have only a few worms, you can combine multiple tubs of "small batches" (up to four of them to reach a 2" deep bed) that way you aren't wasting as much space. If you see a LOT of movement and are sure of a good production in that tub... simply add more bedding as you normally would with a lot of worms. Is there issue with this approach?

yes your suggestion at the bottom is right, i just combine tubs but after about 6 weeks you should start to seem alot of movement and bigger worms.

 

[rin0425]

How many supers should I start with? I have 10 in those little side containers, but how many should I have in order to start a successful colony for 5 dragons (3 of which are all under 4 months at the moment) Thanks!
Aaron