Can anybody give me the basics of breeding SW's? Will this work?
5-10g aquarium, fill 3 in up with oatmeal, start with 40 (more?) worms, and feed orange cube and potato halves. Sound good?
01-11-2012, 06:51 PM
Lupe
I don't know much about breeding them but I do know the worms have to be separated to turn into pupa and then to beetles.
01-11-2012, 08:13 PM
Trogdorpheus
That aquarium will be huge. You should (especially with that few) start with maybe 1 or 2 small plastic shoebox size tubs. I typically use less than an inch of oats (make sure they're the whole oats, not quick oats...) Check out this site : http://www.beardeddragon.org/bjive/v...?f=76&t=100703
Should be able to give you a better idea.
I also would avoid the orange cubes. They like to pull the water source under the substrate, and that's just begging for mold. I use carrots.
01-11-2012, 08:19 PM
John1982
Zophobas are one of the easier feeders to raise but like Lupe said, you have to separate the adults if you want them to pupate. I keep my worms in wheat bran with a supply of fresh carrot always available. Potato and apple are fine to offer as well but they will mold if not eaten quickly where the carrot just tends to dry out without any molding issues. When your worms get large you have to separate them if you want them to pupate, if kept together they will remain in their worm state until they die. You can use whatever is convenient for you really, old film containers, pill bottles, baby food jars, arts & crafts sorters. If you have adults already just separate them into their own little containers(no substrate, no food, just individual worms) and after a few days they should start to curl into a "C" shape. After a while they'll turn into pupae and then later emerge as beetles. Once they turn into pupae you're pretty much set, those will become beetles. Sometimes the worms will curl into the "C" or just stay straight but start turning a darker brown and then black, toss these(they're dead and will soon start smelling like it). As the beetles start emerging from the pupae put them in a new container with your bran and carrots and every 2-3 weeks move the beetles into another set up so your worms in each bin will be of a similar size.
02-15-2012, 07:53 PM
thedarkwolf25
So is ok to use water crystals? I am trying to start up my own colony and I had heard that water crystals can be used (they are also extremely cheap)