King Worm substrate?

reptile boi · 12-15-04, 03:09 PM

Hey everyone,

Does anyone here breed king worms? If so, what do you keep them on? I read that they need more humidity than mealies so i was thinking bout breeding them on bed a beast but i also heard that coconut fibre was toxic for reptiles and didnt want the possibility of the baby king worms ingesting the substrate which will then be passed on to my leos. Has anyone ever had success breeding them on oatmeal, alfalfa pellets and fish pellets?

Thanks,
Ben

Linds · 12-15-04, 04:11 PM

Coconut fiber is definitely not toxic to reptiles, cocoa mulch, however is. When I was breeding mine, I used peat moss. I'm sure coconut would be fine though. I kept mine in a substrate of grains for a while, and found it was ok, but the most important 'make-or-break' ingredient in breeding them was to have plenty of bark for them to hide and breed in.

Jayson · 12-15-04, 05:50 PM

I keep mine on the powder left in my rat feed bins (mazui 6f)

reptile boi · 12-15-04, 08:50 PM

Hey,

Thanks for the info. Do you gise think that king worms or super worms would breed under the same conditions as mealies? I always thought that they need something other than grains as a substrate to breed in.

Thanks,
Ben

Linds · 12-15-04, 09:00 PM

They definitely aren't the same as mealies. They need something to hide and lay in besides the substrate, unlike mealies which tend to do fine with just a bunch of grain. Cork bark, other bark, or rotted logs serves that purpose well. I've never tried the rotting wood myself, but apparently it's second to none. I've just used bark and dried veggie stocks. You have to really monitor the situation as well I found, as the superworms love to eat the beetles. Just like mealies, a rotational program will yeild the maximum amount of worms.

reptile boi · 12-16-04, 02:42 PM

Hey Linds,

Would crumpled newspaper or paper egg cartons be alright as a substitute for wood? Also, can you see the eggs?

Thanks,
Ben

Steve · 12-16-04, 05:03 PM

I have been managing to get beetles easy(worms hide in tegu enclosure...I later find beetles walking around. The problem I am having is with the beetles. Anyone got any tips for thosE?

Linds · 12-16-04, 09:19 PM

Ben,
I haven't heard of anyone using that before, nor have I tried. I guess the only way is to try and see if it works out ok!

Steve,
Tips for what in regards to the beetles? Keeping them alive? Breeding them? What is the problem you are having with them?

Steve · 12-17-04, 09:20 AM

Linds: The prob I've been having is making them breed. So far I've only had 2 die on me and I've had them for about 2-3months

RepTylE · 12-17-04, 09:36 AM

You leave the beetles in your Tegu enclosure? Maybe they have bred and all the baby worms are in the substrate. They burrow after all. It probably would be a good idea to remove the beetles and keep them separate.
It is better to keep the beetles in their own container with wood or some suitable substrate for them to lay their eggs. I give mine carrot for moisture/food and just very lightly mist one end of the container once in awhile. When you start seeing babies, move all the beetles into another container and start over. Having more worms set aside to pupate is a good idea so you can add fresh beetles periodically.
That should give you an ongoing colony that will keep producing. I don't know how to tell the difference between the sexes of king mealies so I just put a couple dozen together and let nature take it's course.

Steve · 12-17-04, 10:31 AM

I don't keep the beetles in the enclosure. Kingworms burrow in the substrate, and emerge as beetles. When I find beetles I put em in a diff container. I have some pieces of bark in the container too. Always some veggies and crix food available for them. Guess I'll just have to wait longer
thanks

RepTylE · 12-17-04, 11:09 AM

Sounds like you are doing things right, you didn't mention how many beetles are typically together at the same time. A couple dozen is your best bet.
If you put the worms in little deli cups or something like that and set them aside they will pupate and you can get several dozen beetles going pretty much at once. I use empty pudding cups to put the worms in then wait for them to metamorph into beetles. I keep them separate in the cups so when they pupate , there's no one there to gnaw on them.

Steve · 12-17-04, 04:50 PM

yup my worms are kept seperatly too. Just getting the beetles to lay eggs. I had roughly 16 of them together for a good long time. Never had any babies thought. Guess I'll just keep trying

RepTylE · 12-17-04, 05:36 PM

http://www.drgecko.com/superworms/breeding.htm

I found this article on the topic and from what I can see you are doing things right. I had success just putting the colony aside and leaving it alone. The only thing that I don't know is the typical temps you keep the beetles at.
Hope that your luck changes, I know that having your own supply of feeders is a realy money and time saver.

Steve · 12-17-04, 07:05 PM

Yeah no kidding. I have plenty of rats and mice breeding, come hissers and disco roaches too, just can't get crix(i seem to just murder them) and superworms to breed. Temps are roughly 80-83 in my bedroom, so the beetles are around that temp too.
Thanks for the link...gonna check it out right now