AN ALTERNATIVE TO FEEDING CRICKETS

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AN ALTERNATIVE TO FEEDING CRICKETS

by Edward M. Craft

Crickets are often fed to captive insectivorous reptiles, but some species, such as Anoles do not always readily accept them. Crickets are also very low in Calcium and contain excessive amounts of Phosphorous. Aside from this crickets also have a very hard exoskeleton that is very difficult to digest and pass. This exoskeleton is often responsible for causing intestinal tract blockages and constipation in captive reptiles. A more nutritious and better-suited diet would be Wax Moth Larvae. Included below are directions for starting a wax moth larvae culture that will allow you to supply your insectivorous reptile with a constant supply. Several sources from which to purchase the initial larvae from are also included in this article.

This table was written by Dr. Fredric L. Frye and are from A Practical Guide for Feeding Captive Reptiles, Krieger Publishing Co. 1993.

ITEMS NEEDED FOR NEWLY HATCHED LARVAE 1. Boiling water 100ml 2. Glycerine, USP 100ml 3. Honey 100ml 4. Vitamin supplement 5 gm/5ml 5. Infant cereal 1,200gm 6. Calcium proprionate (Catalog # 1053347 Eastman Kodak Co., Inc.)

Bake the cereal at 200 degrees F for 2 hours. Mix the liquid ingredients together. Add vitamin supplement and calcium proprionate, mixing well. Add liquids to cereal, mixing thoroughly to distribute all the ingredients. Store in glass jars. This growth medium is used to feed moth larvae until they can be transferred to a less refined diet.

ITEMS NEEDED FOR LARGER LARVAE 1. miller's bran 1,200 ml (dry measure) 2. honey 200 ml (dry measure) 3. Water 100ml (dry measure) 4. Glycerine, USP 9ml (dry measure) 5. brewer's yeast 1 tablet 6. vitamin supplement 5 gm/5 ml 7. Calcium proprionate 1.5 gm

Bake the miller's bran at 200 degrees F for 2 hours. Thoroughly mix dry ingredients with liquid ingredients until homogeneous. Place 2-4 tbl spoons of the medium into one-gallon, wide-mouth glass jar. Place half-grown (1/4 " or larger) larvae into jar, and cove the top of the container with one or more layers of cotton gauze or nylon stocking material. Depending on the size of the culture jar and the number of larvae (or adults) that are required, 2-10 pairs are used to start a culture.

Place culture jars in an environmental temp. of about 82-94 degrees F. the larvae will mature and pupate within approximately two weeks, and the moths will soon emerge to mate and produce another generation. The sexes are easy to determine for breeding purposes. The male moths are smaller than the females. A piece of accordion-pleated filter or wax paper placed in the jar will mimic a brood comb and afford the moths a place upon which to deposit their fertilized eggs. If the demand is sufficiently large, the culture jars should be alternated so that a continual supply of larvae and moths will be available.

SOURCES OF WAX MOTH LARVAE

Carolina Biological Supply Co. Eastern U. S. Burlington, NC 27215 1-919-584-0381 1-800-547-1733

Niles Biological Supply 9298 Elder Creek R. P.O. Box 191543 Sacramento, CA 95829

Grubco, Inc. P.O. Box 15001 Hamilton, OH 45015 1-800-222-3563

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