Happy Food Happy Life
It's extremely import that the chameleons ingest a varied diet of gut loaded "feeders." Feeders simply mean insects that are bred in a sterile environment.
We feed our bugs organic fruits and veggies to ensure that unneeded chemicals are not ingested by our chameleons.
Our Silkworm Operation
This is a picture of Billy feeding our Silkworm babies some chow.
Silkworms are tiny worms that spin their own silk cocoons. The scientific name for silkworms is Bombyx mori, which means “silkworm of the mulberry tree.” They have been raised to produce fabric for thousands of years and can no longer be found in the wild.
Appearance
Silkworms begin as wormlike larvae with the three distinct body parts of an insect. After spending time in a cocoon, the silkworm morphs into a scaly, four-winged moth.
Molting
After hatching from eggs, the worms molt four times before spinning their cocoons. The silk fiber comes from the cocoons.
Diet
Silkworms eat the leaves of the mulberry tree or can exist on an artificial diet. They also eat the leaves of the tree known as the Tree of Heaven.
Habitat
Silkworms now depend on silk producers, laboratories and schoolchildren to propagate the species. In their domestication, the moths lost the ability to fly, so wild populations no longer exist.
Mating
Female moths release pheromones that are picked up by tiny hairs on male moth antennas. The small amounts of pheromones are detectable from long distances.
Isopods
At Colorado Chameleon we are more than thrilled to be able to offer Rubber Ducky Isopods! We offer part of their collection at our location. Call to find out what we offer.
What do Isopods eat? (In nature)
So what do Isopods EAT in Nature? Our goal at Rubber Ducky Isopods & Colorado Chameleon is to HELP YOU build a thriving Bio-Active Isopod enclosures that best mimic Mother Nature on a microcosm level.
The first step in bringing the "Old Growth Forrest" indoors is to mimic some of the primary food sources for Isopods found in Nature...
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Dead & Decaying Rotting Wood (Preferably Soft)
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Dead & Decaying Cork Bark (Mist Often To Soften)
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Organic Oak Leaves
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Organic Magnolia Leaves
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Organic Bananas Tree Leaves
*FREE Of Pesticides & Fungicides
Over time as you mist and pour both de-chlorinated water and chloramine water over cork bark, that same cork bark will begin to break down. When this occurs, you allow your newly forming Isopod colonies a place to hide and start to establish a healthy environment to breed in.
Cork Bark as an essential food source makes economic sense because it takes much longer to break down than conventional decaying or softened wood. Our goal with this article today is to teach you how to breed and care for your isopods for pennies on the dollar compared to traditional thinking and store-bought nutritional sources.
Fun Facts
Scientific Name: Gromphadorhina portentosa
Habitat:
The Madagascar Hissing Cockroach is endemic to Madagascar. It lives primarily on the forest floor of tropical, lowland forests.
Lifespan:
Most are found to live up to 2 years, while other in captivity have lived up to 5 years.
Behavior:
These roaches are detritivores, or feed primarily on dead, decaying organic matter. Fallen fruit is readily available, but they also feed on dead vegetation, or smaller insect and animal carcasses. Hissing cockroaches are well known for producing sounds. The roaches produce a “hissing” noise through holes (spiracles) in their abdomen. They can make five, hiss-like calls: One for alarm, two for mating, and one specifically for males in combat for territory. They are the only insect known to make sound this way.
Male hissing cockroaches will show off by “stilting”, or standing on their toes. Dominant males will do this most, and the roach that hisses the loudest and is the largest typically wins. Females do not defend territories.
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Male hissing cockroaches possess large bumps, or tubercles just behind their head. These bumps can be used as battering rams, or for display for mating.
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Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches are one of the largest roaches in the world. Some can reach a length of over 3 inches long, not including their antennae.
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Female Hissing Cockroaches can have up to 40 nymphs, or roach babies at one time.
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Hissing cockroaches are an essential food source for other endemic Madagascar predators. Insects
have up to 3 times more protein in them than chicken or beef, based on relation to body size.