Going down to the local Pet Store every week or so to buy a supply of feeder insects for your Anoles can get to be both tiresome and expensive. Even after you buy a dozen or so of them, you still have to find some place to keep them and provide food and water for them to survive. Why not cut overall costs by raising you own feeder insects? It is easy and cheaper in the long run. Consider that if you use a dozen crickets per week, you will have spent about $50 for a year’s supply. For that, you can easily set up a breeding program for several different species. Besides. You will have feeders of the correct size whenever you need them.
CRICKETS (Acheta domestica) and ROACHES (Nauphoeta cinerea)
Difficulty: 1
I’m going to treat these two together since the requirements are the same with some minor variations.
Enclosure
The best enclosure to raise crickets/roaches in is one of the Sterlite (or similar) plastic storage bins. The 66 quart size works well but you can get a larger size if you wish. The 66-quart size will accommodate several thousand of either species. You will need to cut out a section in the middle of the top for ventilation and cover it with metal screen. Both species can chew through fiberglass screen. Using a hot glue gun, glue the screen to the top from the inside.
The insects will need somewhere to hide. Get some of the cardboard egg flats – the ones that hold two-dozen eggs. Cut them in half and hot glue them together and stand them on end in the enclosure. By standing them on end, the feces will drop through to the bottom of the enclosure and, by raising one end; they will all end up at the other end of the enclosure for easy cleaning.
Notice that I did not mention any sort of substrate. It is unnecessary and makes cleaning a lot more difficult.
Feeding
Both crickets and roaches are omnivores. They will eat almost anything. It isn’t too difficult to find something for them to eat but you want to provide them with a healthy diet so that the reptiles you feed them to will also be healthy.
It is best to avoid animal protein and stick to vegetable protein. With that in mind, you can feed them most any vegetable peel or fruit (potato, squash, etc,), or cereal grain or pet food pellet. Flaked baby food works fine but my favorite is mouse/rat pellets. It is over 20% protein and both crickets and roaches eat it voraciously. I run mine through a blender to reduce it to a powder. Keep the food available constantly and your feeders will multiply beyond your wildest dreams. You can also treat them to some juicy fruit from time to time but it isn’t really necessary.
Of course, they will need a source of water. Crickets are especially stupid and will drown in an open container of water. I suggest the gelatin-like Cricket Drink products. However, if you have a thriving colony, keeping them supplied with it becomes VERY expensive. The alternative is to make your own. The only ingredient in these products (besides a couple of drops of food coloring) is Polyacrylamide. This substance is commonly used as an agricultural soil amendment to hold water (brand names Agrisoke, Moistsoil, etc). If you buy it at Walmart, Lowes, or somewhere else, it will run about $10/ LB. A search of the Internet revealed a better source. Go to the Watersorb website. They have it for about $15 for two pounds postpaid. Since one teaspoon will hydrate 2 cups of water, you will have a supply that will last a long, long time. If you wish, you can add some food coloring and you will have exactly what they sell in the stores. Oh yes, use filtered or distilled water for the maximum hydration. Also, order the 2mm to 4mm size crystals (that denotes the size of the hydrated product). Incidentally, the dry crystals have a shelf life of 5 to 6 years if kept in a container away from moisture. So, two teaspoons of the dry granules will make one of the 32 oz jars of Cricket Drink.
Put the food and the water source in a small deli dish or the top of a yogurt container and keep them well supplied with both.
Security
Hatchling crickets and some species of roaches are very adept at climbing. So much so, that they can climb glass and plastic with impunity. Even though you have the top of the container covered, you will have to provide a barrier to keep them in bounds. Vaseline has been used with some success but it gets messy in the summer. There is an even better product on the market. Go to the Carnivorous Orchid. There you will find a product called Bug-Stop. Basically, it is a Teflon-based lubricant (an aqueous dispersion, actually) that you can simply paint around the top of the container in a 2-3” wide band with a sponge paint applier. There are full instructions on the website. By the way, two ounces of the stuff will last a long time. Just remember to replace it every six months or so.
Temperature
Both crickets and roaches are warm weather insects. In fact, they should both be kept at 85 degrees or more for maximum breeding efficiency. In reality, that is probably not possible for the entire year. I store mine outside in a storage building during the summer where the temperature reaches that level for a good portion of the time. I simply bring them indoors in the winter and they do quite nicely at room temperature although they breed much more slowly.
Crickets are particularly affected by temperature. At 85-90 degrees, they go from hatchling to mature adult in about three weeks. At 70 degrees, it takes them about six weeks. At lower temperatures, it takes even longer for them to mature.
Where to get your livestock
The most common roach to breed as a feeder is the Lobster Roach. There are others that you can use that are not able to climb – Blatta orientalis comes to mind. There are a number of online suppliers of various roach species. Remember, they will breed very rapidly. Don’t worry if they start off slow. Once you have a breeding pool of adults, it will be a geometric progression. Lobster roaches are glass climbers so use a barrier.
To get crickets, simply go to the pet store and buy two or three-dozen large crickets. Try to get a mixture of males and females. How do you tell them apart? Easy, the female has a long spear-like ovipositor (egg laying tube) protruding from the end of her abdomen. Males don’t. Both will have two cerci at an angle, one on each side. So, the female will have three protrusions from her abdomen and the male only two.
You will have to make one consolation for the crickets. Place a large deli dish with moist sand, vermiculite, or compost in the enclosure with your breeding pool. The female crickets will lay their eggs in it. Make sure you keep the medium moist and don’t let it dry out. Once the young start emerging, remove and discard the adults since they are also cannibalistic. Just continue to repeat the process for a continuous supply of feeders.
Feeding to your Anoles
Choose an appropriate sized cricket or roach nymph for your Anole and drop it in the enclosure. Make sure you remove any that aren’t eaten. If you want to confine them, put the crickets/roaches in a deli dish with some MINER-ALL in the bottom. Because it is ground so finely, it hinders their climbing ability substantially. Your Anoles will soon learn that the deli dish means FOOD!
Final Note
Cricket colonies have a definite odor about them that some people find offensive. Most roach colonies are virtually odorless.
WAXWORMS (Galleria mellonella)
Difficulty: 2
Waxworms are the larvae of the Greater Wax Moth. In nature, they infest beehives and cause significant damage. They are a nutritious food source for Anoles but are high in fat content and best used as a treat rather than a staple diet. They are great for fattening up underweight Anoles, though.
Enclosure
I have been successful using one of the small “shoe box” sized plastic storage containers that you can pick up for a dollar or so at most discount stores. The only preparation is to cut out the center section of the top and hot glue some screen to cover the opening just like you did with the cricket/roach enclosure. Make sure that the top is tight fitting since the adult moths are skilled escape artists!
Food
There are many different formulae for waxworms. Some of the more exotic ones use glycerine, honey, and wheat bran. Rather than complicate things unduly, I’ll tell you what I use. It is sort of like mixing cement. Simply put, it is wheat bran and unfiltered honey from the local organic food store mixed together. Put the wheat bran in a bowl and mix in the honey until the mixture is moist but not sticky. Spread it on the bottom of the enclosure and let it sit for a day before putting the waxworms in the enclosure. Joe Burgess gets credit for this formula. This serves as a combination food source and substrate. All you have to do is add waxworms to start the colony. You will sometimes have a bit of a problem getting the first lot of them to eat you homemade mixture. If that is the case, put a piece of wax honeycomb on top of the food/substrate. The second generation will avidly attack the food/substrate.
Once you have added the waxworms, cover the substrate with a paper towel. Waxworms actually do best in warm, poorly ventilated spaces.
Where to get your breeding stock
Simply order a container of waxworms from one of the online vendors or buy them at a reptile show (much cheaper). Dump the waxworms (at least 25 or so) on the food/substrate and cover with a paper towel as previously mentioned.
Notes
Let the waxworms mature. They will form cocoons with a pupa inside. If you can, provide somewhere for them to spin or they will cover the top of the enclosure. At this point, you can add some crumpled pieces of wax paper. This will entice the female moths to lay their eggs there. Once the moths emerge, they will mate and lay eggs, either on the optional wax paper or on the food/substrate itself. After all of the moths have emerged and died, remove all of the bodies from the enclosure. The larvae will begin to emerge from the eggs that the females have produced. In time, the substrate/food will be held together by a series of webs. This is normal. They do fine at room temperature but warmer temperatures up to about 80 degrees will accelerate the life cycle.
HOUSE FLIES (Musca domestica)
Difficulty: 3
We really have a strange hobby. Most people try to keep crickets, roaches and flies out of the house but we invite them in and encourage them to breed.
Enclosure
A 5-gallon bucket with a lid is sufficient. Again, remove the center of the lid and cover it with metal window screen. As with the waxworms, the substrate and food source will be one in the same.
You will also need a second, smaller enclosure for the adult flies.
Food
Houseflies will eat almost any decaying organic material. There is, however, one formula that will be better than most. Credit goes to North Carolina State University for the formula. It is a mixture of wheat bran and a product called Calf Manna.
Start with 1.5 liters of water and pour in 500 ml of Calf Manna and let it soak for an hour. Add 2 liters of wheat bran and mix by hand until it is evenly moist.
This will serve for about 5000 maggots.
The adult flies are fed on a mixture of dry milk and sugar placed in a small deli dish or yogurt lid in their enclosure. Also place a small cup with a milk soaked tissue in it. Make sure that it stays moist. You can drop milk through the screen top if it gets dry.
Where to get Houseflies
You can get them at biological supply places like Carolina Biological. It is important to get them from a commercial fly breeder since you want to start with a disease-free breeding pool. If you want numbers, Oregon Feeder Insects sells them for $13.00 for two ounces (5000+ pupae). If that is more than you want, go to the Grubco website for a quantity of maggots. Their minimum order is 600 which is under $10 including shipping.
Notes
After about five days the adult flies will lay eggs on the milk-soaked tissue. After 4-6 hours, remove the tissue and wash the eggs from the tissue into a small glass and let them settle to the bottom. Remove the eggs with an eyedropper (about an inch of eggs in the eyedropper will be about 5000). Put the eggs on the medium and the maggots will emerge, subsequently pupate and the adults emerge. The best way to feed the Anoles is to put a dozen or so new pupae in the enclosure in a deli dish. They will emerge as adults in 3-4 days to provide both food and exercise for your Anoles.
The above directions also work for Phoenix worms which are the larvae (maggots) of the black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens).
FRUIT FLIES (Drosophila melanogaster or Drosophila hydei)
Difficulty: 1
Fruit flies are ideal for hatchling Anoles. There are two species available Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila hydei. The former is the smaller of the two and the latter is probably the best to get to start with. Make sure that you get the wingless variety.
Enclosure
Most colonies are sold with a culture medium included in a small to medium vial. That is usually sufficient to get started. If you want to breed your own, any small jar will do. Wide mouth quart canning jars are ideal. You can cover the top with a paper towel held in place with a rubber band. This will effectively cover the opening while providing adequate ventilation.
Food
There are several recipes for fruit fly culture media. Again this will be a combination food/substrate. Here is the first:
8 Bananas, ¼ cup of Sugar, ¼ cup of Oatmeal, 1 packet of Baker’s yeast.
Mix the sugar and bananas in a blender until liquefied. Add the oatmeal until is becomes firm but moist. Put the mixture in a wide mouth, quart canning jar and add a few granules of baker’s yeast. You can substitute other kinds of fruit like peaches, apples, etc. as well.
Recipe #2:
1 cup of banana, 1 cup of Apple Sauce, 1 tablespoon Vinegar, 2 cups of Oatmeal
Here is a third one:
1 cup Water, 1 tablespoon Cornmeal, 1 teaspoon Powdered Sugar, 1 teaspoon Agar, 1 tablespoon Molasses, 1 package Baker’s yeast
Mix all of the ingredients except the yeast to boiling and pour the mixture into clean culture jars. Let the mixture cool. When ready to use. Sprinkle a couple of granules of yeast on the top.
Where to get breeding stock
Most of the reptile food online vendors sell fruit flies since they are a staple for hatchling reptiles. Alternatively, you can get cultures at a biological supply house. Be sure to specify D. hydei since they are larger (1/8 inch) than the D. melanogaster (1/10 inch). Oh yes, you want the wingless variety.
However, if you don’t mind dealing with the winged variety, you can simply leave a bit of fruit outside in the summer and get all of the D. melanogaster adults that you want to start a culture.
GRASSHOPPERS (Locustidae spp.)
Difficulty: 4
Grasshoppers are a natural food source for Anoles. They will eat them avidly. They are relatively easy to breed but are a bit more labor intensive that the other feeders since the enclosure must be cleaned daily to remove uneaten food and feces.
Enclosure
Any one-gallon critter keeper-type enclosure will do. You should provide some additional heat and maintain the temperature at about 80 degrees.
Food
Grasshoppers can be fed a variety of greens. Lettuce, cabbage, and grass will suffice. Make sure that they have been thoroughly washed to remove and possible pesticide contamination. In addition, supply them with some wheat bran as dry food. Both can be placed in separate deli dishes or yogurt tops in the enclosure. Grasshoppers do not need any water. They get what they need from the greens.
Where to get breeding stock
In late summer, you can find mating pairs of grasshoppers in just about any weed lot. The females have a pointed abdomen and the males have a rounded one. After you have captured several pairs, put them in the enclosure and add a deli dish with moist sand, vermiculite, or compost just like you did for the crickets. The female will lay her eggs in the container. Keep the soil moist and warm and the nymphs will emerge.
Notes
There are basically two families of grasshoppers to deal with. One is the one we all recognize as grasshoppers. The other is a green insect with the female having a sword-like ovipositor. This species lays their eggs in slits cut in plant stems and are unsuitable for breeding.
MEALWORMS (Tenebrio molitor or Tenebrio obscurus)
Difficulty: 2
I reluctantly give instructions about breeding mealworms. They are not a good source of nutrition for Anoles. They have a hard, chitinous exoskeleton and can be difficult for Anoles to digest. Mealworms are the larvae of two species of grain beetles,
Enclosure
Almost any large enclosure will do. Something a bit smaller than what you used for the crickets/roaches will do just fine. So will one of the shoebox sized containers that you used for the waxworms.
Food
Fill the enclosure with several inches of wheat bran with a small amount of brewer’s yeast mixed in. You can also add ¼ -part of poultry laying mash. Make sure that you sprinkle the container with water daily to keep it damp. Maintain a temperature of about 80 degrees.
Where to get breeding stock
They are widely available from most online reptile food vendors and most pet stores.
Notes
When the larvae are almost mature, put some crumpled paper towels or burlap in the enclosure and let the adults emerge. Each female will lay about 275 eggs but the adults are cannibalistic and will sometimes eat the eggs so it is best to remove them after they mate and lay their eggs.
IMPORTED CABBAGE WORM (Pieris rapae)
Difficulty: 5
This insect is the larva of the Imported Cabbage Butterfly that is commonly seen fluttering around cabbage, broccoli, etc. during the spring and summer months. They are white in color with the females having two black spots on their wings and the male having a single spot. What we are trying to provide are the larvae. They make a nutritious prey item for Anoles.
Enclosure
Actually, you will need two–one for the adult females and one for the larvae (caterpillars). A large reptarium works well for the adults or you can buy a butterfly enclosure from one of the biological supply houses. Or, you can make your own with some cheesecloth and something to use for the top and bottom. . The enclosure for the larvae is simply a 5 gallon bucket with a screen top (or similar enclosure).
Food
The larvae are voracious feeders but are restricted in diet to members of the cabbage family. They can be raised on cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. but the best and cheapest are cabbage leaves. You can buy a head of cabbage at the grocery store and peel the leaves off one at a time and just lay them in the bottom of the bucket. Make sure you wash the leaves thoroughly to remove any pesticide residue that might be there. They mature rapidly and with ample food and warm temperatures, they will go from egg to mature larvae in just under two weeks. You don’t need to provide any water. They get what they need from the cabbage leaves.
Where to get breeding stock
Cabbage Butterflies are difficult to maintain and almost impossible to induce to breed in the restricted space of captivity. I have had excellent results by catching adult females as they flutter around broccoli plants or cabbage plants in my garden as they prepare to lay eggs. At this point, you know that they have mated and are ready to lay a batch of eggs. Place several captured females in a reptarium or other fairly large mesh enclosure with a potted broccoli or cabbage plant or two inside. The females will shortly lay eggs on the plant and you can collect the larvae in a few days and move them to the 5 gallon bucket. You might want to provide a sponge soaked in sugar water (1 part sugar to 4 parts water) to nourish the adults while they are in the egg laying process. They females will die shortly after laying 50 or so eggs. All that is left is to feed the larvae to your Anoles as they mature to the right size.
SILKWORMS (Bombyx mori)
Difficulty: 3
The Silkworm has been raised in captivity for 3,500 years. Although they are relatively easy to raise, they grow quickly and have a very specific diet. They will feed ONLY on Mulberry leaves and the limited diet can present a problem. If you don’t have a ready supply of fresh leaves, you can feed them on “Silkworm Chow” which is simply freeze-dried Mulberry leaves.
Enclosure
Any small plastic shoebox container will do. Once again, make sure that you cut out the middle and cover the opening with a fine-mesh screen. The best way to start is with eggs. Add food and watch them grow! They molt the first time at 6 days, again at 12 days, etc. and reach adulthood at 42 days. The caterpillars reach 3” so the latter instars are too big for most Anoles. When the larvae begin to mature, place some sheets of cardboard with ½” space between them and they will spin cocoons. Save several for the next generation. They do best at a temperature of 77 degrees.
Where to get eggs
There are many online companies that sell Silkworm eggs. Just do a search and you will find them. Most also sell the “Silkworm Chow” as well.
CONCLUSION
I have tried to cover most of the easily bred insect feeders for your Anole. The instructions given here have worked for me for a number of years. I’m sure that you might find a few shortcuts of your own and vary the techniques a bit. This is not meant to be anything more than a guide.
Although I have tried to mention sources for various foods and other supplies, there are two that I haven’t mentioned. Wheat bran is available at most health food stores and at farm supply outlets. Calf Manna is also available at farm supply outlets. If you are put off by the large quantity of Calf Manna (it is usually bagged in 25 or 50 pound bags) you can go to the Cedarview Farm Exotics (a Chinchilla breeding website) and you can buy it by the pound.
I hope this has helped those of you who want to breed their own feeder insects. These are techniques that I have used over the years and should be used as guidelines.
If you breed your own feeder insects, it is easy to keep you Anoles supplied with a varied and nutritious food supply at a very reasonable cost.