Farming at Home

Everyone needs a little more bang for their buck these days. When you have reptiles, farming at home, no matter where you live, will save you money! If you follow these steps, your greens will go further and your feeder insects will replenish.

Greens

Endive, Bok Choy, and Collard Greens

When cutting the leafy tips be sure to keep the base of the stalk/core intact. Fill a mason jar with enough water that the core will rest shallowly on top. Place it on a sunny windowsill. The stalks will re-grow from the center and in a few days, you'll have new leafy ends and roots! It's important to fertilize the water to create a type of hydroponic system or plant it in vegetable soil for it to reach its full growth potential.

Prickly Pear

Pull off a pad from an existing cactus and plant it in moist soil that gets direct sunlight. It may start to shrivel, but it should be rooting and soon a new cactus will sprout!

Insects

Discoid Roaches

Discoid Roches are by far the easiest insects to breed yourself. They don't fly. They don't smell. They can't climb plastic or glass. They're prolific breeders producing around 30 babies a month under the right conditions. The babies eat the adult's frass (poop) so they stay relatively clean.

Start with a storage container that is at least 50qts. Fill the bottom with 1-2 inches of undyed mulch. Place a few egg crates on top keeping them to one side. It doesn't matter if they are vertical or horizontal. Sometimes one way makes more sense to prevent your bugs from escaping, so decide which way is best for you. Finally, place your roaches inside! Discoids are sexually mature after their last molt in which they emerge with wings. The best ratio, to begin with, is 5 females to every one male. Many stores sell breeder kits that contain both male and female winged roaches.

Discoid roaches like it hot! I keep my roaches in the garage, without a lid, on top of a seeding mat. They require temps around 90°F to grow and breed quickly. Keep their bins stocked with unmedicated chicken feed. They require protein to grow and breed properly. Discoids will usually eat anything, but be sure to offer thoroughly washed vegetables that are safe for your pet. They will use them as their water source. Avoid leaving uneaten food in the bin to prevent mold.

Black Soldier Flies

Black soldier fly larva are my favorite thing to feed my dragons. They are high in calcium and don't need to be dusted with calcium powder. They essentially thrive in a modified compost bin so they are easy to care for. A single female can lay up to 600 eggs. They have an extremely short life cycle as a fly only lasting 8-9 days. During this time their only purpose is to mate. They don't require food and don't even have mouths!

Start with a large bin that has a very tight sealed lid. Husky makes a great bin with 4 latches. You will need to make 3 holes equivalent to the size of the PVC piping you've chosen. The larva will need a ramp to crawl out of the bin and into your collection container. The pipe should be at an angle with slits cut in it. The flies will need an entrance/exit; try to make it weatherproof. Hang bundles of cardboard for the females to deposit their eggs in.

Once the container has been constructed, fill the bottom with raked leaves or yard clippings, and oatmeal in alternating layers. Lay 1-2 inches of organic soil or compost on top. Add a little water to moisten it up. Next, place the black soldier fly larva in! The more, the better. I usually start with 5,000. Add fresh produce as needed. The larva consumes a lot of food to grow and sustain themselves once they become flies. It's better to get the colony started with fresh vegetables or fruit before adding spoiled food or meats.

Superworms

Superworms require a bit of work to sustain a colony. Their life cycle begins as an egg, they hatch as larvae, they become pupae, and emerge as a beetle. Only in beetle form can they reproduce; and they can only pupate if they are separated from other worms.

Get a small to medium container. They do need ventilation. Line the bottom with a mixture of ground-up oatmeal (powder consistency), and pine shavings. Oatmeal will be their food source and pine shavings give the bottom more texture, making it easier for them to move around. Place egg crates on top. Add carrots, apples, potatoes, or greens regularly to act as a water source.

When separating superworms into containers to induce metamorphosis, such as condiment cups, you want to select the biggest worms out of the bunch. I recommend starting with at least 50. A lot of superworms end up dying as opposed to pupating, so the bigger ones have the best chance at survival. Be sure to poke a few holes in the lid. The amount of time it takes for the worm to pupate varies. After they do, it usually takes 3 weeks for a beetle to emerge.

The beetles will lay their eggs in the bedding, so they need to be removed and placed in new bedding every 2-4 weeks. This will prevent the beetles from eating the eggs. You can keep the used bedding together and watch your worms grow! Be sure to place new oatmeal and a water source such as vegetables or fruit with the worms as well.

I keep cleaner worms in my container to minimize odor.

then mix previous beddings.

I keep cleaner worms in my container to minimize odor.

Mealworms

Similarly to superworms, mealworms begin their life cycle as an egg, they hatch as larvae, they become pupae, and emerge as a beetle. Only in beetle form can they reproduce; but they can be around other mealworms to do it.

I recommend starting with at least a few hundred mealworms. Once you have a good number of beetles, start a new bin and set it up the same way as the previous one. Unfortunately, every life stage can eat the previous stages of its own. It's important to replenish their food and water source to minimize feeding on lower forms, and removing the beetles, and place them in new bedding every 2-4 weeks.

It is best to let the worms hatch, grow, and remove them