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I have seen several websites with feeder info recommend peat moss as a substrate for superworms. They also recommend adding food to the bedding of course. What's the purpose of the peat moss? I don't imagine the worms eat this stuff.

Some websites recommend just keeping the superworms in a grain or bran substrate. I am planning to keep my new order of 1000 superworms in a tub of laying pellets. I'll also add carrots or apple pieces for moisture. Any problems with this setup?

Thanks ahead of time.

The reason for peat is that the supers require more humidity. If you use moist peat and add food you will have much better results. In dryer conditions they tend to eat each other for the moisture. You may want to re-think your set-up. I use layer mash for the regular mealworms and it works great.

I tried the supers in just about everything except peat and finally gave up. Now I see beetles and all sizes of worms in my large cloudforest viv where the escapees have established a colony without my even trying to get them going. I leave them alone figuring they give my dragons and occasional treat and they are great housekeepers
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Marcia - FroggieB Dragons
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Thanks for the response Marcia. After reading your response, I was about to add some moistened peat moss to my new superworm colony. After mixing some peat moss with a little water I stopped because I'm concerned the peat will stick to the superworm. I'm afraid my chameleon will ingest the peat as he eats his superworms. He probably wouldn't eat much peat and the little he'd consume would probably pass out. I wanted to know if the peat sticks to the superworms or if it comes off easily. Should I be concerned about this?

Thanks for your help. I've raised mealworms and silkworms before but superworms seem way different with their humidity needs.

I breed and raise Mountain Horned Dragons which have a very similar set-up to chameleons. The bedding I use in my viv is bed-a-beast or comparable ground coconut fiber bedding sometimes mixed with ground peat. It is usually moist enough that the dragons can dig and pack a nice hole or tunnel for laying eggs. When I lift out the water pan or food bowl there are always supers there making a quick get-a-way into the substrate. There is never anything stuck to them. I really don't think you'd have to worry to much since you will be removing the supers from the bedding to feed them off.

Supers have a hard shell and not much of anything sticks, including all but the finest of suppliment powders.

Good luck,
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Marcia - FroggieB Dragons
www.froggieb.com/MHDHome.html

groups.yahoo.com/group/agamid/join
(click the link to join the agamid group on yahoo)

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