Reptile & Amphibian Forums

A question for those who use millet as a substrate. Do you have problems with moths hatching out of the seed?? Especially in the unused stuff still in the bag? I ask because I had pretty much decided to use millet for the substrate (for an adult) but while visiting a friend yesterday, heard him complain that his bag of millet was hatching out moths. It came from a feed store, not a petstore. I've had this problem in the past with pigeon seed.

Thanks,

Nanci
-----
*****
1.0 Classic Corn, 0.1 Lavender, 0.0.1 Cali King, 0.1 Nelson's Milk
1.0 Tricolor Hog, 0.1 Eastern Hog, 1.0 Florida King
0.1 Eastern Box Turtle, 1.0 Florida Box Turtle
0.0.2 Desert Torts, 2.0 Feral Pigeons

I use millet in most of my uro cages. I know some people have had problems with this, but I never have (and I don't even freeze it). The millet is from a garden store that caters to birdwatchers rather than a feed store, so maybe that makes a difference? I don't know.
-----
Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
1.1 Collared Lizard (Ripcord and Rorschach)
2.0 Green Anoles (Bowser and Sprocket)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

I have used millet for a few months now and have seen no bugs. I bought the seed from a local feed store it is all millet and my Mali loves it. I have had more of a moth problem with my parrot seed than the millet. I'm far from an expert on the subject, but so far it has been a great substrate.

How can you tell that your mali "loves it?"

She likes to eat it, burrow in it, and just seems to really like the stuff. It is clean and dust free, allowing my Mali to dig with no mess. It has been a great substrate for me and my Mali is doing great on millet. I think the ability to dig her own burrows has made her quite happy.

I use to use bird seeds too and notice several bugs, so I changed it to very fine sand. If you use sand just try to make sure you avoid putting the food on the sand if possible because in can impact their gut. I've had mine on sand for years with no problems. Try to get a dish that lifts off the sand. There are some new ones that have a magnet that sticks to the outside of the glass but connects the dish on the inside that you can move off the sand. My lizard just steps up to feed. It's really cool. I brought one yesterday at Petland. Good luck