Live food - Zophobas - 50g tin

Live food - Zophobas - 50g tin

Zophobas ( Zophobas morio)

Looking like giant mealworms, Zophobas are a great live food for extra large reptiles and amphibians, crabs and shrimp, birds, rodents and even monkeys. Zophobas are the larvae of the large black beetle Zophobas morio. The tropical beetle larvae can reach a length of up to about 5 cm. Zophobas larvae are particularly rich in protein and fat - they are also known as superworms. The adult black beetles grow to about 2 cm in length.

The nutritional values of Zophobas are

• Crude protein: approx. 45
• Crude fat: approx. 55
• Crude ash: approx. 3%
• Crude fiber: about 7%

Zophobas larvae can be stored in a Faunabox. The tropical beetle larvae do not tolerate cold temperatures, but room temperature is sufficient for them. Zophobas should have enough space and not be in several layers on top of each other. Egg cartons in the Faunabox give the worms more room to crawl.

Zophobas thrive best in an appropriately sized Faunabox, where you use a mixture of half wood chips and only slightly moist potting soil as substrate.

Feed zophobas larvae fresh fruit or vegetables and dry cat food or dry dog food. Fish food and oatmeal are also suitable - the important thing is that the zophobas get enough protein. Fruits and vegetables provide vitamins and fluids. Fresh food is changed daily to prevent mold growth. Caution - zophobas tend to pull food into the substrate, this is where mold traps can occur.

Zophobas kept in a group do not pupate - here odorants prevent pupation. After about half a year the larvae will start to die. If you want to breed, you have to separate the worms and keep them dark and quiet. A substrate is not necessary in the pupation container. Screw cases or other containers with separate small compartments work well. The pupation period lasts between 5 and 8 weeks (depending on temperature). The hatching beetles are initially quite pale and still soft, but turn black over time and the chitinous carapace hardens.

A breeding tank for zophobas should have about 30 x 40 cm base area and 25 to 30 degrees Celsius. In addition to the already known substrate mixture of soil and sawdust, you offer the females of the large black beetle musty wood, pieces of bark and some forest soil with leaf litter - here they especially like to lay their eggs. Egg boxes and branches increase the walking area available to the beetles.
Feed the zophobas breeding with the same food that the larvae get. You can leave the larvae in the breeding tank and take them out when needed. From time to time you should bring larvae to pupate to maintain your breeding beetle population.

We recommend a second breeding container where you can transfer the beetles when the substrate in the first one becomes a bit questionable. Then you harvest the zophobas larvae from the first vessel, clean it up afterwards, and set it up again.

You can recognizefreshly skinned zophobas by their lighter color. They are easier to eat because the skin is not so hard.

The defensible larvae of zophobas are not suitable for juveniles because of their very strong jaw tools. They can do some real damage when eaten. It's best to crush the head of the zophobas just before feeding.

Suitable for: Birds, reptiles, amphibians, carnivorous and omnivorous crabs, carnivorous large fish like arowanas, small mammals like mice or hamsters, chickens, monkeys and many more

Please note:  Zophobas are very fatty and correspondingly nutritious.  Zophobas should therefore not be fed every day.

Content:
1x tin 50g