Feeders on Herpeton Academy

Black Soldier Fly Larvae

Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🔤 Taxonomy

Hermetia illucens is the accepted scientific name used for this feeder guide.

Common names used in the feeder trade:

Black soldier fly larva
BSFL
Calciworm

📌 Description

Black soldier fly larvae are soft-bodied fly larvae valued for their naturally higher calcium content compared with many traditional feeders. They are useful for small and medium insectivores, but they move less than crickets and may be refused by animals that hunt mainly by motion.

Fruit Flies

Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🔤 Taxonomy

Drosophila melanogaster is the accepted scientific name used for this feeder guide.

Common names used in the feeder trade:

Fruit fly
Flightless fruit fly
Drosophila

📌 Description

Fruit flies are tiny feeders for dart frogs, small geckos, mantis nymphs, spiderlings, and other very small insectivores. Pet cultures usually use flightless or wingless strains, but they still climb, escape through poor ventilation mesh, and crash when cultures are overheated or contaminated.

Hornworms

Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🔤 Taxonomy

Manduca sexta is the accepted scientific name used for this feeder guide.

Common names used in the feeder trade:

Hornworm
Tobacco hornworm
Manduca larva

📌 Description

Hornworms are large, soft, moisture-rich sphinx moth larvae. They are very useful for hydration support and for animals that need a soft feeder, but they grow extremely fast and become too large for many pets within days.

Lobster Roaches

Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🔤 Taxonomy

Nauphoeta cinerea is the accepted scientific name used for this feeder guide.

Common names used in the feeder trade:

Lobster roach
Speckled feeder roach

📌 Description

Lobster roaches are fast, productive feeder roaches for reptiles, amphibians, tarantulas, and other insectivores. They breed readily and make a useful colony feeder, but unlike Dubia roaches they climb smooth surfaces and require serious escape prevention.

Mealworms

Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🔤 Taxonomy

Tenebrio molitor is the accepted scientific name used for this feeder guide.

Common names used in the feeder trade:

Mealworm
Yellow mealworm

📌 Description

Mealworms are the larvae of a darkling beetle and are useful, quiet, easy-to-store feeders for many reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish, tarantulas, and mantids. They are less active than crickets and easier to contain, but their chitin and phosphorus-heavy profile mean they should be rotated with other feeders rather than used as the only staple.

Migratory Locusts

Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🔤 Taxonomy

Locusta migratoria is the accepted scientific name used for this feeder guide.

Common names used in the feeder trade:

Migratory locust
Feeder locust

📌 Description

Migratory locusts are active, lean, high-movement feeders for larger insectivorous reptiles, amphibians, birds, and invertebrates. They are excellent enrichment prey, but they need more space, heat, light, and plant food than most small feeder insects.

Pill Bugs

Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🔤 Taxonomy

Armadillidium vulgare is the accepted scientific name used for this feeder guide.

Common names used in the feeder trade:

Pill bug
Roly-poly
Common pill woodlouse

📌 Description

Pill bugs are hardy terrestrial isopods used as cleanup crew and occasional calcium-rich feeders for small insectivores. They roll into a ball when disturbed, so some predators ignore them, but they are useful in bioactive setups and easy to culture.

Red Runner Roaches

Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🔤 Taxonomy

Shelfordella lateralis is the accepted scientific name used for this feeder guide.

Common names used in the feeder trade:

Red runner roach
Turkestan roach
Lateralis roach

📌 Description

Red runner roaches are fast, soft-bodied feeder roaches that trigger a strong feeding response in many insectivores. They breed quickly and suit tarantulas, lizards, amphibians, and mantids, but they are escape-prone and can become pests in warm buildings.

Rough Woodlice

Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🔤 Taxonomy

Porcellio scaber is the accepted scientific name used for this feeder guide.

Common names used in the feeder trade:

Rough woodlouse
Rough isopod
Cleanup isopod

📌 Description

Rough woodlice are hardy cleanup-crew isopods and occasional feeders for small insectivores. They process leaf litter, shed skin, and leftover organic matter, but they need calcium, hides, and a moisture gradient to avoid die-offs.

Silkworms

Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🔤 Taxonomy

Bombyx mori is the accepted scientific name used for this feeder guide.

Common names used in the feeder trade:

Silkworm
Silkworm larva

📌 Description

Silkworms are soft, slow-moving moth larvae that make excellent occasional or rotation feeders for many reptiles and amphibians. They are usually easier to digest than hard beetle larvae, but they depend on clean mulberry-based food and spoil quickly when warm and dirty.

Springtails

Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🔤 Taxonomy

Folsomia candida is the accepted scientific name used for this feeder guide.

Common names used in the feeder trade:

Springtail
White springtail
Cleanup springtail

📌 Description

Springtails are tiny cleanup-culture invertebrates and micro-feeders for very small amphibians, hatchling geckos, mantis nymphs, and spiderlings. They help control mold and consume fine organic debris, but they need constant moisture and should be cultured cleanly.

Superworms

Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🔤 Taxonomy

Zophobas atratus is the accepted scientific name used for this feeder guide.

The accepted taxonomy treats the feeder trade animal as Zophobas atratus; the trade still often uses Zophobas morio. It is a tropical American darkling beetle now distributed commercially through feeder production.

Common names used in the feeder trade:

Superworm
Morio worm
Zophobas

📌 Description

Superworms are large darkling beetle larvae sold under the older trade name Zophobas morio. They are active, attractive feeders for larger insectivores, but they are fatty, strong-jawed, and too large for small or weak animals.

Waxworms

Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🔤 Taxonomy

Galleria mellonella is the accepted scientific name used for this feeder guide.

Common names used in the feeder trade:

Waxworm
Greater wax moth larva

📌 Description

Waxworms are soft, high-fat moth larvae used as occasional feeders, appetite stimulants, or treats. They are not a staple feeder for most reptiles or amphibians, but they are useful when a soft-bodied, highly palatable feeder is needed.

Banded Crickets

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🔤 Taxonomy

Gryllodes sigillatus is the currently accepted scientific name in GBIF for this feeder cricket.

Common names used in the feeder trade:

Banded cricket
Tropical house cricket

📌 Description

Banded Crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus) are live feeder crickets used for insect-eating reptiles, amphibians, tarantulas, mantids, and other captive insectivores. They are active prey, easy to buy in bulk, and useful for gut-loading, but they spoil quickly when kept damp, crowded, or dirty.

Dubia Roaches

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🔤 Taxonomy

Blaptica dubia is the currently accepted scientific name for the dubia roach. GBIF lists older synonyms including Blabera claraziana and Blabera ligata.

English common names used in the hobby:

Dubia roach
Orange-spotted roach
Guyana spotted roach
Argentine wood roach

📌 Description

Dubia roaches (Blaptica dubia) are medium to large, live-bearing cockroaches widely cultured as feeder insects for reptiles, amphibians, tarantulas, and other insect-eating animals. They are quiet, do not jump, produce less smell than neglected cricket tubs, and cannot climb clean smooth plastic or glass.

House Crickets

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🔤 Taxonomy

Acheta domesticus is the currently accepted scientific name in GBIF for this feeder cricket.

Common names used in the feeder trade:

House cricket
Brown cricket

📌 Description

House Crickets (Acheta domesticus) are live feeder crickets used for insect-eating reptiles, amphibians, tarantulas, mantids, and other captive insectivores. They are active prey, easy to buy in bulk, and useful for gut-loading, but they spoil quickly when kept damp, crowded, or dirty.

Jamaican Field Crickets

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🔤 Taxonomy

Gryllus assimilis is the currently accepted scientific name in GBIF for this feeder cricket.

Common names used in the feeder trade:

Jamaican field cricket
Silent cricket

📌 Description

Jamaican Field Crickets (Gryllus assimilis) are live feeder crickets used for insect-eating reptiles, amphibians, tarantulas, mantids, and other captive insectivores. They are active prey, easy to buy in bulk, and useful for gut-loading, but they spoil quickly when kept damp, crowded, or dirty.

Two-Spotted Crickets

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🔤 Taxonomy

Gryllus bimaculatus is the currently accepted scientific name in GBIF for this feeder cricket.

Common names used in the feeder trade:

Two-spotted cricket
Black cricket
Mediterranean field cricket

📌 Description

Two-Spotted Crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) are live feeder crickets used for insect-eating reptiles, amphibians, tarantulas, mantids, and other captive insectivores. They are active prey, easy to buy in bulk, and useful for gut-loading, but they spoil quickly when kept damp, crowded, or dirty.