How would you plan these bug meals?

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I now have black fly larvae, dubias, crickets and horn worms. How would rotate these bugs? I have a colony of dubias, ordered 200 black fly larvae, got maybe 2 dozen crickets, (can easily get more if they should remain in the rotation), and 50-60 horn worms. I free feed my 2 babies. They won't eat out of their enclosures so I just add bugs as needed.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
What size are your beardies ? The reason I ask is because the hornworms are going to grow much faster than any of the others and you might do well to feed those first before they get too large . [ If your dragons are small ]
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
black fly larvae, dubias, crickets are fine as staples.

You could do a big meal of BSF maggots in the am biggest by mass of insect protein)
Then other meal/s a mix of gutloaded/dusted roaches and or crickets in pm (and eve if giving three meals of insects per day = sub 4 month old hatchling).

Would be worth weighing a bunch of BSF maggots and the size roaches and crickets you are using so you have an idea of how many BSF maggots are equivalent to a roach or a cricket in mass.

horn worms are treats ONLY.

I note you have them housed separately, this is GOOD.
 

Varalidaine

Juvie Member
How old are the dragons?

The hornworms will grow very quickly. At full size, my 1 year old will only eat two at a time. The BSFL will also grow quicker than the rest, so I might feed those off first and supplement with your roach colony so you don't have to worry about running out of roaches but your dragon will also get the protein boost. About the free-feeding, the roaches can climb silicone inside tanks if you have the dragons in aquariums, so I recommend only feeding one roach at a time or in a bowl until they are finished and remove them so they don't escape. And you may not want to free-feed crickets as they can bite on your animal and generally just bug the crud out of them. I don't use crickets, only in small batches and as treats, because they stink, escape, and die so quickly, but we all have our preferences.

Also, if your dragons are adults, the BSFL will be too small. You'll need to grow them larger as many dragons will just swallow mouthfuls of the small worms and then poop them out alive, not gaining any nutrition. You want the worms big enough to force the dragon to chew. An adult dragon can eat 100+ worms in one sitting, so they may not be very economical.
 

Mybabybeardies

Member
Original Poster
Thanks for your replies. My babies are only 8 weeks old so still quite small. I don't like feeding crickets either for the same reason but when I ordered the horn worms and black fly larvae she sent some for free so I'll use them up. Otherwise I just occasionally feed crickets for a little variety or if I run out of my other bugs because it's what I can get locally.
 

Varalidaine

Juvie Member
I used BSFL all throughout my dragons first year. He loves them! As babies, I would mostly feed soft worms and supplement with a few roaches daily just because I would worry about impaction with so much shell in a little body. I would feed something like this:

As many BSFL as they want to eat in the AM. An afternoon snack/lunch of roaches, and then hornworms as a treat at night. The hornworms will bet big FAST (up to 1/2" a DAY) so you may need to feed quite a bit of them initially and then buy them in smaller batches in the future.
 

Mybabybeardies

Member
Original Poster
Ok thank you. I have been feeding off the horn worms as much as possible. I didn't realize they grew quite so quickly but hopefully they'll get eaten before they get too big. One girl loves them, the other one eats them but not as a first choice.
 

Taterbug

BD.org Addict
I randomize my feedings. You don't need to set a meal of just certain bugs, you also mix them up. How many would have more to do with how long they last/fast they grow. Roaches being the slowest growers, then soldier flies, then hornworms. Hornworms and bsfl can be slowed a bit by keeping them cool.

With hornworms I just offer them whenever, not at meals times. When your dragons are larger you can let some of the caterpillars pupate and feed off the moths.

One concern to note with free feeding is that the roaches and crickets will groom or otherwise dislodge the calcium from them if they are not eaten right away.
 

Mybabybeardies

Member
Original Poster
I feed horn worms first thing in the morning since onew baby eats them right up but the other isn't as interested. Then early afternoon a prepare a dish of greens and the other bugs mixed in. My babies don't seem to be huge fans of the bfl as they are the last to be eaten but do eventually get eaten. I check in the evening and if they need more insects I add more Roaches and or bfl. If not, I just shake the dish to dust them again with the calcium. So I so make sure they get re-dusted a few times per day.
 
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