Not interested in dubias after impaction

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SydneyGaia

Hatchling Member
Hey,

My 7 mo beardie passed an impaction from eating too many, toolarge dubias too quickly and was impacted. That has since been fixed. However, now he has zero interest in dubias (even small ones). It stinks, bc I have a colony too. I'm having to drive 30 min round trip everyday to spend $5 on crickets to get him to eat protein. Haha -- is this normal? Hopefully it is just a phase. He is very skittish as well.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
I think if you just give him a little while, switch back to dubias . Let him get hungry enough and he should eat them. Beardies won't starve themselves.
 

SydneyGaia

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Yeah, right now I'm feeding him 2 dozen crickets twice per day, along with salad. I'm going to buy a few hundred crickets in bulk and house them, so I'm not spending $6-10/day to feed him any longer. Hopefully by the time I go through 300 bulk crickets, his dubia appetite comes back - because, I hate how smelly it is to keep crickets around vs. dubias.
 

dezismom

Juvie Member
Hello!
I agree with AHBD; beardies wont starve themselves. The lack of enthusiasm for roaches may have nothing to do with the impaction, but could be a normal change of appetite. My boy Dezi loves one food for a while, and randomly decides he does not want that, and loves something else! It often happens at an inconvenient time, like right after I purchase a few hundred crickets, he decides that his new fave is superworms. So, in time, your beardie could go back to his dubia loving. Just offer one every few days, and see what happens.

Meanwhile, I have some experience with keeping large cricket colonys, and perhaps I can help there...a healthy batch of crickets should not smell bad. I keep mine in large buckets with good ventilation--holes in lid covered by wire mesh. The vents are so important because the crickets produce a lot of humidity, which leads to fungus/bacteria, etc. Any deads must be removed immediately, or a mass die off begins from the gases produced by the bodies. That causes a foul odor. I remove all deadies along with any molt, body parts or refuse, every day.

The water is also crucial...I have a shallow lid with a paper towel crumpled in it, for their water. They die fast without it, but are so stupid they drown easily, so that is why the paper towel is needed. Too much water causes too high humidity...if any moisture collects on sides or lid of bucket, you will need better ventilation holes in lid. The water and towel are also changed every day. Feed dry cricket food, monkey biscuit or dry beardie food, and a few carrots. Many other foods rot quickly and cause die off. Avoid feeding other fruits and veggies, which are prone to causing fungus and mold. Dry off carrots before placing in bucket. Keep buckets where temps are steady--70-74* is a good range. Do not over fill buckets. They will start to cannibalize if over crowded.

I like some pieces of egg carton in bucket, to give the crickets more vertical space. If cut a size that fits in a jar, it is easy to simply pick up a piece of egg carton and shake it inside the jar, at feeding time. That makes catching them fast and easy. (Then I can add some calcium/vit.D powder to jar and shake gently to coat crickets before feeding to my dragons) A good substrate is the wood shavings found in pet stores--not cedar! , but the light colored fine shaved ones, I think they are pine. If I see any sign of discoloration, change in smell, whatever, I quickly transfer all crickets into a fresh bucket with all new substrate and egg carton before a die off begins. The crickets can die off over night, once that starts. I keep a spare clean bucket ready with substrate and egg crate, for just that purpose.

So, that should help some, until your picky beardie decides to return to eating dubias. I have never kept dubias, so I do not know how labor intensive they are, but crickets are almost as much work to keep as the beardies! I lose only a few cricks, maybe three a day per bucket. If you have more deadies than that, you may need to adjust something.

Good luck!
 

SydneyGaia

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
dezismom":2op130v9 said:
Hello!
I agree with AHBD; beardies wont starve themselves. The lack of enthusiasm for roaches may have nothing to do with the impaction, but could be a normal change of appetite. My boy Dezi loves one food for a while, and randomly decides he does not want that, and loves something else! It often happens at an inconvenient time, like right after I purchase a few hundred crickets, he decides that his new fave is superworms. So, in time, your beardie could go back to his dubia loving. Just offer one every few days, and see what happens.

Meanwhile, I have some experience with keeping large cricket colonys, and perhaps I can help there...a healthy batch of crickets should not smell bad. I keep mine in large buckets with good ventilation--holes in lid covered by wire mesh. The vents are so important because the crickets produce a lot of humidity, which leads to fungus/bacteria, etc. Any deads must be removed immediately, or a mass die off begins from the gases produced by the bodies. That causes a foul odor. I remove all deadies along with any molt, body parts or refuse, every day.

The water is also crucial...I have a shallow lid with a paper towel crumpled in it, for their water. They die fast without it, but are so stupid they drown easily, so that is why the paper towel is needed. Too much water causes too high humidity...if any moisture collects on sides or lid of bucket, you will need better ventilation holes in lid. The water and towel are also changed every day. Feed dry cricket food, monkey biscuit or dry beardie food, and a few carrots. Many other foods rot quickly and cause die off. Avoid feeding other fruits and veggies, which are prone to causing fungus and mold. Dry off carrots before placing in bucket. Keep buckets where temps are steady--70-74* is a good range. Do not over fill buckets. They will start to cannibalize if over crowded.

I like some pieces of egg carton in bucket, to give the crickets more vertical space. If cut a size that fits in a jar, it is easy to simply pick up a piece of egg carton and shake it inside the jar, at feeding time. That makes catching them fast and easy. (Then I can add some calcium/vit.D powder to jar and shake gently to coat crickets before feeding to my dragons) A good substrate is the wood shavings found in pet stores--not cedar! , but the light colored fine shaved ones, I think they are pine. If I see any sign of discoloration, change in smell, whatever, I quickly transfer all crickets into a fresh bucket with all new substrate and egg carton before a die off begins. The crickets can die off over night, once that starts. I keep a spare clean bucket ready with substrate and egg crate, for just that purpose.

So, that should help some, until your picky beardie decides to return to eating dubias. I have never kept dubias, so I do not know how labor intensive they are, but crickets are almost as much work to keep as the beardies! I lose only a few cricks, maybe three a day per bucket. If you have more deadies than that, you may need to adjust something.

Good luck!
Thanks. I have a spare 40 gal breeder tank that I m using for 250 crickets that I bought in bulk 2 days ago. So far so good, literally only a couple have died. I have egg crates in it, the feeder water gel stuff, and feeder gut load from the pet store.

Dubias are a piece of cake to breed - seriously. All you need is a heat mat to make sure the temps are ok for breeding. Otherwise, they are cockroaches - one of the heartiest things in the world. You really need to do something to kill a colony off
 

dezismom

Juvie Member
That is good to know! Now, if I could get over my general freak out reaction to roaches...but I am from the South, and have a long history of terrible roach encounters, ha, ha! In the Deep south, those things grow so huge, you could put a dog collar on one and walk it. yikes! And, they fly!! Stephen King should write a book about those nightmares. I honestly cannot bring myself to touch one, even to satisfy my beloved beardies.

Your cricket set up sounds just fine.
 

SydneyGaia

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
dezismom":oez94w5x said:
That is good to know! Now, if I could get over my general freak out reaction to roaches...but I am from the South, and have a long history of terrible roach encounters, ha, ha! In the Deep south, those things grow so huge, you could put a dog collar on one and walk it. yikes! And, they fly!! Stephen King should write a book about those nightmares. I honestly cannot bring myself to touch one, even to satisfy my beloved beardies.

Your cricket set up sounds just fine.
The first time or two that I got dubias I was totally freaked out, but it grows on you. Crickets are much nastier insects than dubias. I wouldn't tough them at first either nd would scoop them with a piece of cardboard, haha. Now, roaches are like nothing to me
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Ya'll expert cricket wranglers are giving good advice ! They CAN stay healthy + almost odorless if kept properly. I'd like to add my 2 cents. I keep them in medium plastic totes with a screen cover. OATMEAL for the substrate....they eat it, it's cheap and they seem to thrive while housed on a thin layer.
 

dezismom

Juvie Member
Oatmeal!! Why have I never thought of that? And totes...Okay, Smarty pants, we are impressed (again)! by the AHBD knowlege of all things beardie! :):)
 
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