Freeze dried crickets

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Finleythebeardie

Hatchling Member
Hey guys, I’m thinking of switching Finley to freeze dried crickets rather than live ones because live ones are so expensive to buy and keep alive and I am on a tighter budget right now. I know bearded dragons get most of their water from their insects and freeze dried wouldn’t do that but I already soak his greens really well and give him baths regularly. Should it be ok to switch to freeze dried if I stay on top of keeping him hydrated in other ways?
~Addie and Finley
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Stick to live insects .

You'll have to force feed your dragon to get it eat the lifeless likely strange smelling and off tasting freeze dried insects .
 

DorgEndo

Sub-Adult Member
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Devlyn
Finley is an adult dragon right. You know the general guideline that an adult should have 80/20 in favor of plants of over bugs. That works down to 1.4 days per week with an insect meal. Or another way to have the math make sense would be Week A 1 day with insects, Week B 2 days with insects, then alternate between A and B. That way you can get insects every other week and limit how much time you need to devote to keeping them alive between meals. In Minnesota if I go to one of the major pet stores crickets are 12 cents each. Live foods are objectively better for dragons. Personally I get the small size crickets because they live longer, not the big ones that tend to die quickly, then I feed them in a critter keeper some scrap food with fruit or a damp paper towel for moisture. I wonder how may insects Finley is eating that cost for the most economic feeder insect is a problem
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Or you can switch over to Dubias - you can keep them in a 10 gallon aquarium order like 100 large for around $40 or so and they will keep along time - they do not die off like the crickets - feed them carrots and squash - they are cheaper to keep and he would only eat 4-5 every few days since he is an adult now -- he should be eating veggies as his main diet and collard squash turnips kale etc
Karrie
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
DorgEndo":jzwryfm2 said:
Finley is an adult dragon right. You know the general guideline that an adult should have 80/20 in favor of plants of over bugs. That works down to 1.4 days per week with an insect meal. Or another way to have the math make sense would be Week A 1 day with insects, Week B 2 days with insects, then alternate between A and B. That way you can get insects every other week and limit how much time you need to devote to keeping them alive between meals. In Minnesota if I go to one of the major pet stores crickets are 12 cents each. Live foods are objectively better for dragons. Personally I get the small size crickets because they live longer, not the big ones that tend to die quickly, then I feed them in a critter keeper some scrap food with fruit or a damp paper towel for moisture. I wonder how may insects Finley is eating that cost for the most economic feeder insect is a problem

IMO opinion ( which is based on studies of the stomache contents of wild bearded dragons by expert professional zoologists ) , the 80:20 rule is nonsense and next to impossible to follow .

Some live insects for an adult dragon every day , make sure they are all gutloaded with high quality greens and veg ( I also feed my crickets RepCal adult beardie pellets as well ) and dusted with calcium most days , calcium and multivitamin on weekends.

Buy your insects in bulk by mail-order / online and have them delivered to your home (or office) every 3 or 4 weeks , you'll get your crickets a LOT CHEAPER PER INSECT than 12c each and will likely also get better cared for and healthier crickets as well .
 

Finleythebeardie

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Finley loves the freeze dried crickets already so feeding wouldn’t be a problem. Please keep in mind that I am not an adult and even tho I can legally get a job now, there are complications in my life that make it impossible for me to get a a job until I can drive myself and I can’t do that until I’m 16. My parents are buying Finley’s food for me and they refuse to keep any feeders but crickets in our house. I live in a vary small town and the only local pet store is a small petco and the crickets there are 15 cents per cricket. Even the small ones from there have half of them die in the tank with proper care. Finley is a year and 3 months old and he eats about 75 crickets per week and my parents keep telling me I spend too much in my pets. They’re going through a hard financial time currently and I really need to use the cheapest option. I used to babysit and I got twenty dollars a week I would use to buy his crickets but now the home group I did childcare for doesn't need childcare so I have no source of money for myself. If I can’t feed freeze dried can someone please tell me the cheapest option?
 

Finleythebeardie

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
I really just want to do what’s next for Finley. Maybe I’ll convince my parents to try Dubai roaches if someone could send me a link to a website. Thanks you guys so much for everything
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Finleythebeardie":2zut2tc9 said:
Finley loves the freeze dried crickets already so feeding wouldn’t be a problem. Please keep in mind that I am not an adult and even tho I can legally get a job now, there are complications in my life that make it impossible for me to get a a job until I can drive myself and I can’t do that until I’m 16. My parents are buying Finley’s food for me and they refuse to keep any feeders but crickets in our house. I live in a vary small town and the only local pet store is a small petco and the crickets there are 15 cents per cricket. Even the small ones from there have half of them die in the tank with proper care. Finley is a year and 3 months old and he eats about 75 crickets per week and my parents keep telling me I spend too much in my pets. They’re going through a hard financial time currently and I really need to use the cheapest option. I used to babysit and I got twenty dollars a week I would use to buy his crickets but now the home group I did childcare for doesn't need childcare so I have no source of money for myself. If I can’t feed freeze dried can someone please tell me the cheapest option?

Cheapest option is to breed your own insects such crickets , roaches , and even silkworms if you have access to a mulberry tree ( the silkworms will eat the fresh leaves ).

Lots of people have cricket or roach colonies and never have to buy insects for their lizards.

I'm sure someone will point you in the right direction for your " colony starter " batch of chosen insects or can point at a local supplier of silkworm eggs (by far the cheapest way to start off with silkworm is buy a 200 - 400 eggs , hatch them , raise the to a good size to feed to your pet lizard but let maybe 30 or 50 become cocoons , the moths will emerge and mate and lay eggs ( about 300 per female ) ,and you can then chill most the eggs in seal ziplock bags and hatch a few hundred at a time .
You can even make pocket money selling surplus eggs, worms, cocoons and mulberry leaves if you have enough on Ebay , Craigs List or by fliers at the local shops and use that money to buy other insects ( or if you have friend who have their own colonies of crickets or roaches, you could swap some silkworms + mulberry leaves or silkworm eggs or silkworm cocoons for a starter colony or for regular "free" roaches or crickets if they are breeding more than they need.

If Dubias breed as prodigiously as Woodies do , you'll only need 100 dubias to end with thousands in a few months time.
Crickets are little trickier but if they and their eggs and younger offspring are looked after properly they build up as a colony petty quickly too , just be aware the adults churp lots.
 

Finleythebeardie

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
I talked to my parents and they said that they would consider getting Dubai roaches but they are concerned that they will escape the container and make a colony and that we will develop allergies to them. I am also concerned about those things. I don’t want to develop an allergy and I have a lot of pets that live in my room and I don’t know if the roaches will effect them either. I would just put them in the garage but I live in the north and it’s the middle of winter so the garage is too cold for them and I can’t buy a CHE because my dad doesn’t want to raise the electric bill at all. Should I be concerned about allergies? Thanks
-addie and Finley
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
If you keep them in a 10 gallon aquarium or tote they will not get out--- I have them in my computer room and they do not get out -- buy a little dustpan and broom as small as you can get to keep the tank swept out--- if one did escape they don't live long- believe me I wasn't savvy on roaches either but I would rather have them than crickets anyday now--- they are NOTHING like cockroaches
Karrie
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
They really don't breed unless temperatures are high enough. They are not anything like common house roaches. While they will breed quite readily when in optimal environments, your house really isn't an optimal environment for them.

-Brandon
 

ComicBookMama

Sub-Adult Member
You shouldn't have any problem with allergies unless you really let the upkeep go... I find that dubias don't produce as much poo as crickets, and I buy 200 at a time and keep them in a small tote. The allergy concern is more for people who have a colony, and more droppings to worry about when they clean out the frass. Escapewise, since dubias can't climb smooth sides, your chances of escape are very small - and even if they do escape, they won't breed or survive too long because the temps aren't right.

You're doing a good thing, trying to move over to dubias rather than freeze dried anything... from what I understand, most of the nutritional value of the insects goes with the water in their bodies, leaving behind what's essentially a beardie potato chip - all crunch, no real value. So sorry to hear that your folks are having money troubles... insects DO cost a pretty penny, but now that your Finley is an adult, you can start moving him towards a more plant-based diet, and that should stretch your bug bucks a bit.

Good luck!
 

Finleythebeardie

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
I’d probably buy 75 a month and ten only place I could keep them would be in my room. My room isnt the largest and I have Finley and a rabbit in there. I heard That I need to keep them in a well ventilated room. Would the dust from the Frass effect me since I would have to keep them in my room?
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Finleythebeardie":29rf7n89 said:
I’d probably buy 75 a month and ten only place I could keep them would be in my room. My room isnt the largest and I have Finley and a rabbit in there. I heard That I need to keep them in a well ventilated room. Would the dust from the Frass effect me since I would have to keep them in my room?
no.

If you have no allergy to the ones you buy now , you aren't going to become allergic .
 
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