alternative to crickets

[adubbs92]

Hey all, i have about a 3-4 month old beardie, he his about 12''. I have been keeping and feeding him crickets. I hate having those crickets. I cannot stand the smell of them. I was wonder what other insects i can feed, and breed for him to eat. I cannot use dubia roaches as they are illegal in Canada. Any answers would be appreciated.

 

[SouthernCritter]

Are all roaches illegal in Canada? Discoid's are a cousin of the dubia and have same nutritional value. Silkworms would probably be the next best. Phoenix worms are also good but small and you would need many. Locusts is another feeder but I don't know nutritional value of them. I would still feed crickets because they are the best for gut loading and hold dustings well. Crickets aren't that bad...if they are housed correctly the smell is minimal. I have 10-15,000 crickets at all times and I can barley smell them.

 

[Taterbug]

Southern, how do you house your crix? I can't even keep 10 and not have some stink

 

[SouthernCritter]

Southern, how do you house your crix? I can't even keep 10 and not have some stink

I house my crickets in open topped wooden bins I made...similar to the ones you see at bait shops. These are all in a outdoor shed I built just for this. The shed is completely sealed with a exhaust fan and small intake vents and heated to 85-90F. I sell crickets locally is why house so many. I clean the adult bin weekly and remove any dead crickets daily. My other bins I don't clean until they reach adulthood...the smaller bugs very seldom die off. Keeping them in a very dry environment is the ticket for odor control...moisture/humidity will make them smell in my experiences.