I've been considering moving away from crickets as a main meal for my juvi beardie (roughly 4 months old, he's probably about 12-14" long) and Fluckers is having a really good sale on them right now ($8.90 for 1000 larvae) I'm just wondering what are the pros and cons of this insect vs crickets? Has anyone used this website before? Is there a better place? I'm not interested in building a colony as my landlord would murder me. My crickets die so quickly and I'm tired of seeing them all over my house but I also don't want flies everywhere either. Any advice would be great.
That's a really good price for them. I'd pick up a jar. They tend to last for quite a while, especially if you can keep them at cooler temps maybe 55-65 or so. They are a healthy feeder but are quite small so a hungry dragon can go through hundreds of them in a sitting if allowed to. I use them in conjunction with other bugs like dubia roaches, crickets, or silk worms. It's always best to offer variety if you can. When they do morph into flies they can also be offered as a treat. They're pretty slow moving flies and are easy to catch if they get out of the bin. They don't have a very long life span either so I wouldn't worry about an infestation at all.
Thanks Cooper. That's exactly what I needed to know. I went to Petco and bought some Dubia bc our dragon has never had them before and he was loving it. He ate 15 very quickly and wanted more lol I'm thinking of buying some Dubia and BSFL. What is the best way to store them? Obviously the cricket keeper is out of question as they would squeeze through the air slits in the top. Is there a more cost effective DIY option?
The BSFL can stay in their container. The roaches should have an enclosure. I use an old 20g tank with a mesh top and give them paper towel tubes for housing. I feed them scraps of veges every day and they love it. This is a good general walkthrough for their care http://www.southtexasdragons.com/dubia-roaches.html I like using the roaches as a primary feeder.
The BSFL can stay in their container. The roaches should have an enclosure. I use an old 20g tank with a mesh top and give them paper towel tubes for housing. I feed them scraps of veges every day and they love it. This is a good general walkthrough for their care http://www.southtexasdragons.com/dubia-roaches.html I like using the roaches as a primary feeder.
Awesome. Thank you so much. I went ahead and bought 1000 for $15 with shipping. It seemed like a good deal Fluckers brand is all over the pet store. Nick seemed to really like the Dubia I fed him tonight (he ate about 15 give or take) so I think I'll look into buying him some of those too. He likes to hunt so I'll keep the crickets around for awhile too I guess, they're just gross and die soooo easily. I'm thinking about doing Dubia and BSFL as they last longer and don't stink. What's your main diet like for juvies?
It's a good price and a reputable source (although I've never ordered bsfl from them). The combination with roaches is good. The roaches are MUCH easier to care for and deal with than crickets. He'll enjoy hunting down the roaches too. For a young dragon I'd offer a variety of bugs a couple of times per day. Introduce variety when you can. The bugs should be about 80% or so of diet until 12-18 months old. They will transition to mainly salads/veg when they are fully grown.
It's a good price and a reputable source (although I've never ordered bsfl from them). The combination with roaches is good. The roaches are MUCH easier to care for and deal with than crickets. He'll enjoy hunting down the roaches too. For a young dragon I'd offer a variety of bugs a couple of times per day. Introduce variety when you can. The bugs should be about 80% or so of diet until 12-18 months old. They will transition to mainly salads/veg when they are fully grown.
That sounds good. Thanks for the advice. He (I say he as it's still too early to sex) was very happy hunting for those roaches today when I dropped them in, very different from crickets I think. I always leave greens sprinkled with a bit of water in his enclosure as well. I'm gunna see how he reacts to the BSFL and I'll post more after I get them.