Bought small crickets and two days later they are HUGE!

[NickandAutumn]

So basically I bought 50 small crickets from the local petsmart, not my first choice but it was the only place around that had crickets. They were pretty small but with in two days the ones that are still in my critter keeper have grown, some of them almost the size of large crickets witch is way to big for my baby Beardie.. is this normal?I already have too buy crickets for the little guy really often and buying less then fifty seems like a waste of gas and not to mention the pollution hah

The crickets are kept in a pretty small critter keeper but they aren't crawling all over each other, and have adequate space to climb and hide. They get flunkers cricket calcium feed. Am I doing something wrong because they are growing at a crazy fast pace and I'm worried my little dragon won't be able to handle digesting them as they get bigger!

Thanks!

 

[kingofnobbys]

No gamma rays involved ?

 

[AHBD]

My first thought too, gamma rays.

The best way to keep them from growing too fast is to keep them cooler than 75 degrees. Between 65-73 is good. And I don't know if the prepared foods have anything to do with it but offer them greens instead, the same kind beardies eat. Just put a small amount of greens in every day or 2 instead of the Fluker's stuff. Greens are much more nutritious for them.

 

[NickandAutumn]

My first thought too, gamma rays.

The best way to keep them from growing too fast is to keep them cooler than 75 degrees. Between 65-73 is good. And I don't know if the prepared foods have anything to do with it but offer them greens instead, the same kind beardies eat. Just put a small amount of greens in every day or 2 instead of the Fluker's stuff. Greens are much more nutritious for them.

Mhh, we had the crickets in a small critter keeper right by our dragons cage where he couldn't see them but they were right by the light. I didn't know that would have any effect on their growth...but now they are on the back porch because literally I don't know how the little **** heads got out but we kept finding them around our house like wtf? The vent holes are so small on the keeper they are in, so no idea on that.
It's pretty hot where I live in the summer but I can't have bugs around the house I'm living in so I'm forced to leave them on the porch shaded for now. Hopefully they survive.

Thanks for the replies.