Bug Showdown! Who's the Best???

[JerseyDragons]

Forgive me if this has been covered elsewhere; I plead "noob" And if it has, I would greatly appreciate a linkie to the thread!

Anyway, I have been doing a lot of reading in this forum, and am starting to think in circles. At first I thought crickets were the best food, but now I believe that their popularity is solely due to their availability. But given the fact that wholesale bugs and worms are so easily obtained (hi, Reptiworms!), I am left to wonder: All things being equal, which is the best bug/worm as a nutritional source to feed our beardies? So here is what I believe to be the top six; please chime in with opinions/corrections!

1. Black Soldier fly maggots (Calciworms®, Reptiworms™, Phoenix Worms®)
2. Silkworms
3. Zophobas (Superworms)
4. Dubias (cockroaches)
5. Crickets

On edit: I've just learned about hornworms! Dare I zoom them to number 1????
6. Waxworms

 

[DoubleJ]

I would be interested to know what people think as well. Preferably without too much technical stuff (it makes my brain ache) but maybe with a link (if you wish) for further study if anyone wants to. :mrgreen:

 

[ljh75]

:study: waiting for the pro's to give their best advice here also. just got my beardie 5 days ago and i fed him some mealworms. i guess that was a big no no.. so ill be watching this thread to see what everyone feeds for live buggers!

 

[GunRack]

1. Black Soldier fly maggots (Calciworms®, Reptiworms™, Phoenix Worms®) AWESOME FOOD! BUT MOST COME IN TINY
2. Silkworms VERY RICH, SEEM TO GIVE EVERYONE BUBBLE GUTS
3. Zophobas (Superworms) I LIKE THESE AFTER THEY HAVE SHED THEIR EXOSKELETONS
4. Dubias (cockroaches) ICK. CANT GET OVER THEM BEING ROACHES.
5. Crickets CHEEP AND EASY
6. Waxworms/BUTTERWORMS LIKE A DEEP FRIED TWINKIE COVERED IN BUTTER. GOOD FOR PICKY EATERS.

I also like cooked or freezedried: grasshoppers, dragonfly larvae, shellless snails, even the shrimp for aquatic turtles.

 

[JerseyDragons]

:study: waiting for the pro's to give their best advice here also. just got my beardie 5 days ago and i fed him some mealworms. i guess that was a big no no.. so ill be watching this thread to see what everyone feeds for live buggers!

Well, in my scenario, I was looking for what was the best all things being equal. I'm pretty sure that serving dusted crickets is completely adequate. Reptiworms may be the best nutritionally, but other factors weigh in (cost, availability, convenience, etc).

 

[mdtalley22]

I prefer superworms and cockroaches. Crickets got too noisy and smelly and they escaped. Mine doesn't like phoenix worms because they are too small...didn't like hornoworms (ate 2 and then wouldn't eat anymore! I was soo mad!) but absolutely loves silkworms. But seeing how they are expensive he only gets those every 4 months or so.

 

[triumphtt]

My 2 cent is supers and dubias. Puff hasn't been eating lately and I think it's because of how he was brought up. Long story short basically Puff is 5 yrs old I rescued/ adopted him from a buddy's g/f. She just didn't really want him anymore (healthy and fine just wasn't interested anymore). She used to throw in crickets and let them and him go for about a week. Salad every other day or so and also some pellets. So I got some crickets when I brought him home since he would be used to them but didn't leave them in. He ate 2 the other 10 died. I also took out the pellets, she said she never saw him eat them and never seemed to get low. I'm feeding him supers (He loves) and just got some dubia's. So not to possiblly hijack your post but my question to add is there any charts on how many superworms = an adult male dubia, or crickets = superworm etc....? Example he ate 10 supers the other day then nothing for the next day. My Dubias arrived so I put two adults in the cage he ate both, so I put two more in and he wasn't interested. Its been 3 days and he isn't interested in anything I tried hand feeding (dubias & supers), putting them in a cup, upside down spazing out in front of him. He'll do a head cock then basically doesn't seem to care. Could he not like to eat in front of me? Just trying to figure out if those two roaches were like 16 oz steaks to him compared to like 10 supers feeling like 10 carrots. I hope someone understands my examples and has someone of a size fullness scale LOL. Sorry about a post in a post but this one seemed kinda related.
Thanks,
Dane
PS. I've had him for about a month so he was eating supers regularly about 5-7 a day sometimes only 2 a day here and there.