Crickets - PLEASE RESPOND ASAP

[rebeccaw14]

Hi Everyone,

Charm is 8 months and protein is still a big part of his diet. We usually buy our crickets in bulk and feed him from the same batch for a week or two, but recently large percentages of the crickets have been dying. Charm has had parasites for about 2 months and we are worried that eating sick/contaminated crickets is hurting his recovery. I am afraid to feed him the crickets but I know he needs them, so I need advice... What do you do? More specifically:

How many crickets do you buy at once?
How do you store your crickets?
***Where do you buy your crickets (what provider)?***

Please respond, this is somewhat time-sensitive and I really don't know how to keep him healthy with the current system.

Thanks!

 

[iLOVEmySPIKE]

i have something called a critter ceeper which is basically a big plastic container with egg carton pieces and a long tube to make it easier to get them out at feeding time... u shoulld buy ur crickets from flukerfarms.com
i get 1000 at a time and wen they get here i quiickly put them in the critter keeper and throw in pieces of gutload witch provides crickets with food and water and also gives my reptiles good nutrients out of the crickets. if u dont want to buy them online which some people do not like to do... go to ur local pet store and ask where do u get your crickets from so u can make sure that they are not just like getting of the streets lol u need to be careful because those pet stores dont always tell the truth sometimes they are just trying to make sales hope i was a help if u have any questions feel free to ask

 

[Dementeddogz]

Just a thought, have you considered an alternative food source, dubias for example?

 

[lauraj1055]

I agree with the alternate food source. Your beardie is old enough to try superworms which are a good feeder, easy to keep and last a long time. All you have to do is keep them in 1 - 2" of bran, and throw in a carrot or a potato for hydration every other day. Crickets cause pinworms it's a known fact, so since your beardie is older, why don't you try something new?

Reptiworms are really good too, you can get these at www.reptiworm.com put in a coupon code of facebook20 and receive 20% off your order..

beardeddragon.co sells small, medium and large superworms. At 8 months old, yours could do the mediums. I say trash the crickets and try something new..

I just started using Dubias this week.. they kind of grossed me out, but getting used to them now. They have a lot of good meat with little extroskeleton so easy to digest.. You can also get these at beardeddragon.co 250 for $15

 

[wes]

I'll third the alternate food source. In your case, I would especially recommend Phoenix Worms or Reptiworms. They naturally contain lauric acid which helps against coccidia.

 

[volvotech]

Crickets cause pinworms it's a known fact, so since your beardie is older, why don't you try something new?

http://www.chameleonforums.com/pinworms-not-found-commercial-crickets-31196/

http://www.reptileforums.com/forums/archive/index.php?t-19284.html

 

[lauraj1055]

Crickets cause pinworms it's a known fact, so since your beardie is older, why don't you try something new?

http://www.chameleonforums.com/pinworms-not-found-commercial-crickets-31196/

http://www.reptileforums.com/forums/archive/index.php?t-19284.html

These are 2 links you found.. both my vet(s) who are reptile specialists and my breeder(s) have confirmed that crickets will cause pinworms... I never wanted to chance it.. I never used them, and never will.

 

[volvotech]

Cool, glad to hear more sources backing your claim up. Just curious, how do crickets obtain pinworms?

 

[lauraj1055]

It is very important to find a GREAT source to get your crickets from.. If crickets bins, are not kept clean, and they are not fed on a regular basis they will eat their own waste, which at that time is when they will pick up parasites.. aka pinworms. If you can find a reputable breeder of crickets that you know are kept clean, than by all means use their crickets... but petstores are not known for caring for their feeders, and if I can't see the facility where they are coming from.. I'd rather not chance it.

 

[volvotech]

Good deal. In that case, it doesn't seem like there should be much fear when feeding crickets if:
1.) You know where you're buying them
2.) You know how to take care of them

 

[iLOVEmySPIKE]

Go to flukerfarms.com!

 

[iLOVEmySPIKE]

Go to flukerfarms.com! Great criclket supples

 

[volvotech]

Go to flukerfarms.com! Great criclket supples

No. While some of their supplies may be decent, most of their items are over priced or ineffective (i.e. water crystals/cubes, the orange cube cricket diet, and other cricket supplies).

 

[valcash]

I would stop feeding crickets and move to silkworms and hornworm or calci worms.

 

[lauraj1055]

I would stop feeding crickets and move to silkworms and hornworm or calci worms.

Reptiworms are the best.. no need to dust.. calci worms that they sell in Petsmart high too high of a caclium to phosphorus ratio for a staple..

Try reptiworms.com and put in facebook20 or beardie20 and get 20% off your order.. Good luck.