Crickets

[ARH95]

Help! My crickets keep dying. :-( I bought 36 yesterday, bought real cricket food... and every darn cricket I didn't feed to Murry yesterday were dead this morning!!!!!!! Does anybody have any idea why?

I bought the crickets from PetSmart. No other place, really, to buy them here, except Petco. Any advice?

 

[rcpeacock]

If you gave them food and water, and they are at least at room temp(65+degrees), I would have to say, they found out what petsmart charged for each of them and had massive strokes :mrgreen:

Buy some online, from a reputable supplier. I used to get mine from premiumcricket.com and lllreptile.com. You can also try buying younger/smaller crickets. It only takes a week or two, with some good gut loading, to have healthy adult criks. I breed my own, now. I only have one dragon, ATM. She was still costing me $40 to $50 a month in criks. I can feed my five dogs, for that or less :shock:

 

[ARH95]

Thanks for responding, RC. You are so right about the cost of these darn things. Have been looking online for a dealer (want Phoenix worms, too) but I'm in IA and it's FREEZING here right now and nobody wants to ship unless it's warmer.

I bought really tiny crickets as Murry is a baby juvie, though I don't know his actual age (which torques me... shouldn't pet stores KNOW how old an animal is???). I just can't believe they are all dead already.

I'm a newbie to dragons and am already thinking about breeding crickets (tho it sort of grosses me out a little). Your dragon was costing you that much in CRICKETS??? Yikes! I can't afford that, no way. I will check out your sites. Thanks so much.

 

[ARH95]

Oh My Gosh! I just checked out lllreptile.com and I can buy crickets for less than what I am paying at PETSMART and the price INCLUDES overnight shipping. WOW! Thank you so much for this reference!!!!!!!

 

[rcpeacock]

You can also try, www.greatlakeshornworm.com. I have not ordered from them, but have heard good things about them. They also have several different feeders available. Just google reptiles, reptile feeders, crickets, etc. You might find some suppliers in your approximate area. I know there are at least 2 or 3 in the midwest/upper midwest. I used to constantly look for feeder suppliers close to me, TX/ARK. I always went back to LLLReptile. I used to get 1000 3/4 to 1 inch criks, overnighted for $26 to $28. Just look for over night shipping, with "winter packing", and you will be fine. Email or PM me, if you decide to save some money, and breed your own. I went through a lot of trial and error, at first. I think I have it down pretty good, now. I have a steady supply of criks, all the time.(6000 to 10,000)
It costs more to ship them, than buy them :shock: 1000 criks cost any where from $8 to $15. But it cost $20 to ship(overnight). Go figure. It is still cheaper than petsmart/petco

 

[ARH95]

Thanks so much, RC. I do believe I will DEFINITELY be contacting you on cricket breeding tips when I get more comfortable with Murry. He's still so new to us right now I don't want to take any focus away from doing the right things with him. I'll give it a few weeks and then I'm pretty certain I will be FED UP with buying crickets. lol

Curious.... I have read SO MANY CONFLICTING thoughts on how many crickets to feed a baby juvie. I am feeding him as many as he will eat, two to three times a day, along with fresh salad daily. Is this too much? The pet store owner (who should be out of business... grrr....) told me to feed him about five per day, every other day, and feed salad on the days he didn't get crickets. I think that is ABSURD for a growing dragon. She also told me an under tank heater was sufficient for heat... that I didn't even NEED a basking light. I am so grateful that I do my research... but it angers me that some of her other customers may take what she says as the gospel. Poor little dragons.

But... with that being said.... am I feeding him too many?

 

[rcpeacock]

The general consensus is...all they can eat in ten minutes, two or three times a day for babies. I have heard several people say, some of their babies can eat 100 to 200 pinheads a day. Thats alot a criks. Mine was a large juvi, when I got her. She is approximately 14 to 15 months now. She averages 40 to 60 adult criks a day. I am sure most babies could handle 1/4", or slightly bigger(more meat for your buck), but, most babies seem to be such voracious eaters, they could get impacted on larger criks, by sheer volume. They say, no bigger than the space between the dragons eyes, for feeder size.
I just started breeding dubia roaches. My colony is not large enough to feed out of, but I cant help myself, and feed her a few now and again. She loves them. I have feed her a rather large nymph, a time or two. She is grown, and it was larger than the space between her eyes. She chews her food, rather well. Criks too. But, she has swallowed 4 or 5 criks at a time, and choked/gagged a little, a time or two(she was fine), but I stopped letting her climb into the feeding cup :shock: I believe the impaction can happen from a "kink" in their intestinal tract, that does not "straighten" out until adulthood, or large size(16"+). If that is the case, though, how can a baby eat and pass 200 criks??? Is it because they are pinheads and are much smaller/easier/faster to digest? Food for thought. Sorry for the long winded post. To answer your question... From all my hours and hours of reading/research, you are feeding your dragon right. :study:

 

[ARH95]

I just spent $16.00 ($18.00 without the PECTCO card) on 150 crickets. I'm already ready to start breeding them as there is NO way I am going to continue dropping that kind of money every other day to feet Murry.