Dexter's getting sick of crickets.. Help me?

[shrambo]

So I got my first bearded dragon Dexter mid July this year from TND Dragons (I would highly recommend this breeder). He's a big dragon. I roughly measured him and he's at least 17 inches, maybe 18. He's also pretty fat (I think. He's definitely a big boy). He's 8 1/2 months. (Hatch date April 23rd). When he was 3-6 months, he would eat around 100 crickets a day. I order them in bulk from Ghann. Buuut, the past couple weeks he's really slowed down. He doesn't seem all that interested in them. He also doesn't eat his veggies like he used to, which concerns me. Buuut..

Basically, my main question is what staple insect should i switch him to. Crickets are annoying anyways, so I wouldn't mind changing. Plus the last batch I got is extremely noisy (DO NOT order the largest size cricket from Ghann farms unless you like cricket chirping). I bought superworms and he likes those, but I don't know if they're the best staple. Since I think he's fat, I don't want to feed him a staple that's too fatty.
I was thinking maybe phoenix worms. I would love to make worms his staple. Maybe mostly phoenix worms and occasionally superworms? That be ideal. My mom wouldn't really go for dubia roaches. I might try them out sometime, but let's pretend dubias don't exist for now.

Soooooo... PLEASE help me and give me ideas for relatively healthy insects as staples. Are phoenix worms fine by themselves? Idk. I've tried them before and he likes them.

Also, any veggie ideas? I have tried all sorts of vegetables. He used to love everything, now it seems like he only like butternut squash (given to him daily). He doesn't touch his greens all that much, but they're still offered.

Thanks for reading! And potentially helping.

And here's Dex:

** Also, his mouth is sometimes slightly open like it is in the next picture. Any ideas why? He'll gape sometimes, but this is different. It's just barely open**

 

[Soulwind]

Well the cricket that's visible in the photo is too small for him now. That could be part of it.

Also, he looks big enough (ie old enough) so it's possible that he could be going into brumation.

(I'm still figuring out about brumation, so you'd need to get your research from someone other than me )

As for other feeders:
Dubia roaches are the usual recommended "other than crickets" staple insect. They have a lot of good things
going for them. They don't bite, don't climb, don't fly, don't jump, don't make noise, and don't stink the way crickets do.
They are also higher in protein and have a better meat to shell ratio. However, they can be quite a bit more expensive
than crickets and usually require finding a local source or buying online, almost no pet stores carry them.
[a lot of folks who use Dubia's as a primary source breed thier own feeder colonies...it's rather simple actually]

phoenix worms (calci worms, repti worms) are fine for a staple, if a bit expensive to be a staple item

 

[DorkiTimmy]

You can try Dubia Roach / Super Worms Dubia roach are quite expensive sometimes unless you mass produce your own then raising a dragon is easy no trip to buy smelly crickets that die easily. super worms are around 1 dollar for 20. dubia range from size

 

[shrambo]

Okay let me post emphasis on the part where I said let's pretend dubia roaches don't exist. There is zero possibility that I can feed him dubia roaches now.

 

[Mistyck]

You could try superworms, or silkworms. He might enjoy either of those.

 

[Dreamwritten]

Well, from what I understand, they tend to slow down their cricket consumption as they get older. Does he eat his greens/veggies/fruits? Do you notice him eating more plant matter than crickets?

 

[shrambo]

No

 

[unkempt1]

Phoenix worms have good things going for them, but are also really high in fat. I mention this because you mentioned your dragon is already pretty beefy. I'd recommend trying larger crickets first, if the ones in the pic are the size you use. Just make sure you keep the size right (ie the general rule is no longer than the space between your dragons eyes).

 

[Erok000]

I dont think they are that fatty, phoenix worms that is. Ive only read and been told they are a great staple.

 

[unkempt1]

I dont think they are that fatty, phoenix worms that is. Ive only read and been told they are a great staple.

They are higher in fat, lower in protein, and higher in phosphorous than crickets. Great source of calcium, but they cannot be gut loaded like other insects. Oh, and one last thing: they're maggots. How does mom feel about black soldier fly maggots? :twisted: