Feeder advice & ideas

[Momomo]

Hi guys.

I know crickets are good food and also very cheap but my dragon doesn't even pay attention to them, even if I wiggle one right in front of his nose when he is hungry! He used to like eating crickets when he was younger but now (he is around 11 months old) he just ignores them. So most of the crickets I buy, just die off and they stink like hell. So, I am thinking of just dropping the whole cricket idea completely.
I have been feeding mostly superworms to him for the past couple of months. He really likes those, but the problem is they kinda fatty, and I don't want him to become overweight, so I only feed no more than 10 per day, but than I am also worried that he is not eating enough? Well, I just got a new job, which pays more than my previous one, so I think I will be able to afford hornworms and silkworms. Here is my new feeding plan: morning - 5-6 large superworms, evening 3-5 large hornworms/silkworms. Is this underfeeding? I heard beardies this age should get 20+ feeders a day, but these worms are very nutritious and my dragon is pretty fat! Anyway, let me know your thoughts guys. Thanks!

P.S. Roaches are not an option as I am in Canada.

 

[brittani299]

Hello That sounds ok. Are you also giving greens?

 

[Momomo]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, he has access to the "good" greens all day everyday, forgot to mention that.

 

[brittani299]

Ok it sounds ok

 

[Momomo]

thanks.. does anyone know how to keep hornworms and silkworms alive for at least a week? It's rather difficult

 

[Bailey91990]

basically, the best way keep the Hornworms & Silkworms from growing sooo big sooo fast(I had that problem to) is to not give them as much food. They eat alot & quick, thats how they grow so fast, so take some of there Hornworm Chow out or give them less, & you can save it & give them it whenever you want.
Also, keeping them in a cool place will slow there growth down, dont put them in the fridge it will kill them, but if you have a garage or a cool room that will be fine.

 

[Momomo]

Keep them in a cool place. You CAN store Silkworms in your Fridge, it will slow there growth down a REAL LOT. Then when your going to feed them off, take them out the fridge & in 5 10minutes there warm (haha get it, warm, worm ;p ).
Hornworms, also keep them in a cool pace. But DONT store them in your fridge they will die. If you have a cool room or garage you can put them in there. But basically, the best way keep the Hornworms from growing sooo big sooo fast(I had that problem to) is to not give them as much food. They eat alot & quick, thats how they grow so fast, so take some of there Hornworm Chow out or give them less, & you can save it & give them it whenever you want.

Thanks!! My problem is not the growth actually, I'd be happy if they grew, but they just die I kept them at room temp. Is there a special type of chow for hornworms? or is the same as for other worms (like superworms etc). The silks I ordered came with the mulberry pressed food, so they had food but they still died very fast. Hornworms however came with no food, so I wasn't sure what to feed them. Its was my first time ordering both of those so hopefully with more experience I'll manage to keep them alive

 

[Bailey91990]

Oh no you need food for the hornworms & they only eat like two types of things, Mulberry leaves & there chow with is hard find out whats in it. This is where I order my Hornworms from & she will put the food in with the hornworms to grow them to certain sizes & you can email her if you have questions or want her to do something for you & most the time she will.

http://www.lindasgonebuggie.com/

& you also can buy extra food if you want. They eat a ton so with no food there starve. Also if you keep them upside down with the food at the top, make sure its lifted up for air can get under it & into the cup. If you do this, you wont need to clean the poop out because it will fall to the bottom, but if you keep it right side up the regular way you keep any type of cup, make sure you clean it out daily because they poop alottttttttttt & you dont want your dragon eating things that eat there own poop. I notice if you buy Baby Horn/Silkworms alot of times alot of them will die, so try to buy like 1inch-2inch worms & either feed them off or wait till they grow which is pretty quick!

 

[Momomo]

wow the prices on that website are so cheap its mindblowing! I am in Canada though, so I don't think I can order from there

 

[Bailey91990]

Yup thats why I ordered from her, but alot of them died because I got the babies, but yea she has crazy cheap prices. You just need to take the time to do research and your find good prices,my problem is when I do that the first thing I come across Im like "Oooh thats really good *click order*" then I continue look around cuz Im bored & find cheaper prices lol

 

[CountofCasualty]

Hi, I'm in Canada! And no, you can't order from any company in the states, they won't ship across the border without a permit. (It's frustrating sometimes when you're on this site and you get only US suppliers hey?)
Where are you located? There are three 'main' suppliers for worms,
silksworms.ca, you can order eggs and grow your own, or order the worms.
bugorder.com
supercricket.ca

And another one but I forgot it .

Mr. Pets also will order Silks in if you have one around you, and certain PetSmarts have Horns.

I have also fed Hornworms the same veggies I fed my dragon and they were fine. You don't need special chow for them. (This included collard greens and strawberries.)

 

[Momomo]

Thanks for the info on feeding the hornworms! I know all the places where I can get the worms, I did my research My local store (Big Al's) can also order horns and silks for me. I was just saying that the website provided by the other poster is MUCH cheaper. Canadian prices don't come close even if you buy online.

Btw, I am in Toronto.