Help with feeder cost

[scorch1]

We have had our bearded dragon for about a month now. He is about 4 months old and just measured at 11 inches. He seems to be doing great but is going to break the bank!

I had ordered 1000 dubias from west coast roaches and he went through those in about 2 weeks! I just ordered another 2000 roaches from another site, but I am looking for ways to make feeding him more affordable. I have considered starting a colony but I don't want to end up with a huge roach colony and a 1 year old dragon that eats mainly veggies. Can anyone tell me if I will be over run with roaches that I can't use if I start a colony?

I was looking into some of the worms for feeders but I am confused about what is ok for him to eat. Are phoenix worms and repti worms the same thing? I think I saw 1000 for $7 or $8. Is that about right? Would these just be supplemental? How many would I expect him to eat? Can he eat superworms? How do I care for any of the worms?

He does eat a little bit of salad but not enough to make a difference. When he gets done eating his belly is huge! We've also been feeding him crickets in between dubia shipments but I don't like keeping those at all!
Thanks,
Jamie

 

[CooperDragon]

At that age, they really do tend to eat a lot. As you mentioned, this slows down a bit at 12-18 months as growth slows so there is light at the end of the financial drain tunnel. Roaches are a pretty expensive way to feed if you aren't starting a colony. A colony can take several months to become established so that may not be a great option at this point. You could try splitting your next order into 1000 feed now and 1000 colony starter. If you find you have too many, it's not usually too hard to find someone nearby to take them off of your hands. Phoenix and repti worms (aka calci worms) are the same thing. Phoenix worms are just a brand name. These are a very good source of calcium and are a good feeder but they are very small and you will go through a lot of them. They are easy to care for - you just keep them in the cup they come in. Silk worms are another good feeder worm choice. They are healthy and fairly easy to keep. You just need to be sure to buy (or buy mix and make your own) mulberry chow for them. I would avoid superworms because they are too big for a young dragon. If you're ordering feeders, the best bargain is probably ordering 1000 crickets and keeping them in a big plastic bin. 1000 will last about a month and cost around $30 shipped. There are a lot of places to get them online. I've used premiumcrickets with good results.

 

[scorch1]

So will the crickets go further than the roaches? We went through 1000 roaches in 2 weeks. I just bought 2000 roaches for about $65 including shipping. We have crickets right now and I can't stand them! It is actually my son's bd so he usually feeds him but he had to leave early this morning before he had a chance to warm up so I fed him. The crickets are nasty. I'll take roaches over crickets any day!

I will say he doesn't seem to be eating as many of the crickets as the roaches. I wasn't sure if it was just because he is in between growth spurts.

 

[CooperDragon]

I'll take roaches over crickets any day too! =) They're awful little things but cheap. That said, $65 shipped for 2000 roaches sounds like an amazing deal to me (that's about $.035 per vs $.027 per for crickets online). That's what I paid to get my colony started with about 500 or so roaches. If you can keep getting them at that price, I'd just bite the bullet and ride out the growth spurts. The appetite will fluctuate depending on growth cycle, so I wouldn't worry about that too much as long as his energy level is up, he's pooping regularly, and has an increasing or stable weight.

 

[scorch1]

Thank you so much for your help. How do you know if his energy is good? He spends most of the day on his basking log. My son goes in there and holds him some and lets him climb around on his bed. He does get excited when he sees the feeders come out! He looks healthy, poops at least once daily and appears to be growing so I think he's good but just want to make sure.

My nephew was starting a dubia colony and he lives nearby. Maybe we can get some roaches from him as his bd is a little over a year old so he should start slowing down soon.

 

[CooperDragon]

Yes, getting roaches from someone with an established colony is a great way to pick up feeders or boost your own colony. It sounds like his energy level is good. The little ones should run around a bit when they're outside the tank. They like to look around and lick things. If he's acting curious and excited about bugs it's usually a good sign.