How much in a feeding? Pheonix worms vs. Crickets

[naomithealien]

For those that don't know already:

Phoenix Worms have a naturally balanced calciumhosphorus ratio
and are the only calcium-rich feeder that can be safely fed as a staple.
Phoenix Worms are also a natural weapon against coccidia.
In addition to having a perfect balance of calcium and phosphorus,
Phoenix Worms provide high levels of natural lauric acid. Lauric acid
is known for its excellent antimicrobial properties including potent activity
against lipid coated viruses, clostridium and pathogenic protozoa including
coccidia. Lauric acid is a medium chain saturated fatty acid found in Phoenix
Worms as well as some vegetable oils and in dairy products. 53% of the fat
in Phoenix Worms is beneficial lauric acid, a proven antimicrobial especially
effective against coccidiosis.

My question is this: I have a 3 week old baby that I just bought, and an 8 month old lost in the backyard.
The 8 month old used to go through 1000 3 wk sized crickets every 3 weeks which cost me $16 for a 1000.
So for about a month I would say I spend about $20 on crickets.

How will the pheonix worms work in comparison? How many would the 8 month old eat in one day?
How many will the 3 week old eat in one day?

I know that they are better, but I am trying to figure out the cost, as well.

So in your experience, how many pheonix worms does your beardie go through a day? If you can remember at the 3 week old mark or 8 month old mark that would be great.

We are hoping that the 8 month old will come back. It's VERY hot in Southern california and there are many loose crickets in our backyard. We look for her every day, but we think she's okay.

 

[Fal]

Oh I do hope you find her!! You must be going crazy!?

I'm not sure about those ages, ours is approx 3months old. Also, i'm not sure about the US (that's where the phoenix worms come from so may be cheaper), but in the UK, they are imported from the US and so are a more expensive option than crix or locusts (what we use). They are also very small - we got medium and they seemed small to me, not tried large yet, but doubt they are much bigger. Therefore, taking the size into consideration, they (especially the older one) would go through a LOT I imagine, but perhaps someone int he US who uses them more often can enlighten you more.

Hope she comes back soon, keep us posted!!

Jon

 

[jargonchipmunk]

Fat, get the big ones. You'll be glad you did.

to the OP: I have a couple dragons who both had access to PW's and crickets. One of them can go through 20 or more crickets in a sitting, and will eat about 10 pheonix worms (this all depends on the size of the cricks) The other will go through at least 25 or more PW's and might eat 10 cricks at a time. They each like different things more. I'm fine with it because General Tso makes sure the PW's don't "turn" before they eat them, and Mushu nom's all the crickets down. I'm switching to Dubia fairly soon, so we'll see where things go then. (I suppose this means together if I fed ONLY PW's, they could go through 100 or more PW's in a day plus veggies if I let them)

as for price, I get ~400 large PW's for $27 when I buy, so they are NOT as cheap as crix. That being said, I have never had a phoenix worm "die off" and I don't have to feed, house, smell, "catch" or otherwise be bothered by them, so there's a whole other value side of things as well. With all the die offs I've experienced crix aren't as cheap as I originally thought. Maybe I'm just bad at keeping them or something.

 

[Acill]

Also before you go nuts with the PW's like I did, get a small tub first. I went with 1200 large only to find out Lizzie would not touch them at all. So I ended up having most of all those worms go black and die before I could get rid of them to the zoo here in San Diego.

If he will eat them they are great, but its hit or miss.

 

[Fal]

We've ordered some more, but gone with large this time (as it's the same price for the same amount for us, and he went through the medium - which are very small lol- very quick)!

We have also ordered some butterworms, not as a continuous staple, but for a more regular treat than his very occasional waxworm.

 

[rclay]

because of the PW calcium enrichment already do you still put calcium powder on them?
what age can they start eating them at?