Opening Up a Can Of Worms - so to speak...

[Canvasrox]

Here's a question -

Given the meat to exoskel ratio of crickets, and the size of their tummies (for gut-loading purposes), are they really THAT great as feeders?? Wouldn't the dubia and Phoenix worms be better?

I did purchase 1K crickets that will be here tomorrow, and I'm preparing a habitat for them - but as I'm SUCH a newbie, I would appreciate hearing different points of view.

So - whaddaya think??

Many thanks,
Roxanne

Trixie and Dixie - stackin' up!

 

[mccallumpiper]

You are ABSOLUTELY correct. Those two you mentioned are excellent feeders and beat crickets hands down. They dont smell they are easy to breed, they dont jump!, and there is more meat to shell ratio vs. the cricket. Also calcium worms are another excellent choice they dont need anything but a rare misting once in a while if they get dry. Plus they are all calcium and no phosphorous!

 

[Sapphire]

You are ABSOLUTELY correct. Those two you mentioned are excellent feeders and beat crickets hands down. They dont smell they are easy to breed, they dont jump!, and there is more meat to shell ratio vs. the cricket. Also calcium worms are another excellent choice they dont need anything but a rare misting once in a while if they get dry. Plus they are all calcium and no phosphorous!

I wouldn't say roaches don't smell. Mine stink pretty bad, but I haven't cleaned the bin in about two months and I think they might have hidden a piece of fruit somewhere and that's the main source of the smell. I can't find it, though.... I looked... But, they don't smell in the same way crickets smell.

Also, calciworms (black soldier fly larva, aka phoenix worms, aka reptiworms) aren't "no phosphorus." They have the exact proper ratio that is ideal for a bearded dragon (1.5:1).

And yes, both roaches and soldier fly larva are better feeders than crickets. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't want to keep roaches, and the soldier fly larva are more expensive than crickets. Crix are the most common feeder because they're cheap. I get 4,000 crix at a time for about $40... whereas 4,000 roaches would cost about $450 and 4,000 reptiworms would cost between $130 and $240 depending on their size. (Prices based on http://www.theroachguy.com and http://www.reptiworms.com). Of course you also have to consider the meat:shell ratio, and think that a beardie fed on roaches will eat less roaches to get full than he would eat crickets.

However, people who DO get roaches don't usually buy just to feed. They tend to buy in order to start a self-sustaining colony, so they never have to buy another feeder insect again. So if you do this, roaches are definitely waaaaaaaay cheaper. Spend $50 for some adults now, wait a few months for them to "get busy" and have lots of babies, and your beardie will have a food source for the rest of its life.

 

[Trogdorpheus]

Now's the time to buy if you're wanting roaches. Many beardies (mine included... sad but good in the long run) are going down for brumation, so perfect time for your colony to get established.

 

[Canvasrox]

Now's the time to buy if you're wanting roaches. Many beardies (mine included... sad but good in the long run) are going down for brumation, so perfect time for your colony to get established.

Thanks Trog.. er... Matt!

I'm conflicted between ReptiWorms and dubia now - *sigh*

Do even 12 weekers do brumation?? There's another thing for me to read up on!

 

[Trogdorpheus]

Well, no that's a bit young. But still consider the sooner you start a colony, the sooner you'll be free of buying other feeders. I'm actually taking advantage of my girl's either partial or full (not sure yet, its her first one) brumation to let my colony grow as well as starting up breeding supers. We'll see how it all fares... and hopefully once she's back to her normal awake self she'll have a much larger appetite, because I'll be more than able to appease it.

 

[Canvasrox]

Thanks Matt - you're VERY helpful!

Must...do....research.... and, get over the EWWW factor. *snerk*

 

[Sapphire]

Thanks Matt - you're VERY helpful!

Must...do....research.... and, get over the EWWW factor. *snerk*

The "ewww" factor will go away once you have the roaches. I thought they were creepy when I first got them (I was shaking the babies out of the box and was like 'Aw, they're kinda cute' and then I saw the adult pair and I was like 'HOLY ******************************!!!!!') but now I think they're cool and I'm okay with touching them.

 

[Trogdorpheus]

Well most of the answers you're looking for can be found relatively quickly on this site. The search function is great, but if you have anything more specific or a clarification question you can PM me. I don't breed dubia, I breed discoids... but the setup is pretty much the same. Only difference is that females have wings, and they're a tad bit larger and slower to reproduce. Well... slower if you look at it in number, but I guess since they're larger and if you considered the reproduction on a basis of volume then they are probably about the same.

 

[Sapphire]

There are also dubia caresheets on www.theroachguy.com and www.theroachranch.com .

 

[Canvasrox]

Thanks for the links to the care sheets - greatly appreciated!

The only "Ewww" factor for the roaches is thinking of the ones found in houses. These types don't bother me. Now, tarantulas - THOSE bother me.

*snerk*

 

[Sapphire]

Thanks for the links to the care sheets - greatly appreciated!

The only "Ewww" factor for the roaches is thinking of the ones found in houses. These types don't bother me. Now, tarantulas - THOSE bother me.

*snerk*

You're welcome.

Tarantulas bothered me, too, until I held one. It was soft as a kitten. Now I want one. It's amazing how easily a fear is abolished once you actually touch the thing you're afraid of. Male dubia creeped me out waaay more than females, and I refused to hold them, until one day I needed to move an adult pair, and there was basically no way to catch a single male without touching it. So I cringed and let the creepy bugger crawl on my hand, and now I'm okay with them.