mccallumpiper":3kntp6b4 said:
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.