PLEASE HELP... Another rescued beardie

[MsWanda10166]

I have a girl that has a tough time getting around. She is also a rescue. I give her her supers and dubia in a small bowl, its about 4 inches around, and two inches high, and I tilt it for her. She is very healthy now, even with her MBD. We also have a boy dragon, another rescue, he is a booger about eating most of the time, the easiest thing I have found to force feed him is horn worms. I use the med ones for him, and I actually inject them with calcium and vits, so I do not have to force that too. I have 4 dragons, and have actually stopped going to pet stores and such, because I can not afford anymore. (lol)

 

[icelore]

Crickets have no real nutrition to them, no real meat on their bones.

Source for this? While dubia's meat to shell ratio is a tiny bit better then crickets, saying crickets have "no real nutrition" isn't in any way truthful. Dubias and crickets are very comparable in terms of "meat on their bones" (ie: protein). The main thing that makes dubias better is their calcium to phosphorous ratio, which can obviously be helped with proper calcium dusting and gutloading of the crickets.

Insect - %Fat - %Protein - Calcium PPM - Potassium PPM
Dubia - 6.8 - 24.5 - 625 - 2320
Cricket - 6.0 - 21.3 - 345 - 4238
Superworm - 17.2 - 17.4 - 124 - 2320
Pheonix Worm - 9.4 - 17.3 - 8155 - 5355

 

[Vianeth]

http://www.thedubiaroach.com/faqs.html
"Are they better for my reptile than crickets?
Yes, they have more nutritional content than a cricket.
They have double the protein and more calcium."

http://www.nyworms.com/faq.htm#Roaches
"They have a higher meat to shell ratio than crickets"

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art171047.asp
"Dubia’s have more protein than the cricket, around 36 % proteins and crickets have only 18% protein. ... Roaches are also better calcium to phosphorus ratio than crickets; more calcium, less phosphorus. They have a soft exoskeleton. Thinner shelled they also have a better meat to shell ratio. The intestinal tract of the Dubia is longer again making them the food of choice for better nutritional value than crickets. Because of their longer intestinal tract there is the more food or nutrition inside the roach (gut load)."

http://www.midwestdubia.com/why-dubia.html
"They are very nutritious and have a better meat to shell ratio than crickets, superworms and just about every other insect feeder. They also have a softer shell so you don't have to worry about impaction like you do with some of the other feeders."

There are more links and sources out there but I think you get the picture.

 

[Vianeth]

Sure, crickets have nutrition. They're just not as efficient at feeding a beardie vs. a dubia.

 

[icelore]

Sure, crickets have nutrition.

Crickets have no real nutrition to them

That was the point of my response.

I didn't need to "get the picture" as I stated some of the things you linked already. It wasn't about which was better, it was about your definitive statement that people shouldn't feed crickets as they aren't a valid food source.

 

[YoshisMom1031]

Update on Thor... we''ve had him almost a week now and he's still not eating much but his appetite grows daily. He loves his baths and drinks from them, and is getting strength back. He is getting better at using his legs- I let him crawl on the couch to help him get exercise.. My prayers have been answered because I believe he'll be okay Thank you everyone

 

[icelore]

Congrats! Steady improvement is a good thing. I hope he keeps getting better for you.

 

[YoshisMom1031]

I prefer the roaches because the dragons like them the best

 

[Spoony]

I prefer roaches because they don't jump and don't stink or make noise like crickets :lol:

 

[YoshisMom1031]

Just letting you all know- Thor is steadily improving all around- appetite, attitude, and he's even getting more movement with his legs, though he still can't support his weight on them. Pics soon!

 

[icelore]

Awesome! That's great news. I look forward to seeing pics.

 

[Spoony]

Amazing news!

 

[zandi202]

I'm so happy that he is improving! Good job! It's amazing how much a little TLC can change a beardie.

 

[Jaskotch]

I prefer roaches because they don't jump and don't stink or make noise like crickets :lol:

I prefer roaches because they are super easy to maintain, and they don't bite! And to all the rest of the stuff that's already been said about them, ditto!

Keep up the good rescue work, yea!!!

 

[YoshisMom1031]

And here's my sweetheart Thor...