Reptiworms as staple? Confused by other forum

[hazzaram]

Hi everyone. I'm getting my baby beardie in about a month and trying to get everything ready. I've done a lot of reading and from everything I've read, Reptiworms are a great staple since they're high in calcium and low in fat.

I was planning to have a diet of mostly Reptiworms for my new girl but I was going to mix it up with some crickets sometimes. There's a lady that deals exclusively with feeders not too far from me and I was going to order from her.

I posted on another beardie forum and was told by a few people that I should not use them as a staple. They're not good, don't provide enough exercise or mental/physical stimulation.

And now I'm conflicted. I cannot keep crickets in the house and roaches are just not really a thing where I am. I've looked around but can't find anyone selling them and honestly? I don't think I can do it. I can't even look at a roach!!

So can I feed her mostly Reptiworms with some other insects thrown in to give her variety? This other forum confused me.

 

[neacail]

They are a great staple. But, feeding a baby Reptiworms/Calciworms/Phoenix Worms as a staple could be incredibly costly. Silkworms are another great staple (my favourite), but they can be very hard to come by, and they are costly. You'll need pretty deep pockets to avoid crickets with a baby beardie. I don't think roaches are legal as feeders anywhere in Canada.

I do feed crickets . . . but only in the summer. I have a clear, 97 litre, container with a lid that I leave on my back deck in the summer. I put the crickets in cricket keepers, and put the cricket keepers in the the big bin. When it is time to feed my beardie I pullout the cricket keepers, put him in the big bin, and give him his crickets in there. When he's done eating and I've taken him out of the bin, I put the cricket keepers back in the bin (where the are protected from potential contamination).

In Calgary, I can store crickets outside until mid September or so.

 

[hazzaram]

They are a great staple. But, feeding a baby Reptiworms/Calciworms/Phoenix Worms as a staple could be incredibly costly. Silkworms are another great staple (my favourite), but they can be very hard to come by, and they are costly. You'll need pretty deep pockets to avoid crickets with a baby beardie. I don't think roaches are legal as feeders anywhere in Canada.

I do feed crickets . . . but only in the summer. I have a clear, 97 litre, container with a lid that I leave on my back deck in the summer. I put the crickets in cricket keepers, and put the cricket keepers in the the big bin. When it is time to feed my beardie I pullout the cricket keepers, put him in the big bin, and give him his crickets in there. When he's done eating and I've taken him out of the bin, I put the cricket keepers back in the bin (where the are protected from potential contamination).

In Calgary, I can store crickets outside until mid September or so.

I actually found a pretty good deal from a local breeder, I think. I'm open to crickets but I'm terrified of escapes. If there was a cricket loose in the house, my parents would kill me, lol. I'm sure my cats would love it, but not my mom and dad.

I'm researching things now. I saw a post where someone kept them in a big rubbermaid and coated the sides with Rain-x so the crickets can't climb up the sides and jump out. That's a possibility.

My other problem is actually getting them OUT of the box when it's time to feed. I do NOT want to touch those things. Yuck haha.

I'm not a bug person but for some reason the Reptiworms don't freak me out as much. I can just pick them up gently with a pair of tweezers haha

 

[neacail]

After I've got a cricket purchase home, I put them in the fridge for 10-20 minutes. This really slows them down.

Once they're slowed down, I dump to contents of the package (the crickets, cardboard, and food/hydration) into a big cricket keeper.

When I go to feed, I put the cricket keeper in the fridge for 10-20 minutes to slow them down again.

Once they're slowed down, I have a look in the tubes to see which tube has the right amount of crickets. I choose that tube and dump those crickets into the vitamin shaker cup to coat them with the vitamins.

Then I unscrew the top of the shaker cup and dump them in the outside cricket feeding bin.

I hate crickets. I have had them get loose in the house (at least I'm one of the parents in the house, so no one is going to chew me out because of it ). I did try to feed alternative staples, but it was just way too costly before he had reached adulthood. It was costing me over $100 a week to keep him in phoenix worms and silk worms. His appetite was voracious.

I do think Hermetia illucens (Phoenix/Calci/Reptiworms) are a much better staple than crickets.

 

[hazzaram]

After I've got a cricket purchase home, I put them in the fridge for 10-20 minutes. This really slows them down.

Once they're slowed down, I dump to contents of the package (the crickets, cardboard, and food/hydration) into a big cricket keeper.

When I go to feed, I put the cricket keeper in the fridge for 10-20 minutes to slow them down again.

Once they're slowed down, I have a look in the tubes to see which tube has the right amount of crickets. I choose that tube and dump those crickets into the vitamin shaker cup to coat them with the vitamins.

Then I unscrew the top of the shaker cup and dump them in the outside cricket feeding bin.

I hate crickets. I have had them get loose in the house (at least I'm one of the parents in the house, so no one is going to chew me out because of it ). I did try to feed alternative staples, but it was just way too costly before he had reached adulthood. It was costing me over $100 a week to keep him in phoenix worms and silk worms. His appetite was voracious.

I do think Hermetia illucens (Phoenix/Calci/Reptiworms) are a much better staple than crickets.

I never thought about putting them in the fridge. I didn't know that slowed them down. I think I'll get a cricket keeper and try it out. That might be doable.