Staple feeders...need some thoughts...

[cowgirlsblues]

Ok, I am working on getting a Dubia colony going but I don't want to be feeding much out of it right now until it's up and going well. So, is it ok to use superworms as a staple for right now until my colony gets up on it's feed? I have read mixed reviews on this. The supers are not going to be a main feeder staple forever, just until my colony gets going. Rex has decided he wants nothing to do with the crickets. He started refusing to eat out of his feeding tub, so I put them in his tank and that was ok for a couple weeks and he would eat those, and now he completely refuses to eat them. They hop all over his tank, sit on his head, etc and he refuses to eat them... then I have to try to catch them.

He LOVES the dubia and the supers and gobbles those up, so can I feed mostly supers until I get my dubia up and going and if so, how many should I feed and how often? (everyday? every other day? or what?) Rex is about 8 months old, and he's a big boy, i'm guessing a good 20 inches with his tail (I need to measure him).

Hope I don't start anything, just need some thoughts here.

 

[techdave]

At 20 inches supers are fine as a staple. And don't worry about starting anything. If you have a question, post it. It's all about getting the correct information.

 

[Jess]

Nah, you won't start anything. That only happens if you post about sand, silly. :wink:

Yup, it's fine. Just watch out for lazyness: I use supers as a staple too, but Dud started getting so lazy that he wouldn't eat his greens and thought he needed to be hand fed, so I had to majorly cut back on the supers and feed more crickets instead. I know he isn't the only beardie who has become super worm addicted, LOL. Rex is younger though, so he will probably be less prone to lazyness than my boy is. I'm trying to convince my mom to let me get some dubia just to feed off right away, because I know that starting a colony is completely out of the question. :roll:

 

[rclay]

Nah, you won't start anything. That only happens if you post about sand, silly. :wink:

Yup, it's fine. Just watch out for lazyness: I use supers as a staple too, but Dud started getting so lazy that he wouldn't eat his greens and thought he needed to be hand fed, so I had to majorly cut back on the supers and feed more crickets instead. I know he isn't the only beardie who has become super worm addicted, LOL. Rex is younger though, so he will probably be less prone to lazyness than my boy is. I'm trying to convince my mom to let me get some dubia just to feed off right away, because I know that starting a colony is completely out of the question. :roll:

sorry to steal the thread but i'm from Canada so staple food is hard to find...
i usually feed mine kale with a mix of other veggies daily which he rarely eats because he wants the crickets instead
i usually feed the crickets every 2-3 days because of this but now he is not really interested in the crickets as much either
any suggestions.. almost sounds like i might need to have a two different staplers to switch back and forth between ???

 

[techdave]

feed the crickets every 2-3 days

They need to eat feeders ALOT more often than that. How old and how long is he? If he is a year old or over 16inches, he can eat superworms. I'm not sure what's available in Canada.

 

[FBradshaw]

You should be able to get Repti-worms or Phoenix Worms as well.

 

[rclay]

i'm not sure how long he is but he is 1.5 years old
we have super worms, could i replace crickets with those or mix them in between?

 

[cowgirlsblues]

Ok i measured my babies... I must say its hard to measure a squirming target... Rex is between 16 1/2-17 inches and Draco is about 6 1/2 inches. I really will get some pics when i can...my mom dropped my camera a few weeks ago and broke the lense...and it was my gorgeous cannon rebel...my poor baby and we find the warranty ran out a week a WEEK!!! before the drop...so yeah...upset lol. Anyhow at that size supers should still be ok for Rex right? @Jess yeah i still have an unopened back of calci sand and moss in my room from where i was told by a pet store person to get it before i got my dragon home! Now im stuck with the stuff! I'm not about to put my babies in it!!! lol stupid ignorant people! *rolls eyes*

 

[FBradshaw]

Supers should be fine for Rex, but I still don't suggest Supers as a staple food.

i'm not sure how long he is but he is 1.5 years old
we have super worms, could i replace crickets with those or mix them in between?

As an adult dragon he really only needs bugs every other day or so and Supers would be fine. I would also look into other worms though. Silkworms, hornworms, or black soldier fly larvae(Repti-Worms/Phoenix Worms) would make a much better staple food than Super worms. The black soldier fly larvae are much easier to keep than anything else I've found and can be ordered pretty cheap online, and should ship to Canada too.

 

[rclay]

^^
where can an i order black solider fly's?
do they actually fly around because i don't think my guy would be much into chaser them around especially in a bank tank he may not be able to get theM?

does anyone leave there crickets in the tank over night>?
i have a separate 10 gal tank i do all his feedings in.

 

[sassyglizzard]

where can an i order black solider fly's?
do they actually fly around

They are larvae, as such, they do not fly. Larvae are the juvenile stage. They undergo metamorphesis to become a fly. They are similar to a small caterpillar type thing. I also live in Canada and can find Phoenix worms (these black soldier fly larvae) fairly easily. Any pet store I've been to that sells crickets, superworms, etc also has a small supply of phoenix worms.

 

[rclay]

thanks alot, ill check my local pet store than...

sorry for taking over the thread, hopefully this info given to me will help other too :wink:

 

[Jess]

Phoenix worms wouldn't be a very effective way to feed an adult, just sayin'. They are soooo teeny tiny, your beardie could probably eat an entire tub of them for one meal.

I feed Dudley buggies every 2 days or so, and I've been alternating between crickets and worms and it's working pretty well. If only they could come up with noiseless good-smelling crickets... *sigh*

 

[FBradshaw]

I order Repti-Worms(black soldier fly larvae) 5,000 at a time from http://www.reptiworms.com and give them as a staple feeder to all my dragons. The adults usually get 20 to 30 in one feeding every other day, and both of my little ones get 15 to 20 per feeding, two feedings a day. They keep for months in the bucket they are shipped in, in a styrofoam cooler that I change the ice in daily to keep them cool. At 50 to 60 degrees they go dormant and don't need food, just let them warm up for a few before feeding and they are right back to wiggling around. Also as they are high in calcium there's no additional dusting required.