Actually a roach like Lobsters or Turks would be a great alternative to those. Lobsters can climb so I always rule them out first, but Turks can't. Both species can be bought online for about the same price as crickets. They also breed quite fast so establishing a colony is quite a bit quicker than the Dubia. Checkout http://thebugpros.com for Turks. Very cheap prices, though they seem to be sold out of the larger sizes a bit here lately.Josh48329":efac3 said:Alright, dubias it is.
Is there any better alternative to crickets or superworms in the short term though? I'm not sure I want to deal with crickets 1000 at a time or pay pet store prices, and superworms seem a bit fatty....
I put five mature females and three mature males in a bin about 5 months ago. Not sure how many I have in there right now, maybe 600 or so (still need to take stuff out to do an estimate) but that's a lot from only a few roaches! Not to mention, it is a very small bin.Ihaggerty1313":fe2a3 said:Blatta Lateralis (Turks, Red Racers etc.) breed like you wouldn't believe! You can start w/ like 2 and end up w/ 6000 of them within weeks... Well maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit but you'll have WAY too many of those suckers REAL quick. Plus they are smaller and incredibly fast. And the males tend to flutter around quite a bit. Don't get me wrong, they are a great feeder but you need a lot of animals to feed to keep their numbers under control.
This is really just a big ol' myth me thinks. I have never seen any pics or documentation to support these claims and most people seem to agree. With many members on these forums feeding supers, you'd expect to see posts or warnings about them more regularly.Ihaggerty1313":fe2a3 said:BTW I've heard from more than a few people on this board that w/ super worms that you run a health risk of them chewing through your lizards stomach! If I can find the post I'll shoot it to ya and you can contact them for more info.
patrickb":59bf1 said:Actually a roach like Lobsters or Turks would be a great alternative to those. Lobsters can climb so I always rule them out first, but Turks can't. Both species can be bought online for about the same price as crickets. They also breed quite fast so establishing a colony is quite a bit quicker than the Dubia. Checkout http://thebugpros.com for Turks. Very cheap prices, though they seem to be sold out of the larger sizes a bit here lately.
patrickb":b2f0e said:Yes, ultimately you will have way more roaches than you need, even with the Dubia. Turks will be booming by the time the Dubias start going good for you, but that is not a problem really. You can easily control the population by culling the adult females out as needed and lowering temperatures as well. At some point, you will still have way more than you need and you can simply cull a certain amount off to reduce your colony to a level you are comfortable with. Simply take any extras you don't want in a ziploc bag or other container and pop them in the freezer overnight, then dispose of them. Or alternatively, put some dishwashing soap like Dawn in a bucket with some water and drop them in. Of course, the best alternative is to find friends with critters that eat roaches and give them away. Or even sell some online. Never enough roaches!I like to feed the Robins in my backyard with Turks during the summer. Much enjoyment there.
I have both Dubia and Turks along with a couple of other species. I plan on keeping the Turks even when my Dubia colony starts cranking out the babies full force. Each of the species has its benefits and offers some variety to your critters at the same time. If for nothing else, knowing I have a backup feeder in case something happens to one colony is a great thing!
I can't remember the title of the discussion, but during the past week I read (from someone who said they worked in a vet's office) that a bearded dragon was brought in with a superworm hanging out of it belly. :shock:Ihaggerty1313":f3b31 said:BTW I've heard from more than a few people on this board that w/ super worms that you run a health risk of them chewing through your lizards stomach! If I can find the post I'll shoot it to ya and you can contact them for more info.
Just be patient and you'll be rewarded.
-Ian
I read that thread and refrained from commenting on it for numerous reasons. More of a my cousins best friends uncles type of experience that really never happened probably. I am not saying it is impossible, but until I see case documentation or photos I shall remain skeptical. Stomach acid is very nasty stuff and those worms would have to be chewing very fast. The big thing in that thread I remember thinking about was that the worm was hanging out of the belly supposedly. I would suspect that if it managed to get halfway out, it should have been able to wiggle free completely. Just my two cents :?gregorydragon":2b361 said:I can't remember the title of the discussion, but during the past week I read (from someone who said they worked in a vet's office) that a bearded dragon was brought in with a superworm hanging out of it belly. :shock:
That same thread reminded people to crush the heads before feeding the supers. It seems like a myth to me too though.
patrickb":23122 said:I read that thread and refrained from commenting on it for numerous reasons. More of a my cousins best friends uncles type of experience that really never happened probably. I am not saying it is impossible, but until I see case documentation or photos I shall remain skeptical. Stomach acid is very nasty stuff and those worms would have to be chewing very fast. The big thing in that thread I remember thinking about was that the worm was hanging out of the belly supposedly. I would suspect that if it managed to get halfway out, it should have been able to wiggle free completely. Just my two cents :?
patrickb":23122 said:Actually a roach like Lobsters or Turks would be a great alternative to those. Lobsters can climb so I always rule them out first, but Turks can't. Both species can be bought online for about the same price as crickets. They also breed quite fast so establishing a colony is quite a bit quicker than the Dubia. Checkout http://thebugpros.com for Turks. Very cheap prices, though they seem to be sold out of the larger sizes a bit here lately.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?