#cricketkeeping

Just some information on insects to feed to beardies, how to breed them and how to keep them.

1. Crickets - These extremely available staple feeders can be found in most pet stores for cheap. Don't be fooled though, these guys aren't hardy at all and can be a pain to breed. They also aren't as nutritious as other feeders can be. For protein they are alright but they are high in phosphorus. To breed you need a proper temperature (a heat pad on the container you're keeping them in works fine), a moist soil container and luck. To keep them is fairly simple, all you need is; a container to keep them, shredded newspaper, egg crate or toilet paper rolls or coin tubes for them to hide, food, and gel water or wet paper towels for drinking. If they get even a little bit too warm, cold or humid they will die.

Pros: Easy to find, easy to dust, easy to keep, cheap

Cons: Smelly, die easily, hard to breed, noisy, jump

2. Dubia Roaches - Personally I recommend these little guys highly. They are easy to breed and keep. They're really nutritious for your beardeds as well since they have a longer digestive track than crickets, more meat and less shell. They are an excellent sources of protein, at least double that of crickets. To breed them simply keep them in a clean enclosure, feed them well and keep them warm; it's best to have more females (wingless) than males (have wings but can't fly) as the males may eat the other males babies. Keeping them is extremely easy as well, you just need a 10 gallon tank or 40 qt tub, no substrate or solid newspaper, a heating pad, egg crate or toilet paper rolls or coin tubes, food, gel water or wet paper towels. Also the best part is they don't smell at all, unlike crickets. Additionally they live for 1+ years and females can breed their entire lives (30 babies a time every month!)

Pros: Easy to breed, easy to keep, easy to dust, have longer digestion track for more gutloading, don't smell, quiet, don't jump

If you're like me you can't stand when crickets start to smell a couple days after you get them. Or worse dying off less than a week that you've had them. But I've figured out ways to keep them easier, healthier and cheaper. I don't know if anyone else does it like this but this is how I keep them.

Dry substrate - I use a thin layer of something dry like sphagnum moss, aspen, or carefresh seems to work well for these guys. It keeps the odor down and seems to make them feel less stressed.

Coin tubes - I use coin tubes/rolls for them to hide in opposed to egg crate. Egg crate is fine and all but the coin tubes are cheaper (I get mine at a dollar store) and much easier to replace. Plus crickets seem to love to hide in these tubes which make it much easier to just shake them out for feeding.

Dry reptile pellets - Anything that's a dry pellet diet for the reptile you're keeping can be fed to the feeders. It's a great way to gutload them and use up anything your critter doesn't want to eat. The crickets seem to really like to pick piece of pellets up and carry them away into their hiding places.

Water source - This is highly debated but I typically use water crystals and re-hydrate them myself. Or carrots work well, I dislike using potatoes because they smell awful after just a few days and tend to mold quickly.