Hi All. I have a cricket question for you. Why are crickets the main food staple for beardies? From what I've been reading, their nutrional value seems to come mainly from what you gut load them with. Do they have any value on their own? Why feed them then? Wouldn't beardies get the same nutrition if they were feed a various fruits and veggies alone, along with other bugs that may be more nutritious? Also, what about commercial food instead of bugs? Crickets just seem like such a hassle if they aren't going to provide much on their own. Now, I'm not new to reptiles. I think I mentioned that my husband and I keep and raise turtles. So for something to be a hassle, it really is a hassle, not just a mere inconvience (with over 30 turtles, inconvience is a non-issue). I'd love some imput from experts! Also, because I know right now I'm being a bad mamma and feeding crickets that may be too large (my big shipment of small crix are coming hopefully some time next week *crossing fingers*), so how worried should I be? Does the threat of impaction come with feeding too large of crix over time, or should I be worried about a week of feeding? I know, what a laundry list of questions, but I'd really appreciate some imput.
Well, impaction through crickets usually comes when they've eaten too much to be able to digest under the heat they have. Undigested crickets will either just take longer to break down and pass through, or they'll start to rot inside the stomach. Now, while there is a problem with over-feeding crickets, as well as feeding crickets that are too large, the consequences of each aren't necessarily impaction. If you feed too much, I've been told about a nerve in their spine that can become trapped, and cause a lot of problems. Now I don't know ths specifics of this, but Cheri knows more about this problem than I do, so I'll see if I can get her to add to this. Feeding prey items that are too large can cause very bad throat problems. Dragons will almost always go for the largest cricket they can find - regardless of what will safely fit through the path to their stomach. If a cricket is too large, it can get stuck in their throat causing them to choke (they don't really have the ability to breathe with their mouths/throats full as snakes do). It's like if you're eating a steak, you cut off a big piece, and swallow without chewing it. Hurts don't it? Well, dragons are incapable of chewing. Sure, they can bite and tear a bit, but they can't break the food down in their mouths like we can. Also, especially if you have a younger dragon, the larger crickets, with their tougher shells are harder to digest. So it's better to feed smaller and more, than larger and less. Although this isn't always the most cost effective, crickets are usually the same price regardless of size. We buy ours online (or pick 'em up cheap at the local shows when they're on) by the thousand. We've got two 10 gallon tanks that we use to house the majority of the crickets. And a couple of smaller tubs for smaller quantities of crickets.. those being gutloaded, keeping separated for sick animals, etc. Although, as dragons grow, I wouldn't really say that crickets are the staple diet. We've got a dragon here, and aside from the first day he came home, he hasn't had crickets. He had a dozen that first day, and has never touched 'em since. Now he eats veggies good, and has a couple of superworms each day. Sandy, also eats her veggies pretty well, and eats maybe 6-12 full grown crickets (or sometimes no crickets, depending on her mood). Myst is our young one... she's about 4 months old, LOVES crickets. Will easily eat 20 in a single sitting... small crickets though... maybe 2-3 week old crickets. And she's eating veggies well. She also gets the occasional mealworms or waxworm too. Whilst waxworms are dubbed "Leopard Gecko Crack" (very addictive to leos - to the point where they'll refuse all other food), they don't seem to be as addictive for beardies. However, I still wouldnt' feed too many of those as they're not really that good for 'em. Good to have one or two as an occasional treat every few days. But, for your more urgent problem... feed your dragon the smallest crickets you have out of your current stock. Hopefully they'll last long enough so that you don't have to break into the bigger ones before your delivery arrives (unless all the ones you currently have are real big). How old is your dragon? And how big are the crickets? Are they fully grown? You could get some mealworms too. Avoid the "King mealworms". Those are regular mealworms pumped with steroids to make 'em bigger. And with the chemicals that are inside them, they're really not good for your dragon (they were initially developed as bird food and fishing bait). Superworms, on the other hand, are a completely different species of beetle and are perfectly safe to give your dragon once he's big enough. But both mealworms and superworms aren't really a great staple as far as insects go. It's good to keep a variety going. Hope this helped some, and hopefully some of the other members can help out with your other questions, or correct me if I got anything wrong
Thanks Axe! The funny thing is the small crickets arrived last night! Cudrake at a few. I also picked up a cup of waxworms for treats. We dumped the big crickets into one of our turtle enclosures and a few of the turtles had a huge feast! Cudrake is about 6 inches snout to tail tip, but I don't know his age. Any idea? Thanks again!
If he's that small, he can't be more than a coupla months old. We've got one that was almost 12" by the time she was 3 months old - but her tail's REAL long. That's why we picked her out. Her tail was a good 2 inches longer than any of her clutchmates, yet with the same body size. Glad the small crickets arrived... if you find you have problems with him not eating them all straight away, or some end up hiding in logs, under rocks/caves or whatever... try feeding him in a separate tub. That's what we do with our dragons. Cuz the crickets can end up nibbling on the dragon while he sleeps. Now, every time Myst sees us pull the tub out she goes nuts. Then we pick her up, put her in the tub, and watch the mayhem begin as she stalks down all the crickets
