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which is a better meal for a baby savanna moniter crickets or lobster roaches?

I believe roaches have a bit more meat but I feel that crickets stimulate monitors more, giving them a little exercise & mind stimulation.

That's just my thoughts. Hang around for more from others.

Have a good one!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

thats what i was thinking, the crickets she chases, the roaches she just grabs.....
2 times a week i feed roaches and the rest crickets.

im wondering if they will eat the "can o crickets"

That would take out the whole point of crickets wouldn't it?

Oh, and how fast are lobster roaches? I have Lateralis and they're FAST. Like waaaay faster than crickets.

I asked a friend about lateralis, and he says monitors have no problems catching them, unlike crickets they don’t jump eradictly in any direction. I will try them for sure!

>>That would take out the whole point of crickets wouldn't it?
>>
>>Oh, and how fast are lobster roaches? I have Lateralis and they're FAST. Like waaaay faster than crickets.

I tried lateralis one time last year. I hated them. I paid more, they were sticky, stinky and flew. I found them all over the room when they weren't supposed to be as likely to escape as my lobsters. Plus they seemed like fussier eaters, didn't put on the meat and yes, they were FAST. I fed them off just to be rid of them.
To me lobsters are meatier, fast but not so fast as to be frustrating to catch to feed. My lobsters don't do the "Eeek LIGHT! Let's scatter!" thing. You flip a top carton and pick off the ones you want.
And to me the lobsters give as much exercise as crix. Just not as much fruitless leaping around the cage. I got them to feed my beardies and my first Sav when he was little (nearly 5 yrs ago).
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Sonya

I'm not mean. You're just a sissy.
Happy Bunny

Hmmm wierd. my Lateralis don't stink or fly, nor are they picky eaters. I guess I will give lobsters a try and compare them. I heard lobsters breed faster too.

I also have Blaberus Craniifer/Fusca hybrids if anyone has tried those. Frickin huge.

> > > "2 times a week i feed roaches and the rest crickets."

Sounds good to me.

> > > "im wondering if they will eat the "can o crickets"

My nile wouldn't, but judging from the difference in feeding habits of my nile & sav, my sav might. Honestly? I wouldn't fool with it because then you'd be feeding live crickets (for stimulation), roaches, and, can o crickets, 3 different things. Keep it simple.

Take care!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

Have you ever tried locusts?

I am working with a few farmers in my area, trying to collect Locusts from there fields, I want to try them and see if they can be dry free zed and commercialised. The problem is theirs almost no locust left in this part of the globe. Anyway they cant be worst then dried crickets?

Nah, I've never tried 'em. I tried the "Can o' Crickets" trying to find something I could keep on hand in case I ran out of live feeders.

My nile will eat dead rat pups but wouldn't even look at a dead insect.

> > > "The problem is theirs almost no locust left in this part of the globe."

Heh, that's not a "problem" according to your local farmers, they're glad of the fact. Ha!

Seems like I've heard that locusts are supposed to be the most nutritious of all insects, though. Good luck with your project!

Later!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

I always wonder about this type of question. You know, which is better. I find this an odd question.

Why not ask, which prey items or combination of prey items has shown to WORK.

Also, why don't you ask why something is better and what results indicated "X" food item, is better.

I read these answers, that this is better and that is better, yet there are no results from the monitor itself. All examples appear to be some personal reason ABOUT the keeper. Isn't better something to do with the monitors progress??????

To give you an answer, I have raised generation upon generation upon generation of many many many species on mice and crickets. These generations grow quickly and reproduce readily. They always multiclutch and rarely have infertile eggs and their eggs hatch. And lastly, they live long lifes doing those things.

Is that "better" got me, but it sure has proven to "work" well or at least OK. It works. Why does it have to be better?

Again, why ask about "better" when 99% of those giving answers have not experienced normal life events(anything less is WORSE) with their monitors. Kinda like someone recomending a good auto parts company, when their car is always broken and does not work. They should not be recomending anything until they recieve successful results and they should not be calling anything "best"(ideal, perfect, etc) until they recieve "better" results using that item.

Sorry for the rant but why not just offer something that has worked, something with a proven history, then once you see your monitor working, growing, breeding, living a long healthy life, you can then try other items and see which is better. Cheers

Frank the guy has a single savannah on his hands,
who said anything about best?

Roaches and grass hopers are acceptable foods, when compared to canned foods then they are excellent.

All live foods are better then other substitute.

Context; in this case one monitor, one keeper and a few foods items, his monitor could grow like a weed on any of these and out live any of my monitors.
Now if the question would be ( What foods are best to achieve successful breeding?) Then I would have left you to answer this.

As for the cano crickets and locusts, would I feed my monitors with them on a regular basis? Hell no! why would I do this when I have live foods to offer? But I sure will sale them if they help pay my mortgage.

He did Jobi, he asked, which is "best" crickets or roaches.

And thanks for bringing up the point that the level of health to reproduce is the exact same level of health for a single monitor in ones collection. All reproduction means, is a basic level of health is reached. Not extreme, but more of a minimum level. I would think a persons "one pet montior" would have to recieve at least the minimum. Heck, it should recieve much more.

You and I understand that is far harder to keep many groups and many females in a minimum of health, then it is to keep one single monitor in good health. Heck, that has to be very very very(times 10) easy. How complicated can it be to watch one monitor and keep track of its health, compared to supporting many and many groups of different species.

So yes, a keeper with one monitor, should first see positive progress before they go looking for something better.

I am not saying there is anything wrong with roaches, nutrition wise. I just think they are not appropriate for longterm maintainance. They are too much work. They are also better suited to replace such things like pinkies, then replacing crickets.

You see, a keeper normally feeds both pinkies and roaches in the same manner. They place a few in the cage and make sure they are consumed. While with crickets, you can throw in handfulls and the monitors are consume them at THEIR LEISURE. Which is very very important. Monitors eat throughout the day, not just one heavy meal. That is not even good for humans. That approach is directly related to the industrial revolution. People could not take the time to feed all day, so it was made to fit work schedules.

I do have a question, as you can see, I have no problems raising monitors, no health issues what so ever. Lets forget breeding, just the simple raising of babies. Yet all these folks are having all sorts of problems and are always looking for a cure or a "better" way. I wonder why they have problems yet seek out and utilize the better ways. While I use the lesser ways and have huge success. Thats very interesting to me.

I do agree, the canned junk belongs in the trash. Whole food items all the way. Even with whole food items, there seems to be some items that are very very consistant in their success and others that are talked about but have not shown to achive so much. Cheers

While with crickets, you can throw in handfuls and the monitors are consume them at THEIR LEISURE

You see now I understand what you’ve been saying all those years, of course I know about support, that’s why I feed twice a day, but this is time consuming when well done.
I do feed babies the way you described, exactly because other preys will hide and not be consumed.
I bet I would have picked up to this if id have kept ackies and the likes, medium and large size varanids quickly take to rodent and adult roaches.

That’s excellent information you provided, hopefully others will read it and learn from it.

cheers