Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Unfortunately I'm out of live food for some time now and will be for a month or so.I have been feeding him some canned meal worms but I'll switch him to canned crickets because he stopped the worms.the problem is that the crickets available from zoo med are too big for him and I am affraid to give him that size of crickets because of what I have been reading about leg paralysis.Does anyone have something to suggest?Again I am looking for a TEMPORARY solution until livefoods are available again..
Thanks in advance..

Cant you cut them in half?

I can but is this ok?It might not be the size that causes paralysis but the composition of an adult cricket's body,somebody out there could let us know?

It's the size that matters. lol.

Why aren't you buying live food as you should be? Crickets are available in all sizes. Silkworms are another good option, they are a soft bodied caterpillar and pose almost no risk at all. Mealworms have a hard chitin shell that is very difficult to digest and therefore have a much higher impaction risk.

How old and big is your dragon?

well id order smaller crickets or order from an online cricket breeder. you cant just stop feeding him live food because your out, thats just irresponsible as a beardie owner, no offene. if you ever run out for a day or so, feed him greens. beardies need their greens as much if not more than they need their insects. as babies and juvies they need the insects more, but as they get older that switches where they need their greens more in their diet.

there are also many other live feeders other than crickets, such as butterworms, hornworms, silkworms, roaches, wax worms *feed occasionally* etc. id stay away from superworms and meal worms as their shell is hard on the beardies digestive system. they dont digest it fully.
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Beach Beardies

2.2. bearded dragons
1.1. Sugar Gliders
0.2. Felines *queen athena and missy*

Guys,chill out,for god's sake,I'm a lot more responsible than you think,it's just that I live in Cyprus and livefoods are not always available.My source stopped shipping in Cyprus and I'm looking for another one,till then I'm stuck with cans which of course I know is nt ok

I take it you are offering the 'cooked in can' insect foods instead if the freeze dried? the latter isn't good to use as a insect source, especially with dragons under a year old. The 'cooked in can' version apparently aren't as bad. Being cooked, the exoskeletons are softer and break down easier. If the cooked in can version, there is a smaller size of crickets available, as I have tried them recently. They also have silkworms in these cans too...real silkworms, not their pupae (ie the hard skinned part inside the cocoons which I don't think is a good part to feed).

For young dragons who need plenty of insects (ie growing hatchlings under 8 months old) they will go through those cans like crazy and given the cost of the cans, it will get expensive soon. It may be better to look for other sources of live insects. As I have no clue where Cypus is (is that a country, a city in the states?) can't really suggest alternative online sources of bugs. If a city or town, you should still be able to get shipments...if not from your usual supplier, then try others.

You can also see about local pet stores, most have crickets available.
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PHLdyPayne

Thanks a lot,should I suppose I could use zoo med's can'o pillars with safety for the young dragon?They should be low on chitin,correct?
Cyprus is a small country in Europe,the hobby is not well known here thus the difficulties of getting insects.I was buying from an english dealer but they stopped shipping in Cyprus and now I'm in the look of another source.The problem is that no one ships such small quantities

Ahh, that does explain everything. I thought Cyprus was a country but wasn't sure. I could have googled it, but would have probably found countries and cities called that.

Can-o-pillars will do fine for young bearded dragons. Though live is better, more water content...the other nutrients should be there. NO chitin on caterpillars to worry about. Just dont' use wild caught caterpillars as many are toxic..Silkworms are one of the few that are not toxic in the wild. (unless exposed to insecticides, they they will be poisonous but due to the insecticide, not what the worm eats).

You can also check with fish bait stores and suppliers, they often have crickets or butterworms or fly larvae (or maggots...just not ones picked off of meat though..farmed ones are safe). If you can get them in your area, Phoenix worms are good too, especially for young dragons. They are rather small for adults, as they do not get much bigger than three quarters of an inch long.

Germany may have feeder suppliers that will ship across Europe, lots for reptile breeders/keepers there. (hence where the 'German Giant form of the bearded dragon originated, Germany breeders bred for size and robustness in their dragons)

Another point, most crickets being used as feeders are actually European crickets..could always catch a bunch of wild crickets and breed them yourself...If you collect them in an area where no chance of pesticide use, they can be fed as is, if they are not full grown...or you can just breed them. Though a bit tricky to get started, its pretty easy...but you may wind up with more crickets than you can feed off.
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PHLdyPayne

thanks a lot..

I'm only on this site part time, very far from an "expert", but here goes my 2 cents.I came across a site a while back, googling bearded dragons, sorry, don't remember the site, but there were photos and measurements of different beardies at different ages and one beardie was included that the owner kept on a vegetarian diet, with greens and pellets of some sort, canned, compressed something or other, meant for lizards, maybe specifically bearded dragons. He was a sub adult and thriving very well. My point is, I bet you're doing fine. BUT: we did lose a 6 year old beardie to a liver mass that may or may not have been prevented by a less fatty diet, ie: more greens.