Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has anyone ever raised a dragon on pure horned worms? is it possible? Because i noticed how the website says something like 5 worms equals 36 cricket or something along those lines. so Im wondering if its possible to just raise them on horn worms because im thinking of getting a beardie soon and last time i had one i freaking hated dealing with crickets.

You probably can, but it's much better to keep a variety of feeders. What's your issue with crickets...too many escapees roaming the house?

yeah i hate hearing their bodies crunch when i type with my keyboard.

Not exactly sure what your referring to bud unless your cage is real close to the computer.

my cage and computer are in the same room and crickets always find their way into my keyboard.

LOL. There is a few ways to control them better in your home and keep em' off your keyboard. Crickets are a great staple feeder for valid reasons. They are readily available at local pet stores and online merchants, they can be heavily gut-loaded, they are active, and they can be dusted with supplements. I'm sure there are plenty of other things I'm missing.

A few tips:

1) Make sure their container or habitat is escape-proof. A full-grown cricket can escape through an area as little as 1/16" wide. Large plastic storage boxes are great to keep crickets. Use a small drill bit and punch holes through the lid for air and make sure the lid you choose at the store sits tight and flush with the box itself.

2) Examine your cage/enclosure for any areas that a cricket can escape. If you have a glass or acrylic terrarium, it may have spots where the glass and base aren't sealed. Use aquarium sealer as needed to fix that.

3) Feed as they need! Don't put too many crickets in with a dragon and then leave for your day's activities. Feed them crickets for 5-15 minutes or until they show you signs their full. Remove any of the unwanted crickets.

Hope this helps!

thanks. i understood that theyre one of the best foods but i was just wondering if the horned worms would be a good alternative. I would love to have one of the cricket keepers that pet stores carry. they come with a hole on the bottom and you just slide some thing out of the way and dispose of all the dead crickets.

A little pricy.
http://www.timberlinefisheries.com/cricket display case.htm

Umm....I don't use crickets no more. In fact my cost of live food is like to next to nothing. Secret: Don't use crickets...use roaches. I have a tub and use turkish roaches. Probably have around 1500 of them in there. They make no noise, they don't smell, they are better for the bearded dragons, they breed well, easy to keep the roaches. They don't climb, fly, or anything. They are the best way to feed bearded dragons or any reptile that eats live insects. If you go here: http://www.thebugpros.com/availablefeeders.htm buy around 2,000 of them put them in a 40 gal plastic tub with a top and some holes. Put the tub on a heating mat and give them dry dog food with water crystals. You will never have to buy anymore food for your bearded dragons again. They will breed as long as you give them heat and I also will spray once a day some water in there for humidity. The best little investment that I had ever made. Now I had to lie to the wife.....I told her they were beatles...but really roaches. If a roach accidentally gets out....don't worry it will die because it needs heat and humidity. If you live in Florida....ummm well that is a different issue. These roaches can run fast. Makes the bearded dragons run after them quick....they love them.

Roaches are a good staple feeder too, no doubt. They have more mass and exo-skeleton than a cricket to digest though. It's best to keep a variety of feeders.

awesome thanks for the info. how often do you clean the tub?

I usually clean the tub every few weeks. What you do is get 2 of the tubs. One that is clean, one that is used. Than you can transfer to a new tub without issue and than clean the one that is dirty.

ok cool. thanks.

Horn worms shouldn't be a complete staple insect though they are very healthy...and for baby dragons crickets are the most easiest and cheapest insect to give...

Also, do keep in mind that the 36 crickets = 5 hornworms..is probably comparing 36 adult crickets to 5 adult hornworms. Hornworms grow fast, faster than silkworms, reaching full size in a couple weeks with a steady source of food (only the special chow you buy with the worms...can't use their natural food sources (tomato plants) as it makes them deadly toxic to just about anything they are fed to. They will eat other greens but just die in a day or two...

Baby bearded dragons will need very small horn worms..considering a baby dragon is usually 6-8" when sold, a full grown hornworm is 4-5" long..can't feed that to a baby dragon. So you have to feed the smaller horn worms...

They are also quite a bit more expensive, compared to other feeder insects, and you will have to buy small amounts to ensure your horn worms don't end up too big before you can feed them off.. so if you feed 3-10 small hornworms (under a inch long) 2-3 times a day with baby dragons... Hornworms come in cups that hold about 20 hornworms plus enough food to grow them to full size...and sold individually, at maybe around $50 / 100 but too lazy to go research different suppliers online...so will say with shipping etc, they are $40 per 100 small hornworms, with food. One dragon will probably end up eating say 20 small hornworms a day (between three meals) so you are looking at 140 a week. Thus, you are paying $50 a week on hornworms..to find a single dragon. That is assuming of course the dragon doesn't end up eating more than you expect and the worms don't get too big to feed.

Better to feed crickets to young dragons, then start switching to other insects once your dragon is around 4-6 months old and over 14" long. Then you can feed silkworms, hornworms, superworms, roaches and larger crickets, as variety, as well as greens etc.

Or get a hold back animal which typically are nearly full grown from a breeder, and you don't have to worry about feeding much insects at all, just the salad and a few superworms, hornworms, silkworms, butterworms offered couple times a week.
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PHLdyPayne

well whats the easiest way to keep crickets? any ideas? i wish i could get what the pet stores keep their crickets in.

I get weekly Hornworm deliveries. But, they are a poor primary feeder. There is just too much moisture in them and constant diarhea is not a good thing. One adult hornworm every other day is about it.