Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So, I have been reading your posts on various protien sources and have a question...for those of you that have or do use crickets-why are many people going to no crix diets? what are the pros and cons of all/no crix? I don't have a beardie yet..but soon will so thanks for the info!

Jamie

I like to mix up my crix and my greens. Mainly I feel that my dragon likes the "thrill of the hunt". I try (and have heard suggested many times) to give greens in the morning and then crix later in the day. I have also heard that some people only feed their dragons crix 2-3 times a week. Really in the end it has to do with what your dragon likes and the needs of your dragon along with your personal view point on the whole thing. Just like with pinkies....I refuse to feed my dragon them...not only because I feel personally that its not healthy for them but also it makes me feel yucky lol! Many people on the forum have done a strict diet of just really good greens and veggies and their dragons are just as healthy as others who do a mix of both. Good luck with which ever direction you choose!!!

The people that feed cix 2-3 a week have adults so they are going to be eating greens all the ttime. I am probably going to change to silkies cause they are healthier and easier to breed, no smell.

Here are some of the pros and cons i have found with crix.

Pros:
Dragons usually love to eat them (can be sporting)
Easy to find at almost any pet store
Good for growing BD's (protien)
You can gut load them
You can dust them with supplements
Easy to feed with some greens or cricket feed
Relatively cheap online

Cons:
Smelly vile little sons a byotches
Noisy
Escapees running around the house
They can and will gnaw on your dragon if left in enclosure at night
They will find the smallest little crevice to hide in during the day inside the enclosure.
They run around at night and poop all over the place.
Cricket parts seem to always be left over
They cannabilize each other

Personally, I like pre-killed crickets. No hiding, no biting no noise, no smell(at least not the one live ones make),no cricket doody in the cage, no strays around the house. I think I'mm going to start mixing them into their greens.

My Vet suggested Canned Crickets and my Dragons love them. you can still dust them or buy ones that are pre-gutloaded.
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0.0.2 Bearded Dragons(Ziggy and Stardust)