Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I like beardeds and rankins and want to get one maybe.
I hate crickets though. I would rather buy or raise silkworms, mealworms, superworms, and roaches. I can stand buying them and feeding them to my pets, but not keeping for more than a day.
Can you do these other insects (or others) mostly and only give crickets like once a week or so?
Also I heard they like to eat the little garden worms, not big earthworms. Is that true and are they good for beardeds.
I would give it vegetables and fruits as well.
I just don't want to go and get a pet that would not as well from eating insects other than crickets every day.
It seems everyone has their bearded dragons eating crickets mostly as far as insects go, thats why I ask.
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Tim W. My Pictures
0.1.0 Dumeril Boas
0.1.0 Kittens
0.0.1 Leopard Geckos

It rubs the lotion on it's skin. It rubs the lotion on it's skin or else it gets the hose again.
Bleach and Ammonia make Ammonium Chloride = Dead you

If you do roaches you'll never have to look at another cricket again lol. Supers and silkies are also good but in moderation. Mealworms should be avoided, they have too much chitin in their shell and it's hard to digest. Earthworms are debateable, nutritionally they are alright but they tend to carry a lot of parasites, I've also heard that redworms (garbage worms) are toxic.

Sean
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Heart Mountain Herps

I feed silkies and the beardies love them. No smell, no invasion after an accidental cricket cage dumping, and it's realy easy to raise the silkies as far as my experience has been. I don't understand though why everyone is saying that they should be used in moderation. The beardies plump up, have a better appetite for silkies and the silkies have high calcium and low phospherus. I(n my opinion they are excellant as a staple. Also you don't have to feed as amny silkies because they are more filling.

If you want to check nutritiuonal value on these and other feeder insects go to beautifuldragons.com. Victoria has an awesome web site that tells what is good and not so good to feed.

I haven't tried raoches yet but as soon as I get the silkie thing lined out I want to. In my opinion they do need to "hunt" down some mobile insects. I still feed dusted crickets in the mornings and throw silkies on thier salad and agian with silkies at night when I return from work. (not alot just a little snack)

Another advantage to silkies is you have the moths later on for your victims!!! LOL

Later,
Robert
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A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,
adored by little statesmen, philosophers and divines.
Ralph Emerson

LOL. I heard the silkworms are too watery and cause the bearded's to get runny poop.
I ordered some silkworms yesterday for my leo. Maybe he will like them.

>>I feed silkies and the beardies love them. No smell, no invasion after an accidental cricket cage dumping, and it's realy easy to raise the silkies as far as my experience has been. I don't understand though why everyone is saying that they should be used in moderation. The beardies plump up, have a better appetite for silkies and the silkies have high calcium and low phospherus. I(n my opinion they are excellant as a staple. Also you don't have to feed as amny silkies because they are more filling.
>>
>>If you want to check nutritiuonal value on these and other feeder insects go to beautifuldragons.com. Victoria has an awesome web site that tells what is good and not so good to feed.
>>
>>I haven't tried raoches yet but as soon as I get the silkie thing lined out I want to. In my opinion they do need to "hunt" down some mobile insects. I still feed dusted crickets in the mornings and throw silkies on thier salad and agian with silkies at night when I return from work. (not alot just a little snack)
>>
>>Another advantage to silkies is you have the moths later on for your victims!!! LOL
>>
>>Later,
>>Robert
>>-----
>>A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,
>>adored by little statesmen, philosophers and divines.
>>Ralph Emerson
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**********************************
Tim W. My Pictures
0.1.0 Dumeril Boas
0.1.0 Kittens
0.0.1 Leopard Geckos

It rubs the lotion on it's skin. It rubs the lotion on it's skin or else it gets the hose again.
Bleach and Ammonia make Ammonium Chloride = Dead you

when we first switched over to silkworms Drako's "poo" was more watery. His 'solids' were still well formed and 'normal' looking. We know that Drako is well hidrated! After using silkies for 7 months, Drako is happy and healthy...his 'poo' is pretty normal looking too! We use shelf liner as a substrate--I don't think I would feed silkies if I used sand...the extra moisture would probably be a breeding ground for bacteria.

DM

I was going to put sand in my cages for the babies but Wal-Mart is out for the season of the sand I like to use and the only other sand is from a rock quory (sp) and I just don't feel comfortable with that so I just got some more shelfliner. There was some extra fuid at first but my experience has been exactly the same as yours.

Later,
Robert
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A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,
adored by little statesmen, philosophers and divines.
Ralph Emerson

Give Lowe's or Home Depot a shot. They might have some sand.

>>I was going to put sand in my cages for the babies but Wal-Mart is out for the season of the sand I like to use and the only other sand is from a rock quory (sp) and I just don't feel comfortable with that so I just got some more shelfliner. There was some extra fuid at first but my experience has been exactly the same as yours.
>>
>>Later,
>>Robert
>>-----
>>A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,
>>adored by little statesmen, philosophers and divines.
>>Ralph Emerson
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**********************************
Tim W. My Pictures
0.1.0 Dumeril Boas
0.1.0 Kittens
0.0.1 Leopard Geckos

It rubs the lotion on it's skin. It rubs the lotion on it's skin or else it gets the hose again.
Bleach and Ammonia make Ammonium Chloride = Dead you

I have a 1 yr old beardie and he LOVES his silkworms! I got tired of crickets and the smell... Silkies have been very easy to keep--although I did have some trouble this summer with shipments being DOA--BUT both companies sent replacement orders. I also purchased 200 eggs this summer--it took about 2 weeks after they hatched before they were big enough to feed out...Drako ate off them for about 6 weeks before the remaining cocooned--they are 'emerging' now--but only 1 female to 10 male moths so far--she laid about 150 eggs. It will be 3 months before these eggs will be ready to hatch. I hope to keep a small colony going.

I have used Silkies for about 7 months as the main source of live food. I also treat Drako to occasional canned crickets--his favorite--and superworms.

Drako is a nice "healthy' size--not too fat. He eats 3-4 large silkies a day--as opposed to 15-20 crickets. The main trick to keeping silkies is to have 'extra' powdered food on hand. I always try to keep at least 1/2 pound bag in stock. I order from Mullberry Farms and California Silkworms.

HTH
DM

OK, so when you say 3-4 silkworms vs 15-20 crickets, is he getting the the same amount, total size I guess of food? Like 1 silkworm = 5 crickets in size roughly.
Because I saw somewhere they were more filling, I didn't know if that meant they ate less total or it just felt better in their stomach. Like say rice cakes vs eating steak. Eat a pound and you eat a pound of food, but steak fills you up more.

>>I have a 1 yr old beardie and he LOVES his silkworms! I got tired of crickets and the smell... Silkies have been very easy to keep--although I did have some trouble this summer with shipments being DOA--BUT both companies sent replacement orders. I also purchased 200 eggs this summer--it took about 2 weeks after they hatched before they were big enough to feed out...Drako ate off them for about 6 weeks before the remaining cocooned--they are 'emerging' now--but only 1 female to 10 male moths so far--she laid about 150 eggs. It will be 3 months before these eggs will be ready to hatch. I hope to keep a small colony going.
>>
>>I have used Silkies for about 7 months as the main source of live food. I also treat Drako to occasional canned crickets--his favorite--and superworms.
>>
>>Drako is a nice "healthy' size--not too fat. He eats 3-4 large silkies a day--as opposed to 15-20 crickets. The main trick to keeping silkies is to have 'extra' powdered food on hand. I always try to keep at least 1/2 pound bag in stock. I order from Mullberry Farms and California Silkworms.
>>
>>HTH
>>DM
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**********************************
Tim W. My Pictures
0.1.0 Dumeril Boas
0.1.0 Kittens
0.0.1 Leopard Geckos

It rubs the lotion on it's skin. It rubs the lotion on it's skin or else it gets the hose again.
Bleach and Ammonia make Ammonium Chloride = Dead you

I think the ratio of silkworms vs crickets varries depending on the size of a silkie...When I start feeding the silkies out they are around 1 inch long and he eats 7-10 a day. As the silkies grow he eats less...and the ratio changes...they get close to 3 inches before they cocoon and are larger around than a pencil. At the large stage 3 or so a day fills him up. He also gets salad...and he is an adult.

Yes, they have more fluid, but they are fleshy too and digest easily. Crickets have a lot of undigestable parts and some meat/flesh so it takes more crickets to equal a silkie. Cost wise silkes have been about the same (well maybe slightly more)--if I purchase 100 already hatched and about 1 inch long. Even with the extra food needed purchasing the 200 eggs was definately the cheapest way to go for 1 beardie. If I had more than one beardie I would purchase eggs in bulk and have them overnighted with cold packs. This would allow me to 'start' a small amount of eggs every week or so--the eggs can be refrigerated for months!