Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Beardie (sometimes called Thorn) went on strike and refused to eat her pellets so now she gets eats crickets. I have spent a small fortune over the last few weeks buying cricket and have decided to order 1000.

If I order medium sized ones (1/2 or 3/4" how long will they last?

Can I freeze them when they get full size before they die of old age and then feed them dead?

I have also seen lots of different opinions on keeping crickets. I am looking for a way to keep the bugs around as long as possible with the least amount of smell.

Finally, I have about 2 pounds of baby beardie food. Can I feed this to the crickets to "gut load" them?

Kevin

I ordered bulk crickets alot when Drako was under a year old. I ordered 3/8 crickets--to allow some time for them to grow--before they winged. Juvi bearded food will be an excellent gut-load--I'd add in some fresh veggie scraps too for moisture (change these daily).

I've heard of someone freezing crickets--I do know they loose a bit of their nutritional value when frozen.

Are you also feeding salads/greens? Feeding a variety of foods will keep the them from getting bored.

Gut loading your crickets with dragon food is a great idea and used often, but it can get costly. I use a variety of veggies and fruits. Basicly what ever is left from the days feedings. You just have to check them daily.

Freezing the crickets isnt that great of an idea though. the crickets will loose most if not all of there moisture. if you are worried they will grow too large for him to eat then you can do one of three things . .

order a size smaller

order 500 instead of 1000

or get a few more reptiles to share all the crickets!!!

peace,
nate