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Thread: Best staple food source? Have bearded dragon and have Pacmans on the way!

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    Question Best staple food source? Have bearded dragon and have Pacmans on the way!

    Hi everyone!

    I currently have been buying crickets from the store for my bearded dragon. I used to order bulk mealworms and even tried breeding them but it seemed to take too long to get them to the right size for her. I have thought about the possibilty of raising crickets or dubia roaches as a staple source since I will soon be getting a few pacmans. What do you think? Which is easier, or more nutritious for both pacmans and my beardie? Open to any suggestions! Thanks!

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    Default Re: Best staple food source? Have bearded dragon and have Pacmans on the way!

    I use gut loaded and supplemented crickets for my staples. IMO raising crickets is more hassle than what it's worth and takes up space, I would just bulk order them cheap and keep them in a large plastic bin.

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    Default Re: Best staple food source? Have bearded dragon and have Pacmans on the way!

    I'd go for the crickets, but I only have frogs... so can't say for your bearded dragon.

    Just to be the contrarian for the above post..... I find that going to store or having to continuously order crickets and having them shipped more trouble.... and expensive. Breeding my own crickets is just as interesting as the frogs that eventually feed on them. As for space, they take up about a four feet of shelf space in the garage. So that may be a lot for some and trivial for others. However I wouldn't try to raise them inside my living space as you always will have an escapee or two, occasionally smells will be an issue as well as gnats and flies if you get lazy and don't remove the old food.

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    Default Re: Best staple food source? Have bearded dragon and have Pacmans on the way!

    I can't tell you anything about Pacman frogs but as far as beardies go:
    --mealworms is not a good idea for them, from what I've heard and can cause impaction
    --ideally the beardie should be eating mostly greens and a relatively small amount of crickets. I feed my beardies about 15 crickets twice a week
    --dubia roaches are supposed to be easier to breed and are a good nutritious feeder

    Aliza

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    Default Re: Best staple food source? Have bearded dragon and have Pacmans on the way!

    I would go with dubia roaches if you can. They stink less, they're silent, they escape less, they're easier to breed, and they're a nutritious food source. I'm very allergic to them, or that's what I would use for my frogs.
    2.0.3 Hyla versicolor "Eastern Gray Tree Frogs"
    2.2.0 Agalychnis callidryas "Red Eyed Tree Frogs"

    0.0.3 Dendrobates auratus "Turquoise and Bronze"
    0.0.1 Anaxyrus fowleri "Fowler's Toad"



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    Default Re: Best staple food source? Have bearded dragon and have Pacmans on the way!

    Crickets are cheap where I come from, I can get like a 1000 depending on size for under £10 and delivery will be free as long as I order it with my usual supplies, so I suppose it will depend on where you come from and the price they call for. Sorting out the individual sizes is a night mare and depending on your climate, garage would be good but mine is generally too cold for crickets to reproduce, therefore I'd need a heat mat or lamp.

    Bearded dragons will need more insects when they're younger and usually they'll be more interested in them than veggies. Mealworms are fine but probably not as a staple, moderation and variety is key will all animals.

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    Default Re: Best staple food source? Have bearded dragon and have Pacmans on the way!

    Thanks everyone! This gives me a lot to think about. Either going to order bulk crickets or maybe try to breed dubia. I do not have a heated outbuilding or garage to what ever I do they will be inside. The less still the better! Not sure if I am ecxited about the chance of escapees either. I have never kept bulk crickets before. Do they make a lot of noise?

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    Default Re: Best staple food source? Have bearded dragon and have Pacmans on the way!

    yes they do, especially the adults! the thing is with roaches is that it will take a while for a colony to be established enough to feed them out and they're also more expensive to buy initially, need high temps and humidity in order to breed. I've found dubias can climb as well as crickets and crickets only really escape sometimes when I clean their cages out but they do not last long in the temperature of my house

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    Default Re: Best staple food source? Have bearded dragon and have Pacmans on the way!

    For now I am convinced buying bulk crickets is the way to go! Thanks everyone!

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    Default Re: Best staple food source? Have bearded dragon and have Pacmans on the way!

    You can try to use crickets as a staple, roaches mixed in, mealworms rarely, guppies and goldfish as a treat (for the PacMan), and waxworms as a treat.

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    Default Re: Best staple food source? Have bearded dragon and have Pacmans on the way!

    I went with crickets until I discovered dubias. Soooo many advantages. Better in every way. Only downsides are the ewe factor, which you'll get over after you've had them for two days and realize that they dont smell as bad and dont escape easily. And the cost, which is easy to avoid by buying online. Discountdubias.com has them real cheap

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