I'm in trouble!

[Chris Baez Jr.]

You are lucky that you don't have to pay for Power, around here if power is included in the utilities & they realize that you have a BD or anything else out of the norm they will charge you extra. We even have to pay $25/month extra in the winter, just to plug our cars in so it will start in the morning, if power is included & that is just a necessity of life here .

That's not fair.

The going rate here for Crickets from the Pet store is 12-15 each & is still where most get their feeders. Surprisingly not everyone has the internet or trust online shopping, or have a credit card for that matter. Many newbies are young teens who must support their own pets if they want them. At an average of 25-30 crix a day, that's approximately 800 crix a month, at least that's how many I used for one BD, 200/week, when I fed crix. So that is in the vicinity of $100/month alone. $10-20 power. $20/month Greens, Supplements. It is not in one lump sum, but they add up when you figure the whole picture.

True, I only have one small Beardie. I get the little pin-head crixs at 12 cents each.

Germ, is there anyway of setting up something to breed crickets? I could see where some one can spend a lot on crickets, and the BDs do love them.

 

[Germ]

Yes you can breed crix, but I'm not the one to talk to about that. I tried once, many years ago, failed miserably. On top of the fact that they are rotten stinky, hoppy, noisy little buggers that are difficult to contain.

In my opinion, roaches are the only way to go. Started my colony 5 or 6 years ago & have never looked back. Very little to no smell when properly maintained with very little maintenance. Much easier to contain, Dubia or Discoids can not climb smooth vertical surfaces such as glass or hard plastic, don't chirp, live much longer 1.5-2 years over crickets' couple of months, self incubate, etc. And as a Bonus, they are better for your BD. 2-3 times the protein content, low Fat & much higher meat to shell ratio.

 

[Noella]

Hmm. I wouldn't mind feeding Dubia or Discoids to Allie, but crickets are the only feeder I can give her. No one wants roaches in the house, even if I convince they're better for Allie and protein ratio. No such luck, so I stick with crickets.

I'm still decorating Allie's large tank. I'm going to change out the green cardboard cave with something else like an overturned plastic file things that Germ uses for his and wooden plank to use as a feeding place. Perhaps buying one of those shoe boxes for digging. That's my next plan of action for Allie's tank.

 

[Germ]

Just an FYI - Those feeding platform\boards on top of the upside down organizer is a cutting board, both purchased at the Dollar Store .

 

[Noella]

Oh. Okay. Thanks Germ!

 

[Germ]

Hot Glued to each other by the way ...

 

[NaTasha Brinkley]

Well, if you do have a credit/debit card and if you don't mistrust e-bay, you should really consider buying crickets from them. Like I said, I spend $15 and change on 250 crix every 2 weeks. If I run out before my new shipment comes in I'll go to the pet store where they are $1 a dozen. Last time I asked for 60, but they must have given me way more than that b/c they lasted for 4 or 5 days and I was giving Rocky at least 25 a day (I think they were multiplying!). E-bay has larger quantities of crix as well, but I find that at the end of 2 weeks, I have some crix that have grown way to big to feed Rocky and I have to set them free outside. I'm scared to try dubias b/c I'm paranoid that if one gets free they will multiply in my house. I don't think my landlord would appreciate that much.

 

[Noella]

I get my crixs from Petland, but not lately. I've been having car trouble lately so trips are short.

Petland says they guarantee their crixs and they're much bigger than the ones I'm getting from my local pet store. They fall between her eye ridges.

 

[Germ]

Adults are quite big, hard to misplace . Dubia & Discoids are a Tropical species, need heat to survive & breed. It is highly unlikely that they would survive long, let alone reach maturity (4-5 months old) to breed\multiply at normal room temps. The require the hotter temps to incubate, like in the vicinity of 90F.

 

[NaTasha Brinkley]

well that makes me feel better... thanks!