terrence Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 So I just wondered what the story was with breeding live crickets or other insects for feeding bearded dragons was? Is this practice fairly common? How straightforward is the process? Is it possible to just buy a bunch from a petstore, put them in a tank with some small airholes, provide some leaves, water, and let them multiply? It would tend to be waay cheaper than continuously buying live feed right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
repto Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 more or less as you say but not as simple as you put it.you have to do your homework and setup the right systems for the creatures you wish to breed.There are alot of hard-won things to learn along the way,trial and error is the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrence Posted February 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Yup gotcha... so the theory is all there, thats a start I suppose there'd be a few decent online guides out there on the subject. I guess you're right about trial and error though. Alright, thats going on my to-do list as well. If anyone would like to share any tips on how to do this successfully, I'm all ears If not, then thats no biggie, I'd rather experience major trial and error with crickets, than with Beardies, for obvious reasons! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
repto Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 i would go for locusts ahead of crickets,found that by trial and error too!They grow alot faster,bigger,if you don`t want them big feed them out sooner.All you need is a breeding cage,a rearing cage and a supply of fresh green grass,some breeders and your away.Cages can be as simple as a big cardboard carton with a heat source and acess hole/door to get your food in and out and to retrieve the ones you want .I have plastic coffee cups filled with moistened pumice sand in a shallow cardboard tray,these are changed for fresh ones once a week and taken away,covered and incubated for a couple of weeks.I have 4 rearing cages and empty one each week and start a new batch each week,all depends how many you need but you can sell surplus or even freeze them for later use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
repto Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 ps, have had alot more errors with crickets/locusts than with beardies too!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrence Posted February 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Cool thanks! My little flat/property is going to run out of space FAST at this rate hehe. Time to reorganize everything I own... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrence Posted February 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Hey are these locusts noisy or smelly if kept in a large cardboard box? I take it they won't chew their way straight out of a cardboard box either? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
repto Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 the only noise they make is jumping around other than alot of munching on grass.They take their moisture requirements from the fresh grass and the whole thing is heated by light bulb etc to around 30 deg so it is quite dry and no smell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrence Posted February 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Ok that sounds fine then, just wanted to make sure I wasn't in for a nasty surprise!! I guess the only thing once they're breeding like crazy is to make SURE they don't all escape and devour my neighbors exquisitely maintained gardens!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
repto Posted February 6, 2008 Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 I always have the odd escapee,sometimes more if you forget to shut the door overnight???they march out the garage door towards the light and if they are adult with wings try for a getaway flight,if there is a slight breeze they have lift off,then you often see birds chasing them,cold weather its curtains,life is hard if you happen to be a locust?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrence Posted February 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 Haha the mental picture of this orderly march of locusts towards freedom is quite something! :lol: I've been reading more, but one thing I haven't seen covered is how quickly locusts are able to multiply their numbers? I'm thinking specifically here about many hungry baby dragons eating many locusts every day each. What sort of numbers of locusts in the locust colony would be needed to keep up with them, as the baby dragons begin devouring everything they can get their little jaws on? Is this even possible? (Without filling an entire garage with locusts!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
repto Posted February 7, 2008 Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 one or two dragons would be no sweat,but a lot of babies is hard and demanding.I had 23 to feed last year and when they were small they only ate small locusts which they could clean up a couple of pots of hatchlings a day.Once they can handle slightly bigger ones it gets a bit easier.Mealworms were also used but only very small ones which told ages to sort and eaten in seconds!You have to know how many breeders(locusts) to hold and how long they are going to keep living and laying for,if they don`t lay they live longer but not much point feeding them if they arn`t laying.All this comes with experience but you have to get that yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrence Posted February 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 Alright thats good to know, thanks again. With any luck I'll manage it as best I can, and just top up with other food sources probably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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