Ottakee Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 My daughter got a baby bearded dragon for her birthday yesterday. It is only about 2 1/2-3 inches long. It gets romaine lettuce but is supposed to have tiny crickets as well. HOW do you keep crickets for several days/a week or so? We are rural so it is 15 miles to the nearest pet store to buy the crickets. Any other tips/hints would be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalknot Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 I keep a separate cricket tank. It's where I gut-load and coat them, I just reach in and snag a few each time I feed. It's hardest to keep pinheads, but as the dragon grows it'll be easier. For now you may just have to reconcile to making 1-2 trips to the store each week. ETA: I kept my crickets indoors but the garage or patio might work, depending on where you live. They do escape sometimes, but ... well, they're not roaches LOL. Crickets are good luck where I'm from anyhow, so just adopt that mentality if you choose to do this :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OK Family Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 We have an anole that we feed live crickets to everyday. I can get crickets pretty easily but don't like to go into town and traffic everyday. Every week or so I get about 30 small crickets. I have been using a small critter keeper container. But beware they kept escaping out of there. I even hot glued panty hose to the lid to allow air to flow but to help keep them in. Worked for a day. Yesterday I bought a round plastic fishbowl, that came with a round plastic ring that clips around the top. I cut the top of one of my pantyhose covered the fishbowl with it and put the ring ontop to secure. So far do good! The size of the container will depend on how many crickets you plan on keeping. The more crickets the bigger the container. Inside the container they need sections of egg cartons to chew on I think. They also need food, there are cube like (don't remember the name) food and water cubes that crickets will eat. Gotta keep the food chain fattened. If you have any questions let me know. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thessa516 Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 We have a Kricket Keeper (I know, I know - the spelling). We order our crickets from Fluker Farms. We've been quite happy with their service (including the time the post office threw away our order because they thought the crickets were dead)! Have fun with your bearded dragon. Our good friends have had one since it was a little guy. It's now a BIG guy. And you know, this is how it starts. :lol: Just ask FaithManor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaJeanne Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 When our beardie was a baby she was eating 25 crickets at a time two or three times a day. It was just too much to keep getting from the pet store. Like a poster above, we used a Kricket Keeper and ordered large quantities online (we bought from Gahnn's) Even with shipping it was much cheaper than buying locally. Now that she is an adult and eating more greens as a main part of her diet she doesn't need that crazy amount of crickets so I have gone back to buying from our local store. If you like forums here is a place that is fun to look around :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mereminerals Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 My son has two bearded dragons. We buy small crickets once a week from a local pet store that sells 20 crickets for $0.99. We keep them in a kricket keeper and gut-load them with cricket bites and calcium sprinkled on top of that. We also keep a carrot in the kricket keeper. His beardies also really like kale and carrots. Ds moistens the kale so that it doesn't dry out as fast in the cage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCrazyMama Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 We have a Kricket Keeper (I know, I know - the spelling). We order our crickets from Fluker Farms. We've been quite happy with their service (including the time the post office threw away our order because they thought the crickets were dead)! Have fun with your bearded dragon. Our good friends have had one since it was a little guy. It's now a BIG guy. And you know, this is how it starts. :lol: Just ask FaithManor. I was going to suggest Fluker too. We live 70 miles from a pet store and they always had great service for us. We kept them in an old aquarium.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Yes 3 zeros! (and a sentence I never dreamed I would type out!) When you start ordering crickets by the 1000's you want a container with LOTS of air circulation. We used a large rubbermaid that was 'clear' and had slick sides-- you do not want a container that they can crawl up! Our container was something like 18x 24 X 20(or so) . We did NOT use a lid. I kept old egg cartons in for 'hides'. The paper center 'roll' from paper towels is great too-- the crickets hide inside then you just lift that out to feed from@ In the bottom I would put my veggie scraps in a dish (change daily) and then a few wet paper towels (usually folded and placed in a shallow dish/lid for water). I would toss in some bearded dragon pellets too. The store-bought cricket food is really more of a scam-- fresh veggies and dragon pellets will be better for a 'gut load'... Dust the crickets as needed right before feeding (but not at every feeding!). Only once in the past 10 years did I have the joy of dropping a box of 1000 crickets while I was opening it... we did catch quite a few-- for the next few weeks! -- The baby the original poster is getting is very small-- it will be a struggle to keep it going-- keep some chicken baby food on hand (in case you have to force feed). Make sure basking spot temp is correct-- do not use a 'stick on thermometer'-- use an indoor=outdoor one that you can place on the basking spot (measure the temp on the basking spot NOT the air temp!). When the bearded dragon is about 8 inches long it will become a bottomless pit-- by 12 inches it will be EXPENSIVE to feed-- but once it is full grown (10-12 months if fed correctly) they will eat mostly veggies and only occasional crickets or other 'meat'. As babies they need protein more than veggies... keep serving veggies--but crickets and other protein is MUCH more important (even if they cost more). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted September 12, 2012 Author Share Posted September 12, 2012 When the bearded dragon is about 8 inches long it will become a bottomless pit-- by 12 inches it will be EXPENSIVE to feed-- but once it is full grown (10-12 months if fed correctly) they will eat mostly veggies and only occasional crickets or other 'meat'. ). I am already figuring out that this 3 inch baby bearded dragon is going to cost me more to feed for a while than my 1250 pound HORSE:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2Two Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Our bearded dragon is now 2 years old. His breeder has been in the business for over 20 years and she suggested feeding him a diet of mixed greens, hard-boiled egg and sweet potato. Each week, we make a mix for him. He has never had crickets before, we got him around 6 weeks old. I am not sure if he had any before that. Anyway, it makes life a lot easier for us and my son is responsible for making his "mix" each week. I microwave the sweet potato and make the eggs. We buy greens each week and put the three in a food processor. So far, so good! :001_smile: Enjoy your dragon!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted September 13, 2012 Author Share Posted September 13, 2012 That sounds good........and a LOT cheaper. I wil have to check up on this. Did you do a calcium supplement or dust the food with vitamins, etc? Greens and sweet potato are cheaper and we have chickens so we have plenty of eggs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Eggs are high in fat-- should not be the only source of protein-- they are on the 'occasional' food list. Bearded dragon pellets are a nice source of protein that can reduce but not eliminate the need for live feeders. Besides pellets our adults may get live crickets 1-2 times a year and canned crickets every few months as a treat. Their weekly protein is usually super worms (only give to adults!), silkworms and sometimes roaches. Adult bearded dragons need about 80% veggies and 20% protein.. YES-- they can live as vegetarians-- but they will not live as long or be as healthy. Same goes for the bearded dragons who as adults refuse to eat their veggies (like the one in my avatar--Drako)... did not live past 7years and had fatty liver disease. We tried EVERYTHING we could-- after he turned 2 and brumated the first time he refused all fruit and vegetables (so gut loading the critters became extra important!). Bella-- our 'rescue' bearded dragon was NOT fed live protein and had limited supplements and virtually no UVB light. By the time her owners turned her in she was mostly dead and had lost the use of her toe digits. She was rehabilitated (I force fed her for several weeks) and she lived to be almost 9 years (we had her 6 years). - We have had bearded dragons for years (on second set) and would NOT purchase a baby from a 'breeder' who did not feed the adults a solid source of protein.... breeding is expensive to do properly (and responsibly)... what other short cuts are they taking? There are plenty of other reptiles that eat only veggies and fruit. Bearded dragons are an investment... we think they are worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 (edited) We have a cricket tank-one of those critter keeper things, sold for the purpose. I will warn you-though, they're escape artists. We just bought a bunch at Repticon for the frogs, and I swear those suckers can teleport! I have no clue how they're getting out, but they're turning up everywhere, yet the cricket tank doesn't seem to be emptying out. Some part of me is tempted to let the frogs out to catch the crickets (except then the cats would likely be hunting frogs....). At least in my area, there are two reptile conferences/trade shows/breeder meetings a year, and there's always one of the farms there selling feeders, which is a MUCH cheaper way to get crickets. Once you get to the point that the animals can eat adult crickets, Bait shops are downright cheap ways to get crickets and various other types of insects, but anything that can be put on a hook is too big for my 1/2 grown frogs right now, and too big for a 3 in lizard, too. Edited September 13, 2012 by dmmetler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaJ & BabyK Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Nice to see other Bearded Dragon lovers! We have two, not by (my) choice but i've grown to love them! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 I have an 8 yr. old bearded dragon and have done rescue and rehab for many, MANY others over the last few years. I decided a long time ago not to feed crickets anymore. They smell AWFUL and they tend to have a high die-off rate. I was buying by the 1,000 but would get them home to find half of them dead. Not only that, many diseases seem to be introduced through poor cricket keeping in the pet stores. Instead, I breed and raise my own Dubia Roaches and Superworms now. Both are ridiculously easy to keep and once you get them going there is no need to continuously buy insects. Also, I would caution you against feeding too much romaine lettuce. It is not healthy as a staple and can cause diarrhea. Since your little guy is SO tiny, it will be hard enough to keep him alive. Check out the nutrition information at Beautiful Dragons. The absolute best forum to find information would be Bearded Dragon . Org. There are SO many knowledgeable beardie owners there, including the lady who was on Animal Planet awhile back with the oldest living Two-Headed Dragon. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Instead, I breed and raise my own Dubia Roaches and Superworms now. Both are ridiculously easy to keep and once you get them going there is no need to continuously buy insects. Oh, my. You are good. I don't think I could do this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassoonaroo Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 When we had frogs, we'd simply buy crickets from the pet store nearby and keep them in a tupperware with holes... The frogs were tiny and didn't eat much, but I got a kick out of the cashier once at the pet store: "What are you doing with the crickets?" "Feeding them to our frogs." "What do you feed the crickets?" "I throw a potato slice in their container." "DON'T DO THAT! the crickets will develop diarrhea..." For some weird reason, I wasn't that concerned about a dozen or so crickets that were on death row anyway developing diarrhea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 We got a couple of bearded dragons in April. They are adults about 2 1/2years. It's been a steep learning curve and so many sources of information contradict each other. Now we have got the hang of what they need and sorted the temperature out they seem really happy guys. It always supprises us how fast they get about and how high they can jump oh and they can use a cat flap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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