New Feeder for a Picky Gecko.

[brillobee]

I'm tried of crickets stinkin' up my spare room. I only keep 20 at a time but it still smells in there. I'm pretty sure it's them. I have a leo, some supers, mealies, and cricket in there. I need a new feeder. My leo is super picky only eats crix and waxworms. I've tried mealies with no success, and she'll take a super if she's desperate. Any ideas? I've heard of dubias, but am not too keen on heating another enclosure.

 

[mcarthon]

umm i would suggest phoenix worms they are very healthy and do not need to be dusted or fed you can look them up for more info. Also silkworms are good but they are hard to find online now adn they are expensive and hard to care for.

 

[Palor]

You can try setting up a Dubia roach colony. They do not stink, are easy to raise and gecko love em.

 

[Molicka Molko]

You can try setting up a Dubia roach colony. They do not stink, are easy to raise and gecko love em.

Yes,Dubia Roach..
MUST Consider..
Good Feeder..
More Nutrious,Softer Bone Den Crickets..
Easier For Leos To Digest Too..!!

Im Getting Mine Soon,To Replace The Crickets..
Cause I Have 1 Picky Leos Too,Only Eats Crickets,Likes The Feeder To Move,Excite My Leos..
Try Giving Mealies,SuperWorms Not Interested..
Dubia Roach,Dont Move Fast,But They Move Enough For The Leos Attention..!!

Good Luck..!!

 

[brillobee]

You need to heat a dubia colony. Room temp (75) won't do will it. Also I'm concerned about escapees. I have a few crickets get out but I can always find them ( or the cats do) because they can't shut up. I'm afraid that the roaches will get under the fridge and start a wayward colony. Also dubias are hard to get here in Canada. I've seen them once at the local expo, and the were snatched up in like 5 minutes.

 

[cindre2000]

I have had the occasional, and I mean on a handful of times, escaped dubia and they have a really really hard time establishing a colony. They are slow, especially compared to crickets, making them poor enough escapers; and on top of that they need hot humid conditions to breed properly.

I keep mine in a 5 gallon salt bucket, the kind with a twist on top, that I put holes in the lid for ventilation. I then dropped in a zoomed heat cord in there and voila the perfect environment. The only down side is starting to fill up, especially after I added another 200 to bolster the numbers.

 

[chazthaking2]

what about pinkies, my gecko will only eat pinkies and hornworms, how do i fix that problem?

 

[T-ReXx]

Seriously, roaches are the way to go. Pinkies are too high in fat and hornworms aren't much better. You might want to try silk worms, they work out pretty well, if you don't mind the difficulty in breeding your own. But roaches really are the best feeders in my opinion. Dubia are great, very easy to care for and they have a hard time escaping. I also use lateralis(turks) and they are a bit harder to work with because of the speed factor, but the geckos love them. As far a heating goes, I just use a regular human heat pad set on medium and it keeps temps fine, no real work involved. And neither species is as much of a pain as crickets, no smell, no jumping, less die off, and no noise. I wouldn't worry about escapees establishing them selves, they can't handle temps under high 70s very well and the few that might escape are usually easily found(and eaten) by my cats.

 

[JordanAng420]

I'm tried of crickets stinkin' up my spare room. I only keep 20 at a time but it still smells in there.

I keep way more than 20 at a time (usually around 100 or so) and they don't seem to stink at all! It's suprising that only 20 of them would cause an entire room to stink...are you using vegetables or other food items to feed the crickets? That may be part of the problem...also, sometimes the bedding can start to smell when it gets wet or hasn't been changed in a while. Just throwing some ideas out there.

 

[animeavatar]

I keep 250 and they only stink if i dont clean their tank for a few weeks

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Almost 2 year old thread..............

 

[animeavatar]

lol I don't look at the date

 

[ieatfish]

While the date can be an issue on some threads, is there any issue with the information in this thread? If it is outdated and wrong then I could see worrying about the date of the thread. But if it is still relevant and good information is being added, who cares?

 

[Chosen010]

This is obviously still a very valid thread and many new members will find this information helpful....

ps: I ditched the smelly crickets (I ordered 1k) and opted for the dubia feeder. They're awesome. Very hardy and easy to care fore. I notice that there's the slightest of smells if I don't clean the container for a month or so, but not near what the crickets did. My leos LOVE the roaches..