Crickets Vs. Roaches

[Taylynn]

Oh and mealworms too! Which feeder do you prefer for your T and why?

 

[Sabeth]

Crickets, simply because it's all I've ever fed, lol. I do have access to mealworms, flightless fruit flies and the like, but never experimented with them. Crickets are a tarantula's "manna from heaven".

 

[Tongue Flicker]

I've fed superworms, cultured elephant hawk moths from my mom's garden and rice field frogs for years without any problems. My only concern with crickets is that they die easily and they coz an unwanted smell inside my enclosures if uneaten quickly. Their bolus/ash also attracts a lot of ants and where i'm at, that's not a fun experience. Roaches are the best if you can get a hold of them though

 

[CrystalRose]

I use crickets and roaches. My pet store sells both. I also recently purchased a dubia starter colony and will probably feed mainly those once it gets going.

 

[Ceratogyrus]

I find roaches are the best. Very low maintenance compared to crickets, they don't die as easily and breed with no special conditions. They are not cannabilistic and have less chance of feeding on a moulting spider. Also don't have that wakeful smell like crickets do.

 

[Michelle Coetzee]

I prefer roaches. They don't dig like worms and they don't jump like crickets Just the easiest for me.

 

[HungryGhost]

I use crickets since they are the most most accessible to me at the pet store. Once in a while I give my largest T a super worm to change things up. I keep mantids too and if I have one that mis molted I use it as a feeder if the size is okay. The idea of a roach feeder colony is becoming more appealing to me though.

 

[Taylynn]

After all my research and experience with crickets I general, I can't stand them. They jump, they escape, they're loud... Lol. I really want to do roaches for the simple fact that I can pluck one up with some tweezers and not worry about it jumping at me... But everyone in my home is still nervous about my little Ellie in general so roaches are a no go.

Until a cricket escapes and is singing in their room all night.

 

[marya1962]

I love crickets for the simple fact they are available at my local feed store (there are no pet stores in Barstow now since Adorable Pets folded 2 years ago). I do mind their smell and try to keep it at a minimum, but I don't mind their singing. Besides, management of our apartment would blow a gasket regarding any kind of roach being in one of their apartments.

 

[Christell Erasmus]

I prefer roaches. I tried breeding my own crickets but failed where my roaches are a success and breeding very good.

 

[Prudance]

I like to mix it up and feed them something different regularly. We have a kind of rotating schedule.

With lots of insect eating animals we breed both dubias and silkworms but also keep on hand superworms, mealworms, and either waxworms or hornworms as treats. Periodically we buy crickets to feed on the same day just cause they are gross but the spiders LOVE them. I think crickets are the favorites of many on my T's if I can base a liking something more on how fervently they spin their feeding mat.

 

[trailblazin02]

I mix it up from crickets to dubia to super worms. Some will not go after roaches so there on just crickets and super worms. Its kind of a trial and error with each T.

 

[Adrian le Plastrier]

Hey there.

I prefer to use roaches as they are easy to breed and live much longer than crickets do. espesially whn it comes to slings, cutting off the roaches head and leaving it in the cage is an advantage because it doesnt run the risk of hurting my sling and it stays alive for a long while till it dies.

second to that i like to use silkworms as they are the best nutrition for T's, the provide the most protien than any other insect, and they are blind so they cant hurt your T.

 

[Quandry]

I mostly feed roaches, because my department keeps colonies of various species (so I can mix it up a bit, too). Depending on which colony is the largest at the time, they get hissers, gold medal roaches, or Turkistan roaches. They all seem to get eaten with the same relish. All of my critters are piggies. No fussy eaters here!

However, I do sometimes buy crickets and mealworms to supplement both my leopard gecko's and my Ts' diets. Different insects have different nutrients, so I figure it is best to change it up here and there.

 

[Denny Dee]

Thinking about breeding roaches due to all of the above. Definitely going with Dubias if I do it, due to the fact that they don't climb/fly and won't infest the house if one or two get loose. I have a large collection of inverts and my biggest concern is breeding too fast. So, what is the ideal starting size for a colony? Males, females, etc.?

 

[katiekatelyn]

I do crickets, only because no pet store in my area sells anything else. I wish I had more options because I'm terrified of the food I feed to my T's. That's weird, right? I'd rather stick my hand right into my OBT's webbing than see another cricket for as long as I live. Buuuut my babies need to eat.

 

[Prudance]

@Denny Dee We started our colony with a small start up kit from South Texas Dragons. They have lots of great info about deciding what size colony is best for your needs. Some helpful info I remember off the top of my head is: The females give birth to about 30 babies a month and you need half as many males as females for a healthy colony. They also have a relatively long lifespan of 2 years.

@katiekatelyn You can buy feeders online and have them sent to your home. Our favorites are roaches and superworms. Just do an internet search for "tarantula feeders" or "reptile feeders" to find some online shops.

 

[katiekatelyn]

@Denny Dee We started our colony with a small start up kit from South Texas Dragons. They have lots of great info about deciding what size colony is best for your needs. Some helpful info I remember off the top of my head is: The females give birth to about 30 babies a month and you need half as many males as females for a healthy colony. They also have a relatively long lifespan of 2 years.

@katiekatelyn You can buy feeders online and have them sent to your home. Our favorites are roaches and superworms. Just do an internet search for "tarantula feeders" or "reptile feeders" to find some online shops.

Thanks, I'll look into it.

 

[GTarantula]

I hate roaches so won't go near them. I was born and raised in Brooklyn NY. Let me tell ya about roaches...NO! Especially the big ones which we call waterbugs there. They fly!! Some are as big as small sparrows. They bite!! No thanks I'll stick to the crickets which sorta look like roaches anyway. And Super worms. Krix (G.Rosea) loves them.

 

[Denny Dee]

I thought the same thing about roaches until I researched them. There are "Brooklyn" roaches and then there are the feeder roaches. Some MAJOR differences. I have been testing a small batch (shhhh....my wife does not know ). These Dubias do not fly, climb, bite, smell (like crickets ) and.....most importantly....reproduce like crazy if one or two escapes. More like beetles versus roaches. So far, the descriptions are true. But, I was vetoed on raising them for now so will continue picking up some at the reptile shows from time to time. But, would love to hear more about other's experiences.