Horned Worms vs Banded Crickets

[Tynan918]

I've been looking into buying horned worms as an alternative to banded crickets.

I buy 500 large banded crickets a month for $30 from Josh's frogs to feed my T, and my sons bearded dragon.

However, care for the crickets seems hard and they usually all die off before the month is over with. I have a clear plastic bin that I keep them in and place small carrots they eat and hydrate from, removing the carrots after a day or two, but somehow manage to die off before the month ends.

My T also only eats not even 50 of the 500 crickets within the month.

Now I'm looking into hornworms as an alternative... I see a 100 count within my current budget.

Are they easier to care for ? What do they eat and how would I hydrate them ?

Will they make my T grow faster ?

On average how many hornworms would my 5" T eat within the month ? Surely not 100, she barely eats 20 large banded crickets within the month.

 

[Tynan918]

Well after a little reading, hornworms are more of a treat, not high in fat or protein, but good for hydration and hunger strikes.

I'm reading that mealworms are good staple food as an alternative to crickets, you just have to mash their heads before putting them in to feed so that they don't burrow and turn to beetles.

 

[Tynan918]

I can buy 1,250 large (.75") Mealworms for $15.99...half the price and 3/4 more than the crickets...can also buy some horned worms for experimenting.

I can buy 1000 small (3/4-1") Superworms for $26.45

From research, Superworms can bite and kill a T, if the head isn't crushed, and are a bit harder to care for than Mealworms.

Mealworms seem like a better alternative for staple feeding, and Superworms and Hornworms are good for treats and underweight T's.

I'm probably going to roll with the mealworms this month, and get some hornworms to see how she likes that rather than crickets.

 

[Eighth Eye Blind]

I've lost plenty of non-decapitated meal worms in enclosures and I've never had any of them mature into beetles.

I use 100% coco coir as substrate and I don't think there's enough nutritional value in coir to allow them to pupate and morph. They starve before they mature.

I suppose it could happen in other substrates with more decaying matter in them. On coir, though, the development of beetlemania doesn't seem to be a threat.

 

[Tarantula Trooper]

Have you thought about Dubia roaches?? Easy to keep and maintain and nutrition is good for your T's. Sometimes T's will refuse Dubia! If you have one that snubs Dubia wait till after a molt. My first GBB ( still have her) wouldn't take Dubia to start with. She molted and I waited close to 3 weeks before feeding her. Threw in a Dubia and bam. She eats Dubia every time now. Happy Spoodering!

 

[Jeef]

Do you have a Mom & Pops store you can buy reasonable amounts of crickets from? I try to get just what I need as I need it.

I get the best results out of crickets.

Mealworms are ok but best suited to slings. T's outgrow them pretty fast. On the upswing, you can keep them in the fridge or a cold basement to slow down their maturing. I crush their heads. None of my crew will eat the pupas or beetles.

I have pretty spotty results with superworms aka: morio worms. You crush the head and T's either immediately jump on it or you are picking it out the next day. I throw away more than get eaten.

Dubia roaches are also hit or miss. They play dead if you just drop them in, they get ignored if you crush the heads. I have a colony. They are super easy to keep. If you don't have a colony, these guys can get expensive fast.

I've picked a hornworm pupa out of my N. coloratovillosus burrow.

Red runner roaches get eaten but I hate dealing with them.

Honorable mention, I got 2 of my best eaters to eat a nightcrawler. It makes a mess, but they will eat them.

Full disclosure: all my T's are new world terrestrials and I don't tong feed. Food gets dropped in and that is it.

 

[Tynan918]

I went ahead and bought 1200 mealworms and 24 horned worms.

Hopefully this plays out better than the crickets.

 

[Tarantula Trooper]

Do you have a Mom & Pops store you can buy reasonable amounts of crickets from? I try to get just what I need as I need it.

I get the best results out of crickets.

Mealworms are ok but best suited to slings. T's outgrow them pretty fast. On the upswing, you can keep them in the fridge or a cold basement to slow down their maturing. I crush their heads. None of my crew will eat the pupas or beetles.

I have pretty spotty results with superworms aka: morio worms. You crush the head and T's either immediately jump on it or you are picking it out the next day. I throw away more than get eaten.

Dubia roaches are also hit or miss. They play dead if you just drop them in, they get ignored if you crush the heads. I have a colony. They are super easy to keep. If you don't have a colony, these guys can get expensive fast.

I've picked a hornworm pupa out of my N. coloratovillosus burrow.

Red runner roaches get eaten but I hate dealing with them.

Honorable mention, I got 2 of my best eaters to eat a nightcrawler. It makes a mess, but they will eat them.

Full disclosure: all my T's are new world terrestrials and I don't tong feed. Food gets dropped in and that is it.

I bet the night crawlers were a mess!! Lol I had heard they could be used as a feeder but seems like the mess wouldn't be worth the "squeeze" if you will. The crawlers should be good for moisture content I would think. Great if the T's getting close to molt. Keep rocking them T's!!!!