Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[jacqueline]

i have tried brown banded crickets to see if my babies would eat these and my beardies cant get enough of them.They munch so many away and prefer these now to the black ones.Is there any nutritional difference between the brown banded crickets and the standard black crickets?i do gutload them all before feeding to my beardies but is there a differeance between the two?

[Scott W]

not sure if there are any scientific studies but I generally get the feeling the black crickets are a little fatter than the banded crickets, therefore contain a little more in the way of nutrients.

I have found that black crickets are the least preferred crickets with all my lizards (over 100). The best insect I have found is the locust, especially if you keep them well fed on greens prior to feeding to your lizards.

[jacqueline]

so will it be o.k if i give them the brown banded crickets scott if they prefer them to the black ones they wont touch.
If i continue to gut load them they will be o.k won't they?
Crickets in my local pet shop are 50 pence each. I have never tried them with these. The woman i bought my babies off of had black locusts in their tub when i had them.

[Scott W]

Yeah, you can stay on the banded crickets if you prefer, if not try and buy 'silent brown' crickets, they are basically the same big fat size of blacks but only brown.

Locust are expensive, but they are worth it. Try buying them from an internet site instead.

[jacqueline]

Thanks for the tip scott. Do you get yours off of the internet?If so what site?

[Scott W]

lol.......no, I use far too many to be able to buy them. I currently breed my own (use 2000 a week!)

[jacqueline]

wow thats an awfull lot a week.
My two beardies are eating a good hundred crickets a day.Is that worth breeding them?i have started to order off of live foods.co.uk
The petshop is cheaper then they are but they do have a better quality.Unlike the petshop.