Cutting out crickets?

Mariekey29

Mariekey29

Member
I've heard a few people talking about cutting crickets out of their chams diets all together and replacing them with dubias. I know I'm a newbie but everything I've read has said crickets are supposed to be their staple diet. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be happy to not have to bother with crickets. So, is it a good or bad idea to replace them completely with dubias.
 
Mariekey29 said:
I've heard a few people talking about cutting crickets out of their chams diets all together and replacing them with dubias. I know I'm a newbie but everything I've read has said crickets are supposed to be their staple diet. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be happy to not have to bother with crickets. So, is it a good or bad idea to replace them completely with dubias.
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I have seen people do this as well. To me it all depends on how much variety you can offer your chameleon. If you have a slew of other feeder items, then I don't see it as a problem. But, some people don't have access to such variety, so it is important to feed what you can so your chameleon doesn't go on a hunger strike out of food boredom.

I like to mix mine up as much as possible. I will agree that crickets are not my favorite...especially when you realize how great dubia are as far as smell is concerned. I give my guys grasshoppers, katydids, mantis, superworms, silkworms, hornworms, hawkmoths, stick bugs, various kinds of flys....so to use just a gut loaded dubia or cricket as a staple wouldn't be out of the question. So, I don't think there would be any negative effects of doing just one or the other as long as you threw in some variety here in there for nutrients sake. Just IMO.
 
jpowell86 said:
I have seen people do this as well. To me it all depends on how much variety you can offer your chameleon. If you have a slew of other feeder items, then I don't see it as a problem. But, some people don't have access to such variety, so it is important to feed what you can so your chameleon doesn't go on a hunger strike out of food boredom.

I like to mix mine up as much as possible. I will agree that crickets are not my favorite...especially when you realize how great dubia are as far as smell is concerned. I give my guys grasshoppers, katydids, mantis, superworms, silkworms, hornworms, hawkmoths, stick bugs, various kinds of flys....so to use just a gut loaded dubia or cricket as a staple wouldn't be out of the question. So, I don't think there would be any negative effects of doing just one or the other as long as you threw in some variety here in there for nutrients sake. Just IMO.
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Right now I have my little guy on crickets, dubias, phoenix worms and just ordered some horn worms as treats. I don't mind ordering whatever as long as I know it's good for him. I have a breeder colony of dubias on the way now so I won't have to buy those anymore (if all goes well). If I cut out crickets do you think just the dubias, phoenix worms and horn worms will be enough or should I add something else?
 
I think so. Dubia have a higher nutritional value than crickets...so to choose between them, dubia is the clear choice.

Mariekey29 said:
dubias, phoenix worms and horn worms will be enough or should I add something else
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I think that is a good menu! IMO, every once in a while, throw in some other insects just to suffice your chameleons need for a new taste!
 
Mariekey29 said:
Right now I have my little guy on crickets, dubias, phoenix worms and just ordered some horn worms as treats. I don't mind ordering whatever as long as I know it's good for him. I have a breeder colony of dubias on the way now so I won't have to buy those anymore (if all goes well). If I cut out crickets do you think just the dubias, phoenix worms and horn worms will be enough or should I add something else?
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You can add butterworms and superworms to your list. They both are very low maintenance to care for and will last you several months. My guy doesn't really like Dubia roaches, so I have to keep crickets around. It really hasn't been too bad though since I switched over to banded crickets. They are a a lot more quiet and hardier than the brown crickets. My package was accidentally delivered to a different address and I quickly assumed my crickets were all dead being trapped in there for almost a whole week. Opened the package and did not find a single dead cricket in the tub!
 
Awesome! Thanks for the advice! I've tried supers and he won't touch them right now so I thought I would try them again when he gets a little older. He's only 3 months old. If I add butterworms, how many and how often should I give him those? Aren't they really fatty?
 
Mariekey29 said:
Awesome! Thanks for the advice! I've tried supers and he won't touch them right now so I thought I would try them again when he gets a little older. He's only 3 months old. If I add butterworms, how many and how often should I give him those? Aren't they really fatty?
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I feed them as treats, so maybe 3-4 butterworms a week. They are a bit fatty, but it's fine as long as other feeders are being mixed in.
 
I pretty much do not feed crickets at all. I have a dubia colony and get hornworms frequently. Also I keep superworms on hand.

For my baby cham, he started on hydei fruitflies which he quickly out grew, so I've been feeding him about 10-15 house flies a day now. I also give him phoenix worms. He hasn't even seen a cricket yet, but when he's a bit older I will get a few for him just for more variety. Soon I'll be switching the house flies for the larger blue bottle flies, but for right now I think he needs to do a bit more growing. Oh and I also got him some silk worms but after eating a few of them he seems to just be ignoring them unfortunately.
 
jpowell86 said:
I think so. Dubia have a higher nutritional value than crickets...so to choose between them, dubia is the clear choice.
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I disagree. It's all about the gut content. If either a cricket or a dubi has an empty stomach they are basically just chiton; with the dubia having a slightly higher among of protein due to their larger bodies.
 
Bush baby said:
I disagree. It's all about the gut content. If either a cricket or a dubi has an empty stomach they are basically just chiton; with the dubia having a slightly higher among of protein due to their larger bodies.
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I disagree.

Species, Moisture , Protein , Calcium(mg/100g) , Fat , Ash

Dubia Roach - 61% , 36% , 20 , 7% , 2%
Cricket - 74% , 18% , 14 , 6% , 1%

But I do agree that gut load plays a vital role in nutrition regardless of the two.
 
That's why you see crickets recommended most commonly and on the care sheets...dubia are not always accessible depending on your location and local supply whereas everyone can get crickets. Just fyi :)
 
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