Back in the day (1990's) I had a lot of chams, and going through 1,000 crickets or a 1,000 super worms was not a problem. 3 cents a cricket/super worm was a lot better than 11-12 cents at pet stores.
Now I only have 2 grown male Panthers, it is more economical to buy at Petsmart and Petco for crickets and super worms. Fortunately I have stick insects, Green Banana Roaches, and Dubias to offer variety.
I began to compare Petsmart and Petco on the quality of the crickets and super worms, and wanted to share my findings. This reflects just 1 of each of their locations.
1. The crickets are not consistent at Petsmart, I have seen high death rates, up to 30% over 4 days, where Petco's seem to last longer. Better to buy from either company midweek when they first come in.
2. Superworms at Petsmart are actually gone through when the shipment comes in, they count how many are in the cup and they add to replace dead or eaten worms. I got a bit trusting, and didn't count the 50 count a couple of times, and decided to count them tonight. Instead of 50 there were 29 alive, with body pieces scattered in the bran. (Petco does not count and replace dead and MIA's). I paid $6.23 with tax, so The dollar cost of the missing Supers was $2.61.
Upon talking to the manager at Petsmart, I got the missing super worms replaced, and made the suggestion that they continue counting, but also add water crystals, as the super worms will eat each other if there is no water source. She said she might try that, but where she is from (Houston) the humidity is so high the Petsmart locations there don't have this problem…I just let that go... hydration through osmosis is not so effective, ya think?
With any live feeder, lack of hydration or food will weaken the insect, make it more vulnerable to health problems, and possibly kill it. The longer the insect is in transit and storage, the more food, hydration, and appropriate temperature is needed. When you have insect producers sending to distribution centers, who ship them again to your Petsmart/Petco, by the time you get them, they can be on their last legs.
My suggestion is to buy from the box pet stores, but be vigilant on the counts and the movement of the feeders. Local pet shops are becoming scarce, in the 90's there were 4 within 20 minutes of my home, now there are none. If you have a local pet store, they may have fresher feeders, use them!
CHEERS!
Nick
Now I only have 2 grown male Panthers, it is more economical to buy at Petsmart and Petco for crickets and super worms. Fortunately I have stick insects, Green Banana Roaches, and Dubias to offer variety.
I began to compare Petsmart and Petco on the quality of the crickets and super worms, and wanted to share my findings. This reflects just 1 of each of their locations.
1. The crickets are not consistent at Petsmart, I have seen high death rates, up to 30% over 4 days, where Petco's seem to last longer. Better to buy from either company midweek when they first come in.
2. Superworms at Petsmart are actually gone through when the shipment comes in, they count how many are in the cup and they add to replace dead or eaten worms. I got a bit trusting, and didn't count the 50 count a couple of times, and decided to count them tonight. Instead of 50 there were 29 alive, with body pieces scattered in the bran. (Petco does not count and replace dead and MIA's). I paid $6.23 with tax, so The dollar cost of the missing Supers was $2.61.
Upon talking to the manager at Petsmart, I got the missing super worms replaced, and made the suggestion that they continue counting, but also add water crystals, as the super worms will eat each other if there is no water source. She said she might try that, but where she is from (Houston) the humidity is so high the Petsmart locations there don't have this problem…I just let that go... hydration through osmosis is not so effective, ya think?
With any live feeder, lack of hydration or food will weaken the insect, make it more vulnerable to health problems, and possibly kill it. The longer the insect is in transit and storage, the more food, hydration, and appropriate temperature is needed. When you have insect producers sending to distribution centers, who ship them again to your Petsmart/Petco, by the time you get them, they can be on their last legs.
My suggestion is to buy from the box pet stores, but be vigilant on the counts and the movement of the feeders. Local pet shops are becoming scarce, in the 90's there were 4 within 20 minutes of my home, now there are none. If you have a local pet store, they may have fresher feeders, use them!
CHEERS!
Nick
