Dexter's Giving Attitude

[2Pacalypse]

Not from my own experience but from research, Discoids are known to put on weight faster than Dubia, mature faster than Dubia, definitely reach a max size larger than Dubia, and reproduce at roughly double the speed of Dubia. However, they might be able to emmit a low level musk as a defensive odor. The other downside is that Discoids are not that easy to sex, maybe not possible from looking above while Dubias allow a very easy view of how many excess males you have that can be fed off.

As I said before, I would recommend combing Craigslist for established Dubia colonies. Even if you have to drive several hours to buy them, it will save you a year's time in getting a new colony up to feeding speed, which you would have to wait if you bought some breeders from the pet shop. Alternatively, there are massive Dubia kits, maybe $300 or something on eBay that are shipped with live arrival guarantee what would put you on better footing that starting with some 30 adult founders.

I was looking into the discoid & read they were actually better for beardies but I stopped right when I got to the part that they can climb. LOL

 

[Beardomania]

I was looking into the discoid & read they were actually better for beardies but I stopped right when I got to the part that they can climb. LOL

To the best of my knowledge, Discoids cannot climb smooth surfaces.

Discoids are also much rarer than Dubias and it's unlikely that you can find a cheap established colony on Craigslist like you could with Dubia. Either you'll need to actually take the time to start a colony from a ~$50 small group of adults or you might find something online and pay a few hundred for an established colony to be shipped to you.

 

[Beardomania]

I think someone here mentioned them as a good treat worm and called them Phoenix. No hard exterior, etc. Nasty looking things. I was cautioned to only give as treats as they are high in fat? I didn't hear of any cut-off on how long to give them. I assumed into and during adulthood. Not sure, but Dexter luvs them and would probably scarf more down if I gave him more. lol He eyeballs his bowl for more every time. When I mentioned it to the pet store they started ordering some for me. I just called them phoenix worms and they knew what I was talking about.

No, I think you have confused superworms and waxworms with Phoenix worms (black soldier fly larvae). Black soldier fly larvae are an excellent staple feeder for any age bearded dragon. Waxworms are the fattiest and I don't know what would happen if you overfed those to a beardie; perhaps obesity causing fatty liver disease and perhaps nothing. I know someone who raised a beautiful, vibrant, large, and healthy beardie from a hatchling feeding only superworms as his protein so I would question the conventional wisdom.

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

No, I think you have confused superworms and waxworms with Phoenix worms (black soldier fly larvae). Black soldier fly larvae are an excellent staple feeder for any age bearded dragon. Waxworms are the fattiest and I don't know what would happen if you overfed those to a beardie; perhaps obesity causing fatty liver disease and perhaps nothing. I know someone who raised a beautiful, vibrant, large, and healthy beardie from a hatchling feeding only superworms as his protein so I would question the conventional wisdom.

Oh, interesting. And probably true on the mix up. My old brain can only handle so much info. lol So, it's ok to give him more than 3-4 phoenix worms a day? Though, I might just stick to our regular feeding schedule as he doesn't seem to be having issues with what he's getting as long as I provide a variety. lol Not over weight (though he does have a belly), active, pooing regularly, etc.

I did see superworms available at the pet store for the first time Friday when I went in to get Dex's bug order. I didn't grab any as I wasn't quite sure if they were ok. Maybe I'll pick up some as a treat and see how Dex does with them.

 

[Skybug]

Discoids also dont musk, ive stuck my head in the container

Oh, interesting. And probably true on the mix up. My old brain can only handle so much info. lol So, it's ok to give him more than 3-4 phoenix worms a day? Though, I might just stick to our regular feeding schedule as he doesn't seem to be having issues with what he's getting as long as I provide a variety. lol Not over weight (though he does have a belly), active, pooing regularly, etc.

I did see superworms available at the pet store for the first time Friday when I went in to get Dex's bug order. I didn't grab any as I wasn't quite sure if they were ok. Maybe I'll pick up some as a treat and see how Dex does with them.

i feed super worms to my girl , she especially likes the ones that have just shed their skin.

 

[Skybug]

And i dont think discoids musk? Ive fed winged adults to my beardy, shes never spit one out? Ive stuck my head in their container and picked up the adults aswell, they actually dont stink at all, even the dirt i have never cleaned doesnt stink, and yea you gotta actually pick up the adults to sex them(only downside in my opinion)

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

Discoids also dont musk, ive stuck my head in the container

i feed super worms to my girl , she especially likes the ones that have just shed their skin.

Thanks Skybug. I'll pick up some this week and give them a try. Dex is spoiled and luvs variety as shown with his attitude when he wasn't getting his dubia along with his crickets. lol He might even give me extra cuddles if I do.

 

[Skybug]

Sorry if they aren’t the best pictures, their food is a little dry , that should always be wet(and they ate all the lettuce and grape i put in there) its not the prettiest setup, i can assure you ive never had mold/smell/bad stuff, ever (i think I have to many cleaner crew insects in there ) I constantly take out spring tails and add them to my beardys tank and my tokay geckos, I’ll probably do a dirt replenish soon cause im shure theres not mych organic matter in the dirt itself.

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

Thanks Skybug. I'll pick up some this week and give them a try. Dex is spoiled and luvs variety as shown with his attitude when he wasn't getting his dubia along with his crickets. lol He might even give me extra cuddles if I do.

BTW you've never seen a beardie scraf up dubia as fast as he did Friday afternoon. hahahahaha You'd have thought he was starving. Completely ignored the crickets and went straight for the roaches. I told him to slow down or he'd choke he was grabbing them up so fast. I had to take the crickets out as he turned his back on them yet again. Good news is he's now eating them again. [Yeah, I'm rolling my eyes]

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

Sorry if they aren’t the best pictures, their food is a little dry , that should always be wet(and they ate all the lettuce and grape i put in there) its not the prettiest setup, i can assure you ive never had mold/smell/bad stuff, ever (i think I have to many cleaner crew insects in there ) I constantly take out spring tails and add them to my beardys tank and my tokay geckos, I’ll probably do a dirt replenish soon cause im shure theres not mych organic matter in the dirt itself.
View attachment 25545View attachment 25546View attachment 25547

Wow those do look different than the roaches I get. Those actually look like roaches. Mine look more like the rolly-polly bugs I see out in the woods. Thanks for pics. Helps in set up. I've been cruising sites to see if I can't maybe get a ready made set up, but so far haven't seen anything that grabs my attention. And, boy they ain't cheap. lol Yikes! Watched a couple of videos too on peeps who made their own. I saw one video that had a black container that looked easy to make and the supplies needed to create I had most of. I'll go get a pic of mine for you.

 

[Skybug]

BTW you've never seen a beardie scraf up dubia as fast as he did Friday afternoon. hahahahaha You'd have thought he was starving. Completely ignored the crickets and went straight for the roaches. I told him to slow down or he'd choke he was grabbing them up so fast. I had to take the crickets out as he turned his back on them yet again. Good news is he's now eating them again. [Yeah, I'm rolling my eyes]

I had a really hard time feeding my girl crickets, She didnt like tha they could completely jump over her, shell chase down a roach like crazy but will have her me hand feed her crickets logic,.....

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

Sorry if they aren’t the best pictures, their food is a little dry , that should always be wet(and they ate all the lettuce and grape i put in there) its not the prettiest setup, i can assure you ive never had mold/smell/bad stuff, ever (i think I have to many cleaner crew insects in there ) I constantly take out spring tails and add them to my beardys tank and my tokay geckos, I’ll probably do a dirt replenish soon cause im shure theres not mych organic matter in the dirt itself.
View attachment 25545View attachment 25546View attachment 25547

Sorry about quality, just ran out and took pics with my phone, but these are the roaches I have.

 

[Skybug]

Wow those do look different than the roaches I get. Those actually look like roaches. Mine look more like the rolly-polly bugs I see out in the woods. Thanks for pics. Helps in set up. I've been cruising sites to see if I can't maybe get a ready made set up, but so far haven't seen anything that grabs my attention. And, boy they ain't cheap. lol Yikes! Watched a couple of videos too on peeps who made their own. I saw one video that had a black container that looked easy to make and the supplies needed to create I had most of. I'll go get a pic of mine for you.

My babies do kinda look like pill bugs, sorry shouldve showed u the babies as well , ours are identical except yours look just a little longer , they only get their wings in the final molt i think they molt like 8or11 times? , and yea they are expensive, just get him a cup of 20 1/2 see if he likes them any better, odds are he’ll only like the dubia, if you can offer him atleast 3 different kinds of bugs i think ur doin a good job( A chitinous bug, roaches ,meal worms or supers, squishy bugs, crickets, bsfl , hornworms

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

My babies do kinda look like pill bugs, sorry shouldve showed u the babies as well , ours are identical except yours look just a little longer , they only get their wings in the final molt i think they molt like 8or11 times? , and yea they are expensive, just get him a cup of 20 1/2 see if he likes them any better, odds are he’ll only like the dubia, if you can offer him atleast 3 different kinds of bugs i think ur doin a good job( A chitinous bug, roaches ,meal worms or supers, squishy bugs, crickets, bsfl , hornworms

Ohhh, I see. Mine may look similar to your adults if they were to age? Er . . . yuck . . . me squeamish . . . nahhhh. lol I got by on handling these ones by pretending they WERE rolly-polly bugs. hahahahaha

So I'm not sure how old these are or how many times they have molted as I just got them Friday. So, question: should/could I maybe grab a few and set them aside into a colony container and wait until they mature to find out what sex they are and go from there? Or should I just located fully developed breeders? Thoughts?

 

[Skybug]

You can do that to see how to care for them and watch them molt, but Youll be rasing them for 3-6 months though , id get a small colony thats off limits to eating, ive been through 3 small colonies so far(she ate all of the first one not smart on my part , second one died on me for an unknown reason and my 3rd is going great so far ive had this colony for 4 months and ive seen 3 eggsacks and all my females are preggers, if there’s anymore questions u have please feel free to ask I’ll answer to the best of my ability

 

[Beardomania]

Oh, interesting. And probably true on the mix up. My old brain can only handle so much info. lol So, it's ok to give him more than 3-4 phoenix worms a day? Though, I might just stick to our regular feeding schedule as he doesn't seem to be having issues with what he's getting as long as I provide a variety. lol Not over weight (though he does have a belly), active, pooing regularly, etc.

It's completely ok to feed black soldier fly larvae to a beardie until he can't eat anymore. However, buying Phoenix worms as a special order from your pet store is probably the most expensive way I can think of to get them since Phoenix worms have the highest upcharge of any company doing black soldier fly larvae and your pet store then takes another scoop at your purse. I recommend Grubterra, which will send you 1,000 large ones for $18 shipped with live arrival guarantee. Cheaper when you get more and 10% off if you subscribe. I would never buy Phoenix worms over this option.

Buy Fresh Black Soldier Fly Larvae Feed for Reptiles, Bearded Dragon, Turtle & Birds - GrubTerra

At GrubTerra, get most liked fresh black soldier fly larvae food that comes with protein fat and 75 times more calcium than mealworms for your pet. For more info visit us online!

grubterra.com

I did see superworms available at the pet store for the first time Friday when I went in to get Dex's bug order. I didn't grab any as I wasn't quite sure if they were ok. Maybe I'll pick up some as a treat and see how Dex does with them.

Yes, I feed my beardie superworms as a staple while I monitor his weight and appearance for obesity and allow him swim time. I have so far not seen any negative effects. I love superworms because they are huge, cheap (I got 2,000 for $43 shipped from Rainbow Mealworms) and can last a long time. In a tub of bran or oatmeal, they can last months if you provide some veggie and fruit scraps (banana peels, carrot peels, apple cores, etc...) 3 times a week. They are a hassle to breed, though and grow slowly.

 

[Beardomania]

And i dont think discoids musk? Ive fed winged adults to my beardy, shes never spit one out? Ive stuck my head in their container and picked up the adults aswell, they actually dont stink at all, even the dirt i have never cleaned doesnt stink, and yea you gotta actually pick up the adults to sex them(only downside in my opinion)

Supposedly, their musk is too weak to repel predators but can smell mildly unpleasant to humans when you harass them. However, different people have different experiences. If you Google, some people say that Discoids don't smell at all while others say they do emit a low level odor when bothered though it doesn't deter predation, at least not from the commonly kept reptile species. My take on this is that there may be different strains of Discoids or hybridized ones which have some differences in their abilities to create musk. A less likely situation is simply that there are differences in people's olfactory sensitivity.

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

You can do that to see how to care for them and watch them molt, but Youll be rasing them for 3-6 months though , id get a small colony thats off limits to eating, ive been through 3 small colonies so far(she ate all of the first one not smart on my part , second one died on me for an unknown reason and my 3rd is going great so far ive had this colony for 4 months and ive seen 3 eggsacks and all my females are preggers, if there’s anymore questions u have please feel free to ask I’ll answer to the best of my ability

Good to know. Thanks! I don't mind waiting 3-6 months, or longer, as I'm buying them anyway for Dex. I can continue purchasing while I try and establish a colony. I still have to get my set up going, but have plans to get everything ready this weekend if I can. Might be able to grab a handful out of the temp container before they are gone and start just to see what happens. Might be easier (and less disappointing) than buying established breeders and getting nada results because of my inexperience. And it's a great idea, like you mentioned, as a way to become familiar with care and such.

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

It's completely ok to feed black soldier fly larvae to a beardie until he can't eat anymore. However, buying Phoenix worms as a special order from your pet store is probably the most expensive way I can think of to get them since Phoenix worms have the highest upcharge of any company doing black soldier fly larvae and your pet store then takes another scoop at your purse. I recommend Grubterra, which will send you 1,000 large ones for $18 shipped with live arrival guarantee. Cheaper when you get more and 10% off if you subscribe. I would never buy Phoenix worms over this option.

Buy Fresh Black Soldier Fly Larvae Feed for Reptiles, Bearded Dragon, Turtle & Birds - GrubTerra

At GrubTerra, get most liked fresh black soldier fly larvae food that comes with protein fat and 75 times more calcium than mealworms for your pet. For more info visit us online!

grubterra.com

Yes, I feed my beardie superworms as a staple while I monitor his weight and appearance for obesity and allow him swim time. I have so far not seen any negative effects. I love superworms because they are huge, cheap (I got 2,000 for $43 shipped from Rainbow Mealworms) and can last a long time. In a tub of bran or oatmeal, they can last months if you provide some veggie and fruit scraps (banana peels, carrot peels, apple cores, etc...) 3 times a week. They are a hassle to breed, though and grow slowly.

Nice! I always want to go the less expensive route even though I don't need to. Just makes sense. Thanks for the info and I'll definitely pick him up some superworms my next trip in. Not that his worms last long enough to die off (his phoenix anyway), but thanks for the info on giving scraps for the supers, as well. I don't know anything about the worms. His phoenix seem to do fine in the grain looking stuff they come in, but I don't get them in bulk either. Usually 25 to a time.

I think I've ordered from Rainbow Mealworms before. Long ago. Not sure, but it sounds familiar. I'll go see if I have an account with them.

 

[Beardomania]

Nice! I always want to go the less expensive route even though I don't need to. Just makes sense. Thanks for the info and I'll definitely pick him up some superworms my next trip in. Not that his worms last long enough to die off (his phoenix anyway), but thanks for the info on giving scraps for the supers, as well. I don't know anything about the worms. His phoenix seem to do fine in the grain looking stuff they come in, but I don't get them in bulk either. Usually 25 to a time.

I think I've ordered from Rainbow Mealworms before. Long ago. Not sure, but it sounds familiar. I'll go see if I have an account with them.

Well, the reason lasting long is good is that is allows you to buy super bulk, which saves you money. 25 Phoenix worms will be gone in one feeding and will likely not be enough; they are small. That's why I wouldn't buy less than 1,000. Black soldier fly larvae are fine for a short period in their packing material but should be gutloaded with veggies and moist bread to keep them healthy and of maximum nutritional value in my opinion.