lol... funny stuff!!! Wouldn't you know it, I just happened to freeze a few babies for feeders today myself....
I don't feed them ground up though, that's far less nutritious than whole, warmed up baby... ::evil grin:: I even fed three babies to my snake, alive and squirming!!!! bwahahahahahaha!!!!!
lmao... the babies I refer to are, of course, rat babies.
So, anyway, lol... I use the following:
crickets - not all the time anymore, but I do prefer crickets for some of the herps, like my pacific chorus frogs (I don't like the way the roaches squirm around in their guts, it's terribly disturbing...) I'm not currently breeding, but if it get's warm enough this summer, i may set up a bin outside. The big lizards rarely get crickets (once a week or two), but the japaluras get crix a couple of times a week.
roaches - I am breeding B. dubias. I am quite happy with them as a feeder, and they don't gross me out as bad as I thought they would. The variety of sizes and ease of care are perfect for me. I feed these as the staple in sll my herps' diets (except the chorus frogs and the salamanders that live with them)
waxies - when I can get them at a decent price and the store will make sure I'm getting all live ones (most stores won't even let you pick through to swap the dead ones, and some will kick you out if they catch you doing it anyway). I feed these as a treat and when I need to put weight on someone. I might order some for my CWD, she's putting on weight, but I'd like to boost it a bit more.
phoenix worms - when I can get my hands on the large ones, I'll buy them, even at the astronomical price they fetch. They are just so nutritious. Now that I have some really small lizards, I may go buy some more.
spikes - I do feed my guys spikes. They are high in protein, soft bodied, easy to dust (they hold alot of it too, so they are good when you are feeding other things that are hard to keep dusted), don't escape a dish, and apparently tasty. That said, if you are going to try them, make sure you are getting farm raised spikes. I am confident that the ones I buy are clean and disease free.
mealies - I started breeding mealies more for the experience than because I actually feed them to anyone. I waste more of them than I'd like to admit... That said, my beardie is particularly fond of the pupae and the beetles. I gernerally won't feed him the beetles once they've turned black, but I do occasionally, and he likes them even more, lol... I think he likes to crunch them.
I feed the larvae to the japaluras and the anoles. This is one way I can be sure they are getting the supplements. I put the larvea in a sauce cup (like they have at restaraunts), then dump a bunch of the powder on top. They wiggle around enticingly, and the lizards get some of the supplements when they go after them. They get them once a week-ish.
supers - I use supers as a staple, but I'm currently out. I've been trying to breed them, with very little success... I never seem to get more than a few worms, but I might not be giving them enough water when they are small (microscopic is more like it!). I feed these to the big lizards and the rats (they love them, it's like chocolate to them, lol). I generally feed some at every feeding, offering them a variety every time. I've not had any trouble with impaction, they have much less shell than mealworms, and also a higher meat to shell ratio (the shell on these guys is very very thin, I'm talking thinner than rice paper). I don't feed the beetles off, but I do occasinally feed off the pupae, if I have a surplus.
other - I feed red wigglers to all of my herps, I've fed hornworms (great for dehydrated herps) as a treat, and I feed moths (never feed them anything colorful, only brown or grey) every time I can catch any (most of them go to the frogs or japaluras cause it's hilarious to watch them hunt them!). I feed other miscellaneous wild bugs to some of my herps, but generally only the native species. I also feed guppies to everyone on occasion, and the japaluras actually fish for them in their palu! It's awesome to watch. The coolest thing ever, in fact.
I used to give the CWD slugs and snails (she really really loves them, especially snails), but I don't anymore because of the risk of parasites. I may start a breeding project with them for her. It's funny to watch her eat them, since they slime up so much. She just keeps right on chomping through it though, lol...
Now, I'm sure that's way more than everyone wanted to know, but I'm nothing if not thorough and rambling.
Most common feeder insect
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