# Just got a bearded dragon(!!), where to get cheap crickets?



## Bunny (Oct 13, 2013)

Hi everyone,
as an xmas gift my husband was given a baby bearded dragon by his parents. Its adorable!!! Crickets locally are about $0.10/each. Not an exorbitant cost, but also not negligible. Supercricket.com I saw has crickets 1000/$24, but they also charge at least $16 in shipping. Is there anywhere locally that sells crickets at bulk prices?

Thank you all!


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## vdub (Apr 22, 2010)

Baby beardies are suppose to eat 30-40 pindead to small size crickets every day or at least mine did, so cricket cost is probably going to hurt.

Mr.Pets is the best that I can find at $39.99+tax for 1000. They have a couple of sizes, 2(quarter to half inch),3(half to three quarter),4(full inch)weeks. King eds will probably have a price very similar to Mr.Pets.

I have yet to see any locals that sell home bred crickets or at least at a price that's lower than what the pet shops offer. I'm breeding my own for my turtle and I'll probably offer them at a price similar to Supercrickets but without the shipping when my colony gets large enough.


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## Plumberboy (Jun 2, 2014)

A baby beardie is only gonna eat a few week old crickets every other day. Buy 25 at a time, and gut load them with healthy left over vegies. Carrots, and the leafy green ends, broccoli stalks, etc. Anything really. A box of 1000 would grow to adults and die, long before you fed them. Bok choy, broccoli, any dark green leafy vegies, dusted with calcium/mineral supplements, make great in between cricket meals. Get yourself a beardie book, and enjoy your new pet.


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## Plumberboy (Jun 2, 2014)

30 to 40 pinheads every day? Wow. I don't remember mine eating that much, but its been a few years. Maybe a box of a 1000 is the way to go!


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## vdub (Apr 22, 2010)

It's true, beardies are voracious eaters, small creatures with a very high metabolism. I remember mine was like a pooping machine, constantly eating and growing. But mine never did eat veggies until he was about 5 inches long.



Plumberboy said:


> 30 to 40 pinheads every day? Wow. I don't remember mine eating that much, but its been a few years. Maybe a box of a 1000 is the way to go!


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## vdub (Apr 22, 2010)

A box of 1000 is probably the best value for your money but crickets grow so fast given the right conditions. But you could always just keep them in a cool area and that'll slow them down.


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## kim86 (Sep 5, 2012)

To ensure you're able to use most of the crickets you buy before they die, get a big critter keeper or a large Tupperware type of bin with lots of ventilation to put them in. Use egg carton cardboard pieces for them to climb on and feed them fruits and veggies. That way even if your baby beardy isn't a fan of salads, they're secretly eating it via the crickets


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## Momobobo (Sep 28, 2010)

Bunny said:


> Hi everyone,
> as an xmas gift my husband was given a baby bearded dragon by his parents. Its adorable!!! Crickets locally are about $0.10/each. Not an exorbitant cost, but also not negligible. Supercricket.com I saw has crickets 1000/$24, but they also charge at least $16 in shipping. Is there anywhere locally that sells crickets at bulk prices?
> 
> Thank you all!


It doesn't seem like a lot but it does add up doesn't it?  I think I calculated out around $200-400 a year just on crickets when I had three little guys. They easily eat around 10 each everyday, and thats conservative with 20-40 being good for best growth (and at a very young age health). A few every other day is just not going to cut it, especially as babies.

King Eds has the cheapest price that I could find, $30 for 1000 and $20 for 500. Put your order in before Tuesday, pay and pick up on Friday. Easy peasy. $20 lasts me a month (well it should at least). Which puts me at $240 a year, but I get to spoil them!

Oh and do your best to get them on veggies early. Mine hatched in store and we got them on veggies right away. They chow down on veggies like crazy :bigsmile:


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## April (Apr 21, 2010)

You don't want to end up with crickets with their exoskeleton they are crunchy to chew. And when they do they start cricketing . 
Beardues are nice lizards though. 


Sent by tapatalk in north Burnaby


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## Sliver (Apr 19, 2011)

best value is to start a roach colony or buy an established one. they are more nutritious for your dragon and aren't as stinky or noisy as crickets. shoot me a pm if you decide take that route, i have an abundance at the moment.


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## scott tang (Jan 29, 2012)

Best place of found is pet culture you get 30-100%more then you order for same price the ones I get from King eds die bit thoes are the only two places o have bought from tho


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## Bunny (Oct 13, 2013)

Thanks everyone! 
I think a box of 1000 is going to be the way to go... we brought it (the dragon) home and after an hour or two it was scrabbling like mad at one side of its cage and we couldn't figure out why - then we realized that it was scratching at the corner closest to the cricket keeper... and it would start scratching again every time the crickets chirped 

And that was the end of 20 crickets.... He would have happily eaten more if we hadn't been rationing them until boxing day when we can get more.


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## kim86 (Sep 5, 2012)

Sliver said:


> best value is to start a roach colony or buy an established one. they are more nutritious for your dragon and aren't as stinky or noisy as crickets. shoot me a pm if you decide take that route, i have an abundance at the moment.


I wouldn't advertise having roaches out in public. They're illegal here and can result in a huge fine and confiscation of your reptile collection. Just a heads up


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## Kimrocks (Aug 30, 2011)

Train it to start eating pellets. Makes them easy to look after and not costly to look after. We have one that is going on more than 10 years old. Main feed is pellets. Spike has superworms and crickets from time to time as "Treats" not Main course. Blueberries and other veges are added from time to time.


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