There are several ways to breed crickets for a bearded dragon. Some people believe that 500 crickets is a suitable number. Then again, it depends on the bearded dragon’s size and lifestyle. However, many people don’t know that a cricket breeding project takes more than 50 crickets. So, it’s important to start slow and work your way up to a higher number.
When female crickets are ready to lay eggs, they should be placed in a separate container, such as a pinhead. They will then push the eggs into the soil tub. The eggs will be white and look like tiny grains of rice. The soil should be moist when the crickets lay their eggs, otherwise they will dry and not hatch. In the meantime, you should keep the breeding colony at a temperature of 85-90deg Fahrenheit. The eggs will hatch after two weeks. Once they’ve emerged, you can then move them into a hatchling container, which will be the same as the breeding colony.
While crickets are generally considered safe feeder insects, you should monitor the behavior of your bearded dragon closely to ensure that it doesn’t suffer from any diseases or gastrointestinal problems. Feeder crickets are known to eat each other if left in the cage for too long. Also, make sure your beardie dragon’s cage is properly heated and has plenty of food. You can also offer live crickets to entice your beardie during feeding sessions.
When breeding crickets, keep in mind that younger ones are easier for beardies to handle. Adult crickets are too hard for their bodies to break down. Therefore, it’s better to stick with smaller crickets for the baby beardie dragon. As they get older, they can handle bigger crickets, although you must keep an eye on their size to avoid impaction. If you feed them a cricket with a long spine on the back, it can cause impaction.
You can offer your beardied dragon fresh leafy greens between feedings to maintain a healthy diet. Then, after the beardied dragon eats the crickets, you can give it some greens as well. It will eat up to 20 crickets within 15 minutes, so do not worry about letting it starve. Your beardie will love it! It will be glad you took the time to train him or her.
You can buy live crickets at bait stores, but keep in mind that these are not safe for your beardie. Worms can carry more diseases and parasites than crickets, so you need to buy them from a reputable reptile breeder or breed them yourself. Crickets are relatively cheap and easy to find. If you have a large beardie, you can feed him larger crickets, but they aren’t the right size for your pet.
As for feeding, you should buy at least 10-30 crickets for breeding and 500-1000 for feeding, and buy a heat bulb or pad, and make sure to keep the temperature of the housing at a constant 85o F. Using a thermometer will ensure that the crickets are alive at the correct temperature, otherwise they will not breed. You’ll also need to monitor the temperature of the housing and ensure that it is kept away from the bearded dragon’s reach.
