julissabriseno
Member
Does anyone know good places to buy crickets (in so cal) or even a website that ships them to you? Petsmart crickets are really not the best and they never give me anywhere near to the amount I ask for. TIA
Petsmart crickets suck
- Thread starter julissabriseno
- Start date
janjan20
Chameleon Enthusiast
Try rainbow meal worms or Josh's Frogs. I live on the east coast and get mine from Ghann's. But that's an option too. I think some of our sponsors sell crickets too. I also tend to go with banded crickets for my little guys. They will be transitioned to roaches when they are bigger. Crickets are just stinky and kind of a pain to keep IMO.
Klyde O'Scope
Chameleon Enthusiast
I keep hearing this, but the point was never driven home until just recently.
I've been getting med. crickets from a local independent pet shop—100 at a time. I've never detected any kind of odor from them at all. Due to the inclement weather last week, their shipment of crix didn't come in, so I had to find another (albeit temporary) source. So over the weekend, I tried Pet—.
Neither had med., so I had to get the large—a couple dozen from each—and try to pick out some smaller ones (picky eater). I didn't have them a day, and noticed the odor wafting out of the crix keeper—whew!
They look somewhat different than the local crix—IDK if it's just the size or if they're of a different species.
The locals should be back in stock soon, then some large crix are going to have to deal with the snow outside...
Multivitamins
Chameleon Enthusiast
Where abouts in southern california. The site has many sponsors that ship. im in San Diego and the reptile community is thriving many people raise their own colony I struck gold buying bugs from other keepers. Silks from a cham keeper dubia from beardie breeder. If you have multiple animals to feed raising some of your own may be a solution to allow quality control. I rent and can't get away with raising bugs at my spot. For a commercial option LLLis in escondido and san Diego. They are a small shop but are specialized to reptile so you can scoop some diverse feeders if needed
cruz.m
Avid Member
I go to the one in Esco they’re pretty good, they have banded crickets, bsfl which I love they sell them 200 for $10.00, super worms 100 for like $2-3 they’re very cheap just big for my cham so I can’t get them, I think they have dubias and roaches of some kind but most of them are adults (and sold more as pets for people), they also have hornworms. I haven’t been there in a month so I don’t know if they’ve added anything and I can’t remember if they had anything else.(they have mealworms but since those aren’t recommended for chams I didn’t include them) There are lots of LLLreptile shops in San Diego. I mostly order online though, coastal silkworms has great silks and dubiaroaches.com has dubias, supers, hornworms, bsfl, silks but those are always sold out. (They’re having problems with shipments so I haven’t ordered anything since my last order, but once everything is back up and running smoothly it’s a good source)
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dinomom
Chameleon Enthusiast
I am in SoCal and lucky to have a bird store and be able to order wholesale. Had been using Timberline-but got at least half of the shipment dead most of the time. They would replace but still...
So recently I was ordering some miscellaneous feeders from Josh's and decided to throw in 250 crickets.
OMG-first of all the packaging is just cool. Second, EVERY SINGLE cricket was alive and there was no smell. They have been living over 2 weeks and only maybe a dozen have died. I pretty much thought crickets are crickets but now I know better. I think the heat pack in there made all the difference and it was not extra $. True, you have to pay overnight shipping, but you also can throw in BFL, flies and lots of other fun feeders so it does not work out to that much.
Unfortunately at the moment they have delayed shipments a couple of days due to all the Fedex weather delays but that is temporary.
So recently I was ordering some miscellaneous feeders from Josh's and decided to throw in 250 crickets.
OMG-first of all the packaging is just cool. Second, EVERY SINGLE cricket was alive and there was no smell. They have been living over 2 weeks and only maybe a dozen have died. I pretty much thought crickets are crickets but now I know better. I think the heat pack in there made all the difference and it was not extra $. True, you have to pay overnight shipping, but you also can throw in BFL, flies and lots of other fun feeders so it does not work out to that much.
Unfortunately at the moment they have delayed shipments a couple of days due to all the Fedex weather delays but that is temporary.
Persnickety Parson's
Chameleon Enthusiast
I get my crickets either at ghans cricket farm, or Josh's frogs, I also order banded crickets, which are far better than the house crickets the chain stores sell.
While online is a tad more spendy, the quality is superior.
Also start raising roaches, you can't go wrong.
While online is a tad more spendy, the quality is superior.
Also start raising roaches, you can't go wrong.
ZEROPILOT
Avid Member
Funny
I went in for 40 medium crickets and got at least 300 of them.
ZEROPILOT
Avid Member
I've heard that about BANDED crickets
cruz.m
Avid Member
Some of them don’t care and just put a lot. Some pretend to count but I know they don’t, some put too little and some put too much depends on the employees. I don’t shop with them anymore though but they’re crickets are nasty and not well taken care of
banded crickets are definitely a better option but I stopped feeding crickets in general for now.
Klyde O'Scope
Chameleon Enthusiast
Huh.
Around here it's the opposite; both Pet—s carry banded, and they stink, whereas the local carries domestic crix that don't stink at all.Some claims made about banded (usually made by vendors who get more $ for banded) don't hold up (e.g. "softer exoskeleton", "more digestible"). Chiten content of Banded crickets is 9.6% while domestic is 8.1%. Domestic also have higher protein than banded.
https://dubiaroachdepot.com/images/feeder-insect-nutrition-comparison-chart.png
PoseidonTheChameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
I just had the same problem, joshes frogs sent me 500 dead crickets so I had to go to the pet store and they honestly look different, they stink like crazy and jump a lot moreI keep hearing this, but the point was never driven home until just recently.
I've been getting med. crickets from a local independent pet shop—100 at a time. I've never detected any kind of odor from them at all. Due to the inclement weather last week, their shipment of crix didn't come in, so I had to find another (albeit temporary) source. So over the weekend, I tried Pet—.
Neither had med., so I had to get the large—a couple dozen from each—and try to pick out some smaller ones (picky eater). I didn't have them a day, and noticed the odor wafting out of the crix keeper—whew!
They look somewhat different than the local crix—IDK if it's just the size or if they're of a different species.
The locals should be back in stock soon, then some large crix are going to have to deal with the snow outside...
PoseidonTheChameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
I wish I could stop feeding crickets but my only other staple option for a small cham is roaches which dubia roaches are illegal here and the discoid ones are like a dollar a peiceSome of them don’t care and just put a lot. Some pretend to count but I know they don’t, some put too little and some put too much depends on the employees. I don’t shop with them anymore though but they’re crickets are nasty and not well taken care of
Klyde O'Scope
Chameleon Enthusiast
An occasional superworm will provide some variety. You can get small ones—usually in cups of 25-100 at pet stores.I wish I could stop feeding crickets but my only other staple option for a small cham is roaches which dubia roaches are illegal here and the discoid ones are like a dollar a peice
Klyde O'Scope
Chameleon Enthusiast
IME, online vendors generally count by weight; it's easier than counting individual crickets.
In-person locals however (including Pet—), will count them out with a customer standing there.
IDK if that makes sense or not. A couple/few extra just creates goodwill & loyalty, IMO.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Start your own discoid colony. Super easy and you’ll never be without feeders again. Or try some Surinam. They are a little slower to reproduce, but they are drastically smaller than discoids.I wish I could stop feeding crickets but my only other staple option for a small cham is roaches which dubia roaches are illegal here and the discoid ones are like a dollar a peice
Ramrod
Chameleon Enthusiast
Yeah, they want to make sure they get paid for every single one.
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
Huh.
Some claims made about banded (usually made by vendors who get more $ for banded) don't hold up (e.g. "softer exoskeleton", "more digestible"). Chiten content of Banded crickets is 9.6% while domestic is 8.1%. Domestic also have higher protein than banded.
https://dubiaroachdepot.com/images/feeder-insect-nutrition-comparison-chart.png
Nah as far as the smell goes I think you have it wrong. Order banded from anywhere versus domestic, in the same conditions, banded smell MUCH less and live MUCH longer.
As far as that nutrition, that's extremely negligible. Chameleons eat a lot of beetles in the wild, tell me about their chitin lol.
