Pinhead Crickets better than FF ?

[MacMyers]

well the secret is this......

nearly every petstore in the UK sells crickets from pin heads to adult. un like the USA crikets are packed in containers and sold as is where as the US stores sell them buy the criket in most cases.

pin heads get sold in the same way, another thing i missed about the Uk live food suppliers is the fact they sell Locust (not for dart frogs) and i have never found locust for sale in the US.

Some pet stores in the US are starting to carry prepackaged Crickets under a company name called "BugBox". Comes with a food and water source and lasts a bit over a week. All you do is open the end and shake out a few. Petco carries them near me and Petstupid is testing them in a few stores now.

[PGB]

didnt realize how many nasties they carried hock:

just glad I dont use them for the darts.....

[MacMyers]

didnt realize how many nasties they carried hock:

just glad I dont use them for the darts.....

I've had zero problems raising my own from removed from the enclosure females. I've raised them since 1995. I've fed them to Pogona Vitticeps, Various Chameleo and Furcifer species, Waxy Monkey Frogs, Green Tree and Cuban Tree Frogs, along with Blue White's, a few Agama and Anoles species, and a Green Iguana before I knew better. No nasties at all. I think it's mostly a husbandry issue. It seems as if most other food sources would be susceptible to certain problems as well under the wrong conditions.
I looking into Darts now and I'll certainly use them as part of the most varied diet I can provide.

[Philsuma]

I used to buy the occasional 500-1000 count Cricket tub at all the Reptile shows I go and feed these out right away as a different or supplemental food item.

You have to be very careful, because the pinhead today can easily become the giant Weta sized bug in just a few short months of hiding out on the 'lamb in the viv and not getting eaten. Been there - seen it.

And as for Dart Frogs subsisting solely on Fruit Flies ? Absolutely and without problem as long as the superfine powders rotation is adequate. Terribilis and big darts too? Yep. A couple MD breeders have great success with just melanogaster even !

No need for crickets...ever. They are more problematic as a dart frog feeder. I don't ever recommend them.

[pa.walt]

i think the biggest problem people have with crickets is beinng able to buy the correct size. not many places have say pinheads and they are pinheads. also when you feed you don't dump alot in like you do with flys. when i feed flys i put alot more in than crickets.

[Philsuma]

I would never recommend Crix for Dart Frogs, even larger species.

Scott M breeds an insane amount of large tincs, terribs and bicolors on nothing but melanogaster. No crickets.

[BcsTx]

Phil I feed all of my frogs Mel's including my mints, they are happy and breeding.
I think the main point is ffy's are a staple and necessary for darts. Need to learn how to culture them BEFORE buying dart frogs.
Mentioned in this thread about nasties crickets carry one is "coccidia" which is incurable in darts and easily spread from one viv to another.
Just my .02

[Philsuma]

Fruit Flies are THE necessary staple for the Dart Frog hobby. If you try to feed nothing but pin head crickets, you will fail. The frogs will most likely die. It's just that simple of a warning.

Don't want/like/think ya need to culture fruit flies ? Pick another animal hobby, perhaps goldfish.