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Your Feeder Insect HQ

Looking for the best live feeder insects for reptiles, amphibians, and small pets? Petsense is your go-to destination for crickets, superworms, dubia roaches, mealworms, and more. From protein-packed staples to calcium-rich treats, we’ve got the creepy-crawlies your pets crave—plus the know-how to keep them fresh and nutritious. Stop by your local Petsense store today and stock up on everything you need to keep your pets thriving.

Crickets

  • Nutritional Value: Classic feeder insect — good protein, lower fat, highly active (stimulates hunting).
  • Best For: Nearly all insectivorous reptiles, amphibians, tarantulas, and small mammals.
  • Care Tips: Keep in a dry, ventilated container with egg crates for space. Provide cricket feed and a water source (like gel water crystals which avoid introducing moisture to their environment).
  • Accessories: Calcium/vitamin powder for dusting, cricket gut-load.

Superworms

  • Nutritional Value: High in fat and protein, making them a great treat but not an everyday staple.
  • Best For: Bearded dragons, leopard geckos, monitor lizards, and larger reptiles that enjoy active prey.
  • Care Tips: Keep in a dry container with bran or oats; room temperature is fine. Provide slices of carrots or potatoes to keep them hydrated.
  • Accessories: Calcium powder for dusting; gut-load diets to improve their nutritional profile.

Dubia Roaches

  • Nutritional Value: High protein, low fat, soft exoskeleton (easy to digest). Considered one of the best staple feeder insects.
  • Best For: Bearded dragons, chameleons, geckos, arachnids, amphibians, and even some fish.
  • Care Tips: Keep in a ventilated bin with egg crates; need warmth (80–95°F) and fruit/veggies for hydration.
  • Accessories: Gut-loading chow; calcium/vitamin powder for dusting.

Feeder Insect Nutrition

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Hornworms

  • Nutritional Value: High moisture content, low fat, good source of calcium. Excellent for hydration.
  • Best For: Bearded dragons, chameleons, monitors, and other reptiles that benefit from hydration-rich feeders.
  • Care Tips: Keep in a ventilated cup with food provided (hornworm chow). They grow quickly, so feed out before they become too large.

Discoid Roaches

  • Nutritional Value: Similar to Dubia — high protein, easy to digest. In some states they’re an alternative to Dubia (due to legal restrictions on Dubia).
  • Best For: Bearded dragons, chameleons, monitors, geckos.
  • Care Tips: Keep in a ventilated bin with egg crates; need warmth (80–95°F) and fruit/veggies for hydration.

Mealworms

  • Nutritional Value: High in protein but have a tougher exoskeleton (chitin) which can be harder to digest. Better as an occasional feeder.
  • Best For: Lizards, turtles, birds, hedgehogs, and chickens.
  • Care Tips: Refrigeration slows their lifecycle. Keep in bran or oatmeal with veggie scraps for moisture.

Fruit Fly Cultures

  • Nutritional Value: Tiny, high-protein insects. Great for small amphibians and hatchling reptiles.
  • Best For: Dart frogs, baby geckos, small lizards, mantises, and arachnids.
  • Care Tips: Keep cultures at room temp; new generations hatch regularly.

Wax Worms

  • Nutritional Value: Very high fat, low protein. Best as a treat, not a staple.
  • Best For: Reptiles that need to gain weight or as a high-energy snack for picky eaters. Birds and hedgehogs also enjoy them.
  • Care Tips: Store in the refrigerator to extend their lifespan.

For more helpful information on small animal care, visit our species specific Care Guides

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Black Soldier Fly Larvae

  • Nutritional Value: Naturally high in calcium, excellent calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, soft-bodied and easy to digest. Makes a great addition or treat for adding variety.
  • Best For: Bearded dragons, geckos, chameleons, turtles, and amphibians.
  • Care Tips: Keep at room temperature in ventilated container; do not refrigerate.
  • Accessories: Usually no dusting needed due to their calcium levels.

Red Worms

  • Nutritional Value: Similar to nightcrawlers but smaller; good source of protein and easy for smaller animals to eat.
  • Best For: Smaller reptiles, amphibians, and fish.
  • Care Tips: Keep in bedding with moisture; avoid overheating.

Nightcrawlers

  • Nutritional Value: Moisture-rich, protein-packed earthworms.
  • Best For: Aquatic turtles, axolotls, amphibians, and some larger reptiles. Also used in fishing.
  • Care Tips: Keep refrigerated in soil or bedding; avoid letting them dry out.

Isopods

  • Nutritional Value: Excellent as a supplemental feeder; high calcium content. Also used in bioactive terrariums as cleanup crew.
  • Best For: Dart frogs, geckos, small amphibians, and bioactive reptile setups.
  • Care Tips: Keep in moist substrate with leaf litter; they thrive in humidity.

Pantry-stable Alternatives & Treats

Perfect for in-between feedings, treats, travel, and nutritional variety

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