A lizard with the same feeding habits as a snake...

[Arachnaeoccult]

My only qualms with lizards is I would need to start breeding crickets to support many species eating habits (its a hassle to go to the store every day for them), I was wondering though if any of them are sufficiently fed off of frozen mice like my snakes. I was almost sold a baby chinese waterdragon without being told how big its cage was going to need to be and almost no details given about its diet except 'crickets'.

[eminart]

Breed roaches. Crickets suck.

But yeah, I really can't think of a lizard that doesn't eat a lot more than a snake. Monitors eat rodents, but a lot of them.

[Arachnaeoccult]

Breed roaches. Crickets suck.

But yeah, I really can't think of a lizard that doesn't eat a lot more than a snake. Monitors eat rodents, but a lot of them.

Is it the same as breeding crickets? Dirt to lay eggs, save the babies, etc etc.

[chairman]

If you're looking for a lizard that doesn't need to eat insects, crested geckos are a good choice. They do well on a powdered diet that you mix with water to the consistency of baby food. They do require misting at least once a day, possibly more depending on your setup. They also can't be allowed to get warmer than 80.

For a lizard that can eat mice, a blue tongue skink is an option. As omnivores they also require greens, fruits, berries, and vegetables. They eat meat on a schedule similar to snakes, feed them non-veggies too often and they suffer from obesity.

Outside of monitors and tegus, the only lizards left that I can think of are the Heloderma. But they're venomous, usually require permits and training, and are a terrible choice unless you've got a solid decade of reptile experience under your belt.

[sirtalis]

You shouldn't have to go to the store every day, I buy enough to last me two weeks (crickets) Breed roaches, they don't lay eggs, they give live birth which is a huge pro. Stay away from monitors for a first lizard, they need to eat a ton each day, I try to feed my peacock monitor twice per day for example, but I only feed my geckos every other day

[eminart]

Is it the same as breeding crickets? Dirt to lay eggs, save the babies, etc etc.

Nope. Dubia are very simple. Get a plastic tub. Put some egg crates in one end. Put a UTH under it. Feed them your leftover fruit and veggies, bread, cereal, and maybe some baby chick "mash" food. I started out with maybe 50 last year. I have THOUSANDS now. I'm probably going to start selling some off just because I don't use that many.

But, as others mentioned, a crested gecko or blue tongue would be a good option. Both can eat prepared foods.

[Minkness]

I am excited to start a few roach colonies actually. Green banana, orange spots, and dwarf hissers!

[Arachnaeoccult]

The dubia setup sounds excellent for my arachnids. The 80 temperature requirement sounds iffy. Florida is just way hotter than 80. How much can I push the AC on my snakes even? (my house gets hotter than outside)

[chairman]

Are dubia legal in Florida? For some reason I thought they weren't.

[chairman]

Just double checked, you can't have dubia in Florida. You need to go with discoids or lateralis if you want to feed roaches.

[Humble308]

+1 on the roaches. I HATE crickets...they're smelly and loud. I usually keep about 100 crickets in a 10 gallon tank or so and buy once every couple of weeks. I've tried breeding them and failed dismally, when you get them heated up and of breeding age they're also pretty loud if you choose to keep them in the house.

I recently started a dubia colony to feed my toads, frog, and recently aquired leopard gecko. The first thing you'll notice off the bat is that the roaches will have a musky smell almost like composted soil...I don't find it unpleasant in comparison to the very sharp stench of crickets. I keep them in a $5 blue plastic tub from the hardware store on a piece of wired up flex watt plugged into a dimmer. The whole shabang was less than $20. You can keep them at room tempature but I run mine around 80-85 degrees. It takes a little bit to get them going as they don't produce huge clutches, but mine are coming along nicely.

They're also bigger than crickets, which for critters like my America toad Big Momma, she can mow down 7-10 crickets without even thinking about...it doesn't help that the crickets you usually get from the pet stores are tiny. They also seem to be "meatier" if that makes sense and the protein counts are high if not higher than crickets.

The roaches do have a couple disadvantages though. They're a little expensive to get your starter colony, but that investment will more than pay for itself. They also scurry around and burrow and seem smarter than crickets haha. It's hilarious though to watch my leo on the hunt, digging through the substrate...or the toads straight running down the roaches. They're slow breeders as well not producing huge litters, but if you only have a few animals it wouldn't be a problem.

I will continue to feed crickets, but don't care for breeding them. Dubia is pretty much set and forget and watch your colony grow.

Also if you're looking for an easy to feed lizard you might check out leopard geckos. At the shelter we keep ours on mealworms exclusively with roach mixed in every few weeks. Hope that helps. All the best.

[Arachnaeoccult]

The colony will probably grow with my nid collection soundly. A frog or two might be a good way to keep em in check if I "have too many". They presumably reproduce as much as their enclosure size permits

[Bandit]

The colony will probably grow with my nid collection soundly. A frog or two might be a good way to keep em in check if I "have too many". They presumably reproduce as much as their enclosure size permitsOnce they get going, they don't stop. Doesn't matter how big the enclosure is.

[Arachnaeoccult]

they don't live long as escapees do they?

[chairman]

Most roaches are considered invasive species in Fl, which is why you're only allowed to own natives and species that they've given up on trying to eradicate. Most other places a dubia wouldn't last long but they'll thrive in a FL home.

[Bandit]

Yeah they will do fine if they escape.

[Arachnaeoccult]

Nevermind that crap. ugugughggh

[Mad Max]

I am excited to start a few roach colonies actually. Green banana, orange spots, and dwarf hissers!

A vendor had all of those at the last reptile expo I went to, so I bought a few dozen of the greens. The little guys really are pretty neat.

[AwesomeGuy376]

God i have respect for all you guys that keep roaches or insects (mostly Roaches). I cant stand those things i kinda freak out whenever im near one so disgusting XD Reasons ill never have lizards

[Minkness]

Lol. I used to he the same way, but I had leopard geckos before anything else and refused to deal with crickets. So after a few years of just meal, wax, and super worms, I decided to try dubias and my leos LOOOOVED them, so I decided to breed. When i first started, I couldn't even touch them and used tongs to get them out. After a while I got used to them and could just grab them by hand. After that I started to actually like them. I sold my colony because of time issues. Just didn't have time to clean them as often as I needed to in the small space I had. So now I'm really looking forward to some new species to work with!

[RAD House]

There is not a lizard that eats like a snake but there are definitely lizards that do not require insects as a food source. As some one else mentioned and I think may be the best option for a beginner is a crested gecko. They seem to thrive on a diet of powdered food that you simply mix with water. In fact there are several species of geckos that can be fed this food, such as gargoyle geckos and leachie geckos. Also there are several lizards that do well on entirely plant based diet, mainly iguanas and uromastyx. If the size of an iguana worries you there is a small species of iguana called a desert iguana.

[Mad Max]

I cant stand those things i kinda freak out whenever im near one

You should see what I feed them to.

[Minkness]

What do you feed them to?

[Mad Max]

I don't feed the green bananas to anything, but I feed dubia and hornworms to my ghost ornamental tarantula.

[Minkness]

Ooooh! I will be looking into getting a smithi later this year ^_^

Can tarantulas eat super worms?

[Arachnaeoccult]

I don't feed the green bananas to anything, but I feed dubia and hornworms to my ghost ornamental tarantula.

What are my options if roaches are too ugly for guests and crickets are too loud and smelly?

Do hornworms work for all 'nid species?

[Minkness]

Horn worms are huge and VERY expensive.

If you get a dark colored tub, roaches will be fine as they make no noise or smell. So unless you are purposfully showing them off, there should be nobissues with guests.

[eminart]

God i have respect for all you guys that keep roaches or insects (mostly Roaches). I cant stand those things i kinda freak out whenever im near one so disgusting XD Reasons ill never have lizards


Haha. I didn't like the idea either, but several years ago I had a juvenile bearded dragon along with a couple of leos that were eating me out of house and home. I decided to try dubia despite thinking they were kind of nasty. I got over it pretty quickly, and they were soon kind of fascinating. It was fun to drop food in there and watch it disappear. So, when my daughter and I got some tarantulas and new leos this past year, I decided to start a dubia colony again. It's not something I bring up to strangers, or really any non-herp people ("Hey guys, I have a bin full of thousands of roaches in my spare room at home...."). But, it really beats the hell out of buying feeders, and they're quality food.

[Bandit]

Dubia don't bother me much. I'm not a huge fan of the adult males with wings though. However, I think I'd rather crawl in the bin with the dubias rather than deal with American cockroaches. I know they aren't a food source in this discussion, but I can't stand them. I've handled plenty of insects/arachnids, free handled venomous snakes (which I don't recommend), and swam with sharks and alligators, but I do not want to come into contact with American cockroaches lol.

I think it's a combination of my mom being terrified of them and having horrid memories from childhood when I lived in a roach-infested house.

[Humble308]

I was very apprehensive of dubia. I think the general mindset is 'roaches....yea eff that'. But they're pretty cool little critters. I think they look more like pill bugs than American cockroaches. Beats the heck out of going to the pet store all the time to buy undersized crickets. Mealworms have been sitting in my leo's dish for days, but she'll nail the dubia as soon as she sees movement.

[Mad Max]

Ooooh! I will be looking into getting a smithi later this year ^_^

Can tarantulas eat super worms?

Cool. Poecilotheria are one of my favorite things to keep. Mine haven't really liked super worms though.

What are my options if roaches are too ugly for guests and crickets are too loud and smelly?

Do hornworms work for all 'nid species?

I only feed hornworms on occasion because I'm not sure of their chitin content. Roaches are probably the best staple. I know of a local pet store that sells single dubia and hornworms, so I don't have to keep feeders at my house unless one gets a temporary pardon from the spider.