Great video!! One of my geckos got pinworm parasites from crickets, and I haven’t fed bugs since then. Crickets are so disgusting and risky for not much reward due to how little nutrients they actually have. Been looking into roaches so I’ll have to give the Red Runners a try 👀 I’ll DM you!
Ur videos are really informative and its nice watching them. Ur cuts are set well and the media u use to pirtray everything fits perfectly. Also getting started in the crested gecko hobby, looking forward to see more from u.🙌🏾
Yes, in Florida they're illegal, and I would be cautious in Arizona and Nevada. Maybe California. But I have been feeding them to all my geckos for about 3 years now and no infestation
I'm a new ownwer and I was feeding my baby crckets for a year... I gave him some one day and she passed no one ever talks about this!!!! I knew my baby didn't just die thank you so much
I have a huge colony of dubia i raised from 50 little ones i got on ebay. I cant will myself to kill them.. i put a heater pad on it with HVAC tape. They are in the hundreds now and i don't know what to do? Whats a 100 worth? They are very clean and healthy. I feed them fresh vegetables and oat
I used to feed red runners to all my reptiles until I find out they can actually climb up on the plastic, especially the small one just like pinheads. They have pretty long lifespan. They can grow to the same size like American cockroach and with no problem living somewhere in your house. I switched back to crickets three years ago, but I still seeing those full size red runners running in my house on the floor on my cup. Really wanna get rid of it.
I wonder what state you live in. The red runners as new burns can climb on a very slightly rough surface, however in baby tubs they can if there's dried food or grime on the walls. If it's clean they cannot climb. Any of my escapees are dead within a day or two cuz it's too cold or humid
@@robbysreptiles I am in South east Asia now. The weather here is similar to Miami, hot and humid. You do reminds me I've never seen a single cockroache indoor in California.
I am so glad I found your video, I have been trying to find an alternative to crickets too. I've been giving my Leopard Gecko Grub Pie. I do have red runner but haven't tried them out yet. Thank you for the informative video.
My leopard gecko is actually blind as all fuck, so he kinda struggles with crickets and honestly he loves his 2 wax a week 4 meal with calcium and I’ve never gone back to crickets. I just bought a baby crested so I’m tryna find what he’s gonna love. Thanks for the advice
I've actually been wanting to switch to these. I had to treat be geckos a few times because of crickets.. I also find dubia were tough because they will hide and stay hidden. They weren't attractive to my geckos either. They love the fast movement of crickets, so red runners would be perfect! 👍
I agree on the red runner being the best alternative, by far. Which I don't understand is the smell issue with crickets. I've bred 1000s of crickets and never had any smell or allergic reaction (with dubias I had) or anything. All my geckos that eat insects will eat crickets but about only the 80% will eat runner as well. Idk, I prefer runners because they're a lot less work but crickets from time to time works good. I've had a worm issue once but I don't know if it was because of crickets. Good vid!
@@robbysreptiles not at all, just well ventilated bin with a good layer of dry substrate. And no fruits or vegetables, just a drinker like the ones for birds. Keep them dry and with good flow and won't smell at all!!
My gecko had pinworms and it only cost me $15 to get him a liquid treatment at a reptile vet (and a $30 fecal test). It really was no issue at all - so if you only own a few geckos going to the vet is a great option rather than trying to dose medicine yourselves (unless you are a professional).
I think I have a crested gecko with parasites from crickets. I’m gonna take him to the vet soon but should I be concerned about my other geckos getting it with him being in the same area?
I see where your coming from but from personal experience I like crickets their easy for me to take care of and I think put calcium on crickets is also good
is the risk of getting pinworms and the hassle of treating it as big of a deal if you only have 1 crested gecko? Or is it not as big of a deal with 1? Also would you recommend keeping a colony of red runners if you only have 1 gecko? I’m just curious if it would get out of hand and I’d end up with too many. I’m planning on getting a crested gecko once I move out and I will be living in an apartment with 2 of my friends so I don’t really want to have a big colony of bugs there if I can avoid it and if it’s not necessary to have! Also this video is beautifully produced and you’re very well spoken I’m surprised you don’t have more subscribers!!!
@@robbysreptiles oh is that what you use to treat it? I have amphibians mostly, I wanted to treat them for a preventative once a year. I'll research it.
I treat my crickets with proboscis and prebiotics. And have never had a problem with them .I clean their enclosure every few days along with baby food with calcium. They even. Breed in my enclosure. My gecko loves them. I have never heard of pin worms,but his poop is healthy .I will have to look up red runners as I have never heard of them before either.
ahhh I sometimes hate living in Florida :( If I can find red runners around here maybe I'll get a colony, but now I know that crickets are no longer a good idea.
Idk if you'll reply buttttt Is it OK if I still feed my Crested Gecko (who I assume is almost a adult) crickets still? I only feed him 2-3 (depending on how hungry he is or if he's shedding and needs a boost), and I never feed him ones that are already dead, only ones that are pretty much on there death bed if they need to go. I have a massive fear of roaches and my mother can't stand them either, but I don't have a massive cricket colony, I buy like, 20-30 from the pet store and until I run out I buy more, I don't wanna breed bc of the issues you mentioned (and the smell lmao)
A cricket that's about to die is probably the worst thing to feed to your geckos. I would only feed crickets you've kept for a week and gutloaded appropriately
I occasionally give my crested gecko some wax worms he seems to love them but I do wanna try and get him to eat a selection of insects and paste food mostly pangea ATM can anyone recommend me some good insects please?
I tried to do the cricket 🦗 keeping like 100 tops at time and don't like it. I keep a few morphs of isopods for bioactive setups and for fun. I notice he loves hunting for them when he wakes up. Loves wax worms, hates mealworms,hates black soldier fly larvae, I tried them all. Do you think the isopods would be good enough bug for him ? they are higher in calcium then crickets I think not sure bout protein. I also feed pangea and repashy.
@@robbysreptiles a fully grown dairy cow isopod is pretty big almost size of a cricket. They very easy to keep also. And yea the impaction thing is an issue. Even with crickets I had to watch him eat them when I put them in. Sometimes got little moss, I would have to take out of mouth. He loves crickets :( but the sheds the smell the keeping alive and also stuff you said. I'm in Canada so roaches are not legal. Any other ideas lol ?
What about silk worms? I've found them on Josh's frogs. I will be getting my first crested gecko on the first when I finish paying for her and get her setup in. I am glad I found this video before I bought her crickets. I was again intending on buying them through Josh's frogs, so maybe they would be less likely to have issues?
I have no idea I just know alot of crickets carry it! I have never bought from them so I cannot comment on it. I'm sure they're fine. But red runners are awesome
The quality of crickets care since they're mass produced so commonly is very low. Leading to poor conditions allowing them to get parasites. Also from what I know there aren't other bugs that have it nearly as common, crickets are prone to carrying them
I haven’t started feeding crickets to my crested gecko yet cause I’m scared of her getting a parasite my dad is fine with crickets but he doesn’t like roaches I’ve seen so many people feed crickets and everyone recommends them I talked to a lot of people at a reptile expo recently (specifically crested gecko sellers and breeders) and all of them recommended crickets I’m still not sure what to do I’ll see if I can try the red runners to as my friend recommended me to them
What about Gargoyle Gecko's? My Gecko refuses diced fresh apple's, mango, melons, mealworm's, roaches, and the pet store food brand's as well! I acquired this fellow for free and have the proper caging and lights as well as a mister and fogger used in conjunction with a herpstatt and timers.. Any suggestions on how too get him too eat a healthier diet? Unfortunately he won't touch anything else🙄 I'm more of a snake 🐍 guy personally so this Gargoyle 🦎 lizard is very new too me...
If you raise crickets and they smell bad, that's most likely the fault of the keeper. I raised crickets over the course of a year, breeding thousands of them over the span of 14 generations. Never had they ever smelled bad at all. I don't know why people have this issue, but it's not normal, and is easy to prevent if you keep them correctly. I'm just sick and tired of hearing this same point from so many hobbyists who don't know what they're doing.
@@robbysreptiles Oh, no. Definitely not. I still had other issues to work out instead, like limiting cannibalism, and maintaining genetic diversity on a small scale. I got out of crickets entirely, and raise various roaches as replacement feeders. Between crickets and red runners(or other roach species, like dubias), roaches win everytime. It's no contest. Crickets are higher maintenance and low reward. Really, the only positive is that they have very short generation time, females can lay hundreds of eggs, and active insectivorous reptiles enjoy chasing them.
Pet stores hate him for this one crazy life hack you won't believe!
🤣
5:05, you had an albino there 🤣
Great video!! One of my geckos got pinworm parasites from crickets, and I haven’t fed bugs since then. Crickets are so disgusting and risky for not much reward due to how little nutrients they actually have. Been looking into roaches so I’ll have to give the Red Runners a try 👀 I’ll DM you!
Can't wait!
Following for the update lol
Ur videos are really informative and its nice watching them. Ur cuts are set well and the media u use to pirtray everything fits perfectly.
Also getting started in the crested gecko hobby, looking forward to see more from u.🙌🏾
Thank you man!
@@robbysreptiles ur very welcome
Keep in mind in some states red runners are considered an invasive species and can infest your house. Same with Lobster roaches
Yes, in Florida they're illegal, and I would be cautious in Arizona and Nevada. Maybe California. But I have been feeding them to all my geckos for about 3 years now and no infestation
Lobsters I wouldn't keep or feed to them lol
What great timing. My parents beardie* got pinworm from some crickets they bought at a local pet store. Nice find on the alternatives!
Sorry to hear that!
The red runners are my geckos favorite! I also offer mealworms, and one of my geckos prefers the dubia.
I'm a new ownwer and I was feeding my baby crckets for a year... I gave him some one day and she passed no one ever talks about this!!!! I knew my baby didn't just die thank you so much
mealworms bowls that are escape proof are also another options for mealworms
Im a new crested owner and mine hates crickets 😅. So this is amazing thank you!!
You're welcome
Went through the same in my feeder experience, been feeding runners for years now. They multiply like crazy as well.
They do!
I have a huge colony of dubia i raised from 50 little ones i got on ebay. I cant will myself to kill them.. i put a heater pad on it with HVAC tape. They are in the hundreds now and i don't know what to do? Whats a 100 worth? They are very clean and healthy. I feed them fresh vegetables and oat
I'm not sure what 100 is worth!
love your videos!! Amazing content! Keep it up I binge watch these
Thanks wyatt!
I used to feed red runners to all my reptiles until I find out they can actually climb up on the plastic, especially the small one just like pinheads. They have pretty long lifespan. They can grow to the same size like American cockroach and with no problem living somewhere in your house. I switched back to crickets three years ago, but I still seeing those full size red runners running in my house on the floor on my cup. Really wanna get rid of it.
I wonder what state you live in. The red runners as new burns can climb on a very slightly rough surface, however in baby tubs they can if there's dried food or grime on the walls. If it's clean they cannot climb. Any of my escapees are dead within a day or two cuz it's too cold or humid
@@robbysreptiles I am in South east Asia now. The weather here is similar to Miami, hot and humid. You do reminds me I've never seen a single cockroache indoor in California.
Definitely want to buy some if you are selling some red runners. I only have 1 crested gecko so I don't need many. Great video!
I am! Dm me
I am so glad I found your video, I have been trying to find an alternative to crickets too. I've been giving my Leopard Gecko Grub Pie. I do have red runner but haven't tried them out yet. Thank you for the informative video.
You're welcome!
My leopard gecko is actually blind as all fuck, so he kinda struggles with crickets and honestly he loves his 2 wax a week 4 meal with calcium and I’ve never gone back to crickets. I just bought a baby crested so I’m tryna find what he’s gonna love. Thanks for the advice
My leopard has never been larger and more vibrant than ever switching to meal and wax only
He definitely wouldn't be able to catch red runners lol
I've actually been wanting to switch to these. I had to treat be geckos a few times because of crickets.. I also find dubia were tough because they will hide and stay hidden. They weren't attractive to my geckos either. They love the fast movement of crickets, so red runners would be perfect! 👍
They are!!!
So glad I watched this, I had no idea. I won’t be feeding crickets anymore
Another one has switched to the dark side
I agree on the red runner being the best alternative, by far. Which I don't understand is the smell issue with crickets. I've bred 1000s of crickets and never had any smell or allergic reaction (with dubias I had) or anything. All my geckos that eat insects will eat crickets but about only the 80% will eat runner as well. Idk, I prefer runners because they're a lot less work but crickets from time to time works good. I've had a worm issue once but I don't know if it was because of crickets.
Good vid!
You must have a bad sense of smell haha crickets smell like decaying vomit
@@robbysreptiles not at all, just well ventilated bin with a good layer of dry substrate. And no fruits or vegetables, just a drinker like the ones for birds. Keep them dry and with good flow and won't smell at all!!
@@apreptileses8305 Im pressing X to doubt
My gecko had pinworms and it only cost me $15 to get him a liquid treatment at a reptile vet (and a $30 fecal test). It really was no issue at all - so if you only own a few geckos going to the vet is a great option rather than trying to dose medicine yourselves (unless you are a professional).
You could use an over the counter product too but I'm not a vet
Redrunners is what i am going to use they work great for all my scorpions
I bet!
My crestie likes black soldier fly larvae. They wiggle a lot and grab their attention also super healthy feeders
Never tried but any insects are good!
They are absolutely great for calcium also.
I think I have a crested gecko with parasites from crickets. I’m gonna take him to the vet soon but should I be concerned about my other geckos getting it with him being in the same area?
good input
Thank you! And yes on bowls but then I would need to buy 50p
500
The chickens? 😭😂😂😂 started laughing loud it's 2 AM
I see where your coming from but from personal experience I like crickets their easy for me to take care of and I think put calcium on crickets is also good
is the risk of getting pinworms and the hassle of treating it as big of a deal if you only have 1 crested gecko? Or is it not as big of a deal with 1? Also would you recommend keeping a colony of red runners if you only have 1 gecko? I’m just curious if it would get out of hand and I’d end up with too many. I’m planning on getting a crested gecko once I move out and I will be living in an apartment with 2 of my friends so I don’t really want to have a big colony of bugs there if I can avoid it and if it’s not necessary to have! Also this video is beautifully produced and you’re very well spoken I’m surprised you don’t have more subscribers!!!
If you only have one, disregard my key points :) panacur is also only 10 dollars on amazon
@@robbysreptiles oh is that what you use to treat it? I have amphibians mostly, I wanted to treat them for a preventative once a year. I'll research it.
Great I’ve given mine two so far
Sorry for ur experiences with roaches
Is there any liability if your gecko dies of a parasite from a cricket?
Nope
@@robbysreptiles interesting
have you ever try earthworms？ I want to feed them earthworms，dont know will it work or not
I have not and I wouldnt
Huh, sounds like interesting alternative, will think about it
Good!
I treat my crickets with proboscis and prebiotics. And have never had a problem with them .I clean their enclosure every few days along with baby food with calcium. They even. Breed in my enclosure. My gecko loves them. I have never heard of pin worms,but his poop is healthy .I will have to look up red runners as I have never heard of them before either.
Cool!
What kind of medication do you feed your crickets
Would you blend up meal worms too ?
Yes
Great video doing research plan to get into the hobby this coming year
Good luck!
red runners will infest your house if they get out a great alternative to cricket Goblin roaches
Only if you are in extremely hot and humid climates. Aka Florida. In Cali, texas, and pretty much anywhere else you are A okay
@@robbysreptiles thank you for the information .. you should check out Goblin roaches
@@DEAexotics I will! I plan to become a source for feeder insects too
You bought 2,000 lobster roaches but didn't realize they climb?!?! Sorry to hear this.
Lol I'm spontaneous
i got bit by a cricket once.. freaking hurts bro
Dang I can't imagine lol
And won’t your crested get impaction if the roaches are running over the sub starts and digging
Paper towels
LMAO “👀 👈👈 that sh*ts goin in my mouth”
Is true
Can crested geckos eat German roaches aswell?
Probably!
Thank u for sharing ur experience! For reals ur the man!
You bet
One of my crested wears roaches as hats 😂
Based
ahhh I sometimes hate living in Florida :( If I can find red runners around here maybe I'll get a colony, but now I know that crickets are no longer a good idea.
They're okay just be cautious for bloody stools then you know they got worms
Cries in Florida.
I'm sorry Florida man :(
I also feed red runners! Me and my Geckos love them!
You eat them too? Weird
@@robbysreptiles might be some good protein for humans as well 🤔🤔
can cricket KILL marble gekos
No idea
Idk if you'll reply buttttt
Is it OK if I still feed my Crested Gecko (who I assume is almost a adult) crickets still? I only feed him 2-3 (depending on how hungry he is or if he's shedding and needs a boost), and I never feed him ones that are already dead, only ones that are pretty much on there death bed if they need to go.
I have a massive fear of roaches and my mother can't stand them either, but I don't have a massive cricket colony, I buy like, 20-30 from the pet store and until I run out I buy more, I don't wanna breed bc of the issues you mentioned (and the smell lmao)
A cricket that's about to die is probably the worst thing to feed to your geckos. I would only feed crickets you've kept for a week and gutloaded appropriately
@@robbysreptiles ok tysm
If you feed your crested geckos red runners ever since they hatch do they need to be accustomed to eat other bugs like dubia toaches or crickets?
No they'll have a strong feeding response regardless, but red runners are so bright and they move alot
I Like ur honest opinions I wonder if they even have crickets in new caladonia
Probably, but who knows. I'm working on going there
What’s an alternative for people in Florida? Red runners are illegal here.
Turning to god
Thank you so much for this.. I got tired of worms and stopped feeding them a long time ago!
Glad I could help!
just saw this any thing else then roaches i can not look at roaches with out feeling tingly cuz they creepy to me
Meal worms? But they are also creepy crawly and the geckos often miss them
@@robbysreptiles ok thank you ill try im used to meal worms already because my leopard gecko but roaches are just to wierd for me
wait where can you buy runner roaches from
Ebay, or me
ah lol you have a website?
@@curlyyr6553 Yes but its being built, just dm me on instagram
Wanted to ask are you using the liquid or powder panacur?
Horse paste
I occasionally give my crested gecko some wax worms he seems to love them but I do wanna try and get him to eat a selection of insects and paste food mostly pangea ATM can anyone recommend me some good insects please?
Literally red runners
Can bearded dragons eat red runners?
Easily!
I tried to do the cricket 🦗 keeping like 100 tops at time and don't like it. I keep a few morphs of isopods for bioactive setups and for fun. I notice he loves hunting for them when he wakes up. Loves wax worms, hates mealworms,hates black soldier fly larvae, I tried them all. Do you think the isopods would be good enough bug for him ? they are higher in calcium then crickets I think not sure bout protein. I also feed pangea and repashy.
Too small once an adult and if he's bioactive it will most likely lead to compaction
@@robbysreptiles a fully grown dairy cow isopod is pretty big almost size of a cricket. They very easy to keep also. And yea the impaction thing is an issue. Even with crickets I had to watch him eat them when I put them in. Sometimes got little moss, I would have to take out of mouth. He loves crickets :( but the sheds the smell the keeping alive and also stuff you said. I'm in Canada so roaches are not legal. Any other ideas lol ?
@@HesheR82 Nope sounds like isopods are your best bet lol
Is there other places to purchase Red Runners other than eBay? If not, what seller did you get them from on eBay?
Hehe he I am selling them :D
Oooo yay!! 😄 how should I go about purchasing them from you?
What about silk worms? I've found them on Josh's frogs. I will be getting my first crested gecko on the first when I finish paying for her and get her setup in. I am glad I found this video before I bought her crickets. I was again intending on buying them through Josh's frogs, so maybe they would be less likely to have issues?
I have no idea I just know alot of crickets carry it! I have never bought from them so I cannot comment on it. I'm sure they're fine. But red runners are awesome
@@robbysreptiles I saw another response where you stated you sell red runners. What website do you use, as I'm more than willing to give them a try.
Just dm me on instagram! Rn im runniong low so dont want to sell too many more
Do you feed them the mixes that you add with water? Mine seem to only want insects.
Yes
Would you recommend wax worms, into their diet? Maybe once or twice a week?
Absolutely, blend em up
Ok awesome! I've got a juvenile that's a few months old. Maybe 3 or 4 in weight. How often would you blend wax worms into their diet?
@@criticalhitz481 no idea, but I can't imagine it hurts them in any way. They will eat what they like
@@robbysreptiles Kool deal bro! Thank you so much my friend!
Does the same no cricket rule apply to Pac-Man feogs
I wouldn't say rule, it's just my suggestion. And I am not familiar with pacman frogs so I can't say, but they would probably do well on dubia
@@robbysreptiles I don't have a space to put a roach colony but he has been doing quite well on calcium dusted crickets
That's great to hear! Just keep an eye out for blood in the stool and have panacur on hand
Dubia roaches smell worse then crickets
Hey I’m curious as to how crickets are full off parasites and other insects aren’t?
The quality of crickets care since they're mass produced so commonly is very low. Leading to poor conditions allowing them to get parasites. Also from what I know there aren't other bugs that have it nearly as common, crickets are prone to carrying them
Don’t feed my geckos any insects and they are fine and growing well just taking a little longer
What do you feed them?
Love the edit lol
Thank you
I use red runners
Based
@Robby's Reptiles haha i was a tarantula keeper before i got into geckos. Red runners were just what i had so its nice that i did something right lol
I haven’t started feeding crickets to my crested gecko yet cause I’m scared of her getting a parasite my dad is fine with crickets but he doesn’t like roaches I’ve seen so many people feed crickets and everyone recommends them I talked to a lot of people at a reptile expo recently (specifically crested gecko sellers and breeders) and all of them recommended crickets I’m still not sure what to do I’ll see if I can try the red runners to as my friend recommended me to them
Up to you, you can have panacur on hand in case you get a bad batch of crickets and they give your geckos worms
Will they infest if they get lose? Can you mix dubias and red runners in the same colony
They will not infest unless you're in florida
I wouldn't mix
What about Gargoyle Gecko's? My Gecko refuses diced fresh apple's, mango, melons, mealworm's, roaches, and the pet store food brand's as well! I acquired this fellow for free and have the proper caging and lights as well as a mister and fogger used in conjunction with a herpstatt and timers.. Any suggestions on how too get him too eat a healthier diet? Unfortunately he won't touch anything else🙄 I'm more of a snake 🐍 guy personally so this Gargoyle 🦎 lizard is very new too me...
Just feed them whatever they'll eat. I am not familiar with gargs
If you raise crickets and they smell bad, that's most likely the fault of the keeper. I raised crickets over the course of a year, breeding thousands of them over the span of 14 generations. Never had they ever smelled bad at all. I don't know why people have this issue, but it's not normal, and is easy to prevent if you keep them correctly.
I'm just sick and tired of hearing this same point from so many hobbyists who don't know what they're doing.
Then you must be the best keeper of crickets ever!
@@robbysreptiles Oh, no. Definitely not. I still had other issues to work out instead, like limiting cannibalism, and maintaining genetic diversity on a small scale. I got out of crickets entirely, and raise various roaches as replacement feeders. Between crickets and red runners(or other roach species, like dubias), roaches win everytime. It's no contest. Crickets are higher maintenance and low reward. Really, the only positive is that they have very short generation time, females can lay hundreds of eggs, and active insectivorous reptiles enjoy chasing them.
@@Bunny-ns5ni The red runners live a year, reach maturity in 3 months, and their massive production and literally 0 maintenence is awesome
@@robbysreptiles they can't be beat 😄