When and why did crickets become the go to feeder insects?

[Digby Rigby]

Actually the reasons for crickets and mealworms being the go to is because of availability. Before people were keeping reptiles and invertebrates, people were fishing. So crickets and mealworms were commercially bred as fish bait. So before reptile keepers started happening, the infrastructure for breeding and marketing crickets and mealworms was already in place.

So because crickets and mealworms were already being commercially produced, that's what was used, and because people didn't know any better, there was no impetus to look for superior alternatives.

It took several years before we made the world safe for roaches and other alternative feeders. In fact one of my personal favorite things said about us is "Your feeders are cooler than my pets"

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

(I know that they can be semi easy to breed and you can get a massive colony of Dubia Roaches, but not all people are able to accept the fact that they can possibly spread a wide variety of diseases if not bred and cared for cautiously.)

The only way you could get a colony of dubias to spread diseases is to dump disease- ridden material on them and turn them loose.

As a general rule bugs are only as dirty and disease- ridden as whatever they live in or feed on... and usually they're cleaner.

 

[CladeArthropoda]

However some tarantulas won't be able to immediately figure out how to get to the soft bottom of the roach

Why would this be a problem? Don't tarantulas have giant fangs that can easily puncture the top of a cockroach?

 

[Twichlove]

Why would this be a problem? Don't tarantulas have giant fangs that can easily puncture the top of a cockroach?

Not exactly sure? My tarantulas just don't attempt to attack the top of a roach, and will leave it alone until it flips over.

 

[Twichlove]

The only way you could get a colony of dubias to spread diseases is to dump disease- ridden material on them and turn them loose.

As a general rule bugs are only as dirty and disease- ridden as whatever they live in or feed on... and usually they're cleaner.

Well you see, some beginners don't exact check the roach's status before they impulse buy the roaches, some breeders don't put a very good effort at breeding the roaches and will just store them into a box for clumsy buyers. Yes, usually the Dubia Roach usually doesn't transmit diseases, however some inexperienced pet keepers or people who bought from low quality buyers may think they do, thus leading them to keep crickets instead.

 

[CladeArthropoda]

Well you see, some beginners don't exact check the roach's status before they impulse buy the roaches, some breeders don't put a very good effort at breeding the roaches and will just store them into a box for clumsy buyers. Yes, usually the Dubia Roach usually doesn't transmit diseases, however some inexperienced pet keepers or people who bought from low quality buyers may think they do, thus leading them to keep crickets instead.

Are diseases with dubias and worse of a problem than with crickets?

 

[Twichlove]

Are diseases with dubias and worse of a problem than with crickets?

I'm assuming that by this you mean if Dubia roach diseases are worse than that of a cricket, I would say that the cricket definitely has more of an issue with that, being able to carry parasites and such.
But as i stated, some inexperienced buyers may think that Dubia Roaches have severe diseases that are common with House roaches, and could think that crickets are a superior alternative to dubia roaches, due to their common appearances at pet shops and the fact that they are not as commonly noted about diseases as the Roach family, even though well-cared Dubias usually aren't contaminated with diseases.

 

[CladeArthropoda]

I'm assuming that by this you mean if Dubia roach diseases are worse than that of a cricket, I would say that the cricket definitely has more of an issue with that, being able to carry parasites and such.
But as i stated, some inexperienced buyers may think that Dubia Roaches have severe diseases that are common with House roaches, and could think that crickets are a superior alternative to dubia roaches, due to their common appearances at pet shops and the fact that they are not as commonly noted about diseases as the Roach family, even though well-cared Dubias usually aren't contaminated with diseases.

So much of why crickets are more popular than roaches has to do with the negative stigma of roaches.

 

[Twichlove]

So much of why crickets are more popular than roaches has to do with the negative stigma of roaches.

That's part of the problem, the availability of Dubias are also a major cause.
Some people regularly use crickets and just refuse to change as well.

 

[CritterKeeper21]

I've had several T's absolutely refuse roaches. Didn't matter how hungry they were, but they'd jump all over a cricket. That being said, I still use roaches for all my herps which love them.

My scorpions won't touch anything but baby cockroaches. Too hard bodied if I had to guess. They will eat larger crickets though.