Understanding how different livefoods are used has enormous impact on animal welfare . This guide looks into the range of invertebrate prey available and discusses the features and benefits of each.

CRICKETS

Super crickets?
The story of House Crickets in the reptile trade is an interesting one. The species was once the backbone of the livefood trade and was the most popular prey insect until the late 1990s when they were essentially wiped out by a paralysis virus which affected captive colonies all over the world.

It’s not entirely clear where the virus came from but its effect was devastating, killing the insects before they could reach maturity. As a result the trade switched to producing other cricket species, such as Silent Crickets and Banded Crickets, which we’ll discuss later. A few people attempted to breed House Crickets in the following years, but most failed as the virus took hold. Only a handful of small colonies were able to exist virus free. Only in recent years have virusfree colonies been able to establish themselves, but the virus worry remains a constant threat. While livefood suppliers do currently produce House Crickets, they also have colonies of other brown crickets alongside as a safeguard against catastrophe should the virus take hold again.

The virus-free House Crickets seems to share a common trait. Many of the crickets in our virus-free colonies have increased red pigmentation, and it is this red strain which appears to be able to resist the issues caused by the virus. Whether these red House Crickets are a hybrid or a regional variety, nobody knows. However, producers are favouring these red mutations in the hope that they will prove to be the answer to the virus problem.

House Cricket (Acheta domesticus)
House Crickets have been an industry favourite for decades, and for good reason. They’re easy to produce and resistant to cold, making them suitable for shipping during the cold winter months. They’re ideal for all of the most popular insectivorous pet reptiles and, if it weren’t for the cricket virus, these would likely be the only brown cricket available in stores.

Silent Cricket (Gryllus assimilis)
Although this species is quieter than other crickets, it is something of a misnomer to call it silent. Male Silent Crickets do chirp when they reach adulthood, and indeed, this species is more commonly called the Jamaican Field Cricket in entomological circles. These became the most popular and best-selling cricket species following the cricket paralysis virus which killed off House Cricket colonies.

They are similarly slow moving, but can be aggressive. They also grow quickly and get to be somewhat bigger than House Crickets, which makes them a good option for larger pet reptiles such as Beardies, but some care is needed if you are buying these for smaller species of reptiles or amphibians. Should a small Silent Cricket get lost in an enclosure, they could quickly grow to become predatory to small species such as Dendrobates. Silent Crickets are a fantastic livefood and, so long as common sense is used to select the right size, these are a great prey item. It’s no surprise that these are the most popular brown cricket in the pet trade.

Banded Cricket (Gryllodes sigillatus)
This species was another which came to the market because of the paralysis virus which killed off House Cricket colonies. The jury is out on this species, with many herpers believing them to be problematic in some circumstances. They’re fast and jumpy, which means they’re difficult for animals to catch and more likely to escape and get lost in the keeper’s home.

As a tropical species it’s not keen on cold weather and susceptible to dying during transit if shipped in the colder months – a real pain when you’re waiting on a delivery which then arrives dead. They’re also more aggressive and likely to turn from prey to predator if they get left uneaten. They’re also a relatively smaller species which, depending on the animal you want to feed, can be a pro or a con.

Black Cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus)
It’s a mystery why these crickets are at all popular with keepers, given they are almost identical to the Silent Cricket in behaviour and appearance – colouration aside. They’re from the same family of crickets as the Silents, but have a major disadvantage. They can be a bit stinky.

The pheromone odour this species emits when stressed is off-putting to many reptiles and amphibians, and animals which have never seen a Black Cricket before will often refuse to eat them. They’re also the noisiest of all the cricket species produced for the pet trade. On the plus side, it’s a relatively cold-tolerant species which ships well during the winter. And some keepers just like them, usually old-school keepers for some reason.

LOCUSTS

Locusts are by far the most popular livefood on the market today. There are several reasons for this, most notably the benefit of convenience for the keeper. Crickets can easily escape and evade recapture, progressing to hide away somewhere in the home to chirp annoyingly for days or weeks on end. Add to that the fact that few normal people (as opposed to reptile enthusiasts like us) are happy with the idea of having free-range insects in their home, and you can see why locusts are the go-to livefood choice for many.

However, the real reason for locust domination has been the popularity of the Bearded Dragon. Locusts are, of course, an ideal choice for these popular pets, and as Beardies became more popular, so did locusts. Leopard Geckos and Yemen Chameleons also favour locusts, thereby compounding their dominance at the top of the livefood league. Chameleon keepers particularly favour locusts as they will more likely climb up to be eaten, rather than hiding in the substrate like a cricket often does.

The vast majority of the locusts available in stores are the Desert Locust (Schistocerca gregaria). These took over from the historically popular Migratory Locust (Locusta migratoria) sometime in the 1990s, but the differences between the two species are slight. The main difference is appearance. Desert Locusts are vastly more attractive, thereby making them more appealing to the eye than Locusta. Desert Locusts also grow to be slightly larger.

WORMS & GRUBS

Mealworms have traditionally received bad press, but this is massively unfair. The old wives’ tale about mealworms eating their way out of the stomach of lizards, thereby killing them, is indeed that – an old wives’ tale. The myth likely came about when keepers, traders and importers would find a dead lizard in an enclosure and see mealworms crawling out of the corpse. The more likely explanation is that mealworms had made a meal of a lizard which had already died, eating their way inside their body, rather than eating their way out after being consumed.

Back in the real world, mealworms make an ideal livefood for several good reasons. They’re high in fat and perfectly nutritious for a start, especially when gut-loaded and dusted like they should be. Second, they’re relatively cheap in comparison, as is witnessed by the fact that several large-scale lizard producers feed their livestock primarily with mealworms. And finally, they’re slow moving and won’t jump around out of reach like a cricket or locust will.

When mealworms are placed in a bowl with a good quality dusting powder, animals are more likely to get a good dose of vitamins and minerals – unlike crickets and locusts which can shake off much of the powder they are dusted with before they are eaten. Best of all, mealworms can be stored in the fridge which means they require virtually no maintenance until just prior to feeding.

Mealworms come in a few sizes, but there’s some interesting points to remember when choosing your livefood stocks. Mini mealworms are simply younger mealworms and are more or less the same with regard to nutrition. Bigger mealworms come in two different varieties. The most popular is Morio Worms (Zoophobas morio), a species different to the regular mealworm and mini mealworm. These are naturally much larger than a regular mealworm and, therefore, a more suitable prey for larger herp species.

Morio worms should not be confused with the visually similar Giant Mealworm. These have been treated with the juvenile hormone methoprene to inhibit metamorphosis to a beetle and so remain in the larval stage for longer. They continue to grow and so get to be around the same size as Morio Worms.

There is some anecdotal evidence regarding the effects of methoprene on both insects and reptiles. Livefood breeders report problems when methoprene somehow contaminates other invertebrate species, thereby impeding reproduction. There have even been reports from gecko breeders who are convinced of reproductive issues in their breeding colonies. Although Morio Worms are vastly more popular than Giant Mealworms, both are commonly available.

Buffalo Worm (Alphitobius diaperinus)
Buffalo Worms are about the same size as, or slightly smaller than, the mini mealworm. There’s not much to discern between the two species apart from a slightly shinier exoskeleton and some, assumedly small, nutritional differences. That said, nutritional variety is an important component of animal husbandry and so any opportunity to add variety should be a consideration.

More importantly, there is often an annual shortage of mealworms – usually around the spring or summer when they become a popular product for bird tables. Buffalo Worms are a perfect alternative to fill this gap.

Wax Worm (Galleria mellonella)
We really need to talk about Wax Worms. When we think about nutritional variety or offering a different insect prey item as a treat, the most common response is Wax Worms. While Wax Worm sales are dwarfed by those of crickets, locusts and mealworms, they are by far the largest livefood line thereafter. No other livefood comes close in terms of sales. This is a little baffling as Wax Worms aren’t a great food item in terms of nutrition.

The Wax Worm’s diet means that their gut is filled with sugary food, making them a bit like a dessert for your animal. This should mean Wax Worms be used as no more than a very rare treat, so their current elevated position on the livefood league table seems rather unjustified. We’re not saying Wax Worms have no place in a good diet. They’re great for a very occasional treat. But our figures show that Wax Worms are more popular than they deserve and that a bit more variation in the types of livefood species being purchased by keepers would be a move in the right direction.

Sugary treats such as Wax Worms can cause problems when animals take a liking to them. It’s very much like trying to feed broccoli to children while they’re eating an ice-cream and there have been countless reports of animals going off their (less tasty) food in favour of Wax Worms. Amphibians seem to be particularly picky when spoiled with Wax Worm treats.

Calci Worm (Hermetia illucens)
Calci Worms are the larval stage of the Black Soldier Fly and an ideal alternative for Wax Worms. They have a much better nutritional composition and have a longer shelf life. Again, these probably shouldn’t be used as the mainstay of an animal’s diet. But if you’re looking to add some variety to your animal’s diet these are a great choice.

Fruit beetle grub (Pachnoda sp.)
These are another great worm to use as a treat for larger species such as Bearded Dragons, tegus and larger chameleon species.

SPECIALIST SPECIES

The variety of available livefood species has mushroomed over the last few years. It’s great to see these species are also often used to add dietary variety to captive reptiles – a concept which is quickly gaining traction and filtering through to the grass-roots of the hobby. It’s another great example of how the reptile-keeping hobby continues to grow and improve, thereby enhancing the welfare of the animals being kept in captivity.

Cockroach (Blaptica dubia)
Cockroaches should be much higher up the list of popular live foods. Unfortunately many people aren’t enamoured with the idea of having cockroaches in their home and therefore shy away from using them. In reality, they’re custom built for the needs of moderate and large sized reptile species, such as Beardies, tegus and monitor species.

Big tarantulas seem to love them too which makes them a popular choice for arachnid fans. Nutritionally they’re at least as good as most other livefood species, but they also have a much longer shelf life. Few other foods will live longer. Dubia roaches are the most popular species available from stores at the moment but other species are available, and likely to become more popular in the future.

Woodlice (Isopoda sp.)
Although woodlice are more often used as a clean-up crew in bioactive enclosures, they can also be considered a prey item, given that they are readily eaten by some species of reptiles and amphibians. Their highly calcified exoskeleton will provide invaluable nutrition, but they are, unfortunately, not produced on a large enough scale to become a mainstream food item. Although not strictly a livefood topic, it is important to briefly discuss the work of the woodlice in your clean-up crew. It’s a dangerous misconception to think that a bioactive enclosure negates the need to remove faeces.

Invertebrate cohabitees in a bioactive enclosure won’t consume or process anywhere near the volume of faeces produced by most pet species. Spot cleaning is still necessary. Woodlice and other bugs will better favour eating rotting vegetation and decease invertebrates in the enclosure, rather than consuming vast amounts of reptile poo. It’s also important to note that bioactive enclosures need to be constructed in such a way that accommodates the clean-up crew invertebrate species, as well as the pet reptile or amphibian. Introducing woodlice to a vivarium filled with beech-chip substrate simply won’t qualify as bioactive.

Springtail (Collembola sp.)
These are another invertebrate species used predominantly in bioactive enclosures, but again, they’re fine for use as a livefood item for very small animals. Springtails are particularly popular with amphibian breeders who need the smallest possible prey for newly metamorphosed froglets and toadlets.

Bean Weevil (Acanthoscelides obtectus)
As a general rule, beetles aren’t a good livefood due to their hard shell and toxic secretions. Few reptiles or amphibians favour them, apart from Bufo sp. Toads, which will eat almost anything of course. Bean Weevils are an exception to this rule though. They have a much softer shell which means many herps find them palatable, particularly small arboreal species such as Anolis and small Phelsuma. Bean Weevils are just the right size and seem to climb up to be greeted and eaten by these small arboreal predators.

Beware though, because their ability to climb means these invertebrates are also expert escape artists. They’ll easily scale glass and escape through ventilation or door seals, and sliding glass doors are no obstacle.

Snail (Helix aspersum)
Here’s another hugely underrated livefood that deserves to be more popular. Their slow moving nature, along with the nutritious lump of calcium on their back are probably their main points of appeal. That said, the shell of captive produced snails, such as those sold in most stores, are thinner due to them being grown on quickly, making them much easier to eat. Monitors, tegus and even Beardies will love snails, as will Blue Tongue and Pink Tongue Skinks. Toads seem to be rather partial to the odd snail too. In fact, you’ll be surprised at what will eat them. Beware that some animals will love them so much they become picky, but as an occasional addition to an otherwise varied diet, snails are a fabulous side dish on the menu.

Curly Wing Fly (Musca domestica)
Curly wings are simply a house fly afflicted with a genetic mutation which deforms their wings to render them flightless. Large Dendrobates will love them, as will mantids, anolis, small geckos and tree frogs. As well as adding that all-important dietary variety, Curly Wing Flies are a great way to add enrichment for fast moving species which will go crazy chasing these bugs around their enclosure.

Fruit Fly (Drosophila hydei)
These are another reasonably popular prey insect which doesn’t really deserve its place on the livefood league. Few pet herps are small enough to eat them and they don’t bring anything special to the table in terms of nutrition. There are plenty of more readily available options but, that said, variety is key and there’s no reason to leave Fruit Flies off the menu completely.

Surface worm (Dendrobaena veneta) and Lobworm (Lumbricus terrestris)
There are two types of earthworms commonly available. Lobworms are great for larger amphibians such as Axolotls, whereas the Surface Worm is good for smaller salamanders, newts and lizards.