Feeder insects

Todays topic is going to be feeder insects. we all know most reptiles eat insects right? well when it comes to picking the perfect feeder insect for you and your reptiles it can be difficult. lets get into the basic and most common ones. were going to go through their nutritional value as well. keep in mind the these things to take into consideration ; over all care of the feeder insect, price, avalibility and nutrition

  (mealworms)
Many reptiles and even bird owners know about meal worms. They are one of the most common feeder insects because they are cheap,easy, and reliable, but they arent very good for you reptiles at all. They have hard exoskeletons (which make it hard for your animal to digest) and have little nutrition. I would honestly just use these guys as a variety contrast. only way for them to be nutritional if to gut load them with veggies such as cucumbers and carrots. (easy care(cheap(can find at all petstores(not very nutritional

(crickets)
crickets are well, crickets. some hate them some love them. they are easy to find and cheap. but the care for them can get very difficult. they need space and they need fresh food and special water. they have a horrid smell and are loud. but the are healthy for your reptiles.Its enriching because your reptile will have to chase it around.(care can get difficult(can get expensive if buying large quantity(can find in any pet store(very nutritional
                                       

looking at this chart will give you an over all look at what the best and easiest feeder is for you. i am personally terrified of crickets. its so difficult for me to keep them alive, they smell, they chirp, they climb and  they hop around to escape well and I HATE IT! i wouldn't mind dubia roaches ( which are really good for your reptiles) but i live in an area that prohibits keeping them. i know for a fact that im not the only one that really love reptiles but doesn't love their food (specifically crickets and other hoppers). if you bring your attention to the chart for a second you'll notice the top insect is crickets which is the a good feeder insects we can use to compare to others. reptiles need insects with high moisture, good protein content, low fat, and calcium. 

(silkworms)

notice silkworms are relatively close to crickets when it comes to nutrition and seem better than crickets too. they have a 2% more moisture difference.46% more protein content,4% more fat,and 20% more calcium! so technically it has a lot more nutritional value that crickets with easy care and simple needs. some people might complain that feeding only worms isnt good because they dont enrich your gecko with the quality of hunting. but you get the same results when you scatter worms around the tank. these worms could be a staple diet. only con is that they do get expensive(easy care(can get expensive depending on where you get them( mostly online( really good as staple

(hornworms)

hornworms come in a high second but not as a staple diet, just as a good varity. these guys get big pretty quickly but you can refrigerate them to prevent their growth. But them getting large is kinda good in a way because if you have any other larger reptile they would love it so it wont go to waste. they have high moisture but not that much protein. not to much fat content but lots of calcium which is a good way to get calcium into your reptiles diet.  try adding a few of these guys to your reps dish now and then and see how they like it.(easy care if you get them with food already in the cup they come in( expensive(mostly online in some stores(healthy additive

(superworms)

superworms are one of the least nutritional common feeders. and they can actually get a bit dangerous because they fight back! you have to crush their heads before you feed them to your gecko. (not to sure about bigger reptiles but you must be careful for your smaller reps) the best comparison i can give you is that their like bread or crackers. they make you full but they dont have nutritional value. ive offered supers to my leos before and one gagged, one attacked it, and the last one wasnt interested but ate it anyway cause he eats everything. (easy care but escape easily(cheap(in most stores(not that healthy additive

(calci worms/phoenix worms)

calci worms are not on this list but they are personally one of my fav feeder insects to implement into my geckos diets because not only are they a good source of calcium but they are easily hand feedable for bonding with your gecko slowly. these worms are so slow moving that your gecko might not even notice it there. tons of people reported that there geckos dont like them (because they dont move around enough to interest their gecko) but its all personal preference. they dont need to be dusted but it wouldnt matter because this in not a staple so you have to include your staple diet with a few of these guys. (easy care(cheap(in most stores(healthy additive

so thats pretty much my addition on feeder insects. i hope this helped you with figuring out whats a good add to your geckos diet. there are some worms on the list that you can just see by the percent and numbers they arent nutritional for you gecko. just remeber that all of these insect your gecko can eat but the less nutritional ones a should be feed sparingly or as a treat.