# Grasshoppers for lizards?



## herpcraze15 (Jul 31, 2014)

Okay, so I was in my local pet shop waiting to get some crickets to feed my leopard gecko and bearded dragon, but the employee in charge of the invertebrates and fish was busy gathering a large amount of fish for a couple who evidently had an ocean in their house.
Well, I was on a time crunch, so after waiting about 20 minutes, I just grabbed a can of _Fluker's Gourmet Style Grasshoppers Reptile Food_ because it caught my eye.
They LOVED them! Belle actually ate one out of my hand after she tasted them, something she has never done before. I tore of the back legs just in case they could harm them, although I'm pretty sure that's a myth.
I was wondering if they could be used as a staple (for Belle anyways; Winnie actually likes her vegetables more than insects) while I'm working on getting a Dubia colony, which is still pretty far off. The grasshoppers are cheaper, way easier to care for (because you don't HAVE to care for them:lol2, and don't stink up my room like crickets, and the lizards love them. Still, if they are dangerous for them, I'd like to know, although if they're not good as a permanent food, but not actually dangerous for them, they'll still be useful as a treat or training food. If anyone has any knowledge on grasshoppers, any input would be appreciated.:thumb:


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

mantis swears by them!:lol2:


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## jarich (Mar 23, 2012)

Grasshoppers get called different things on this forum mostly. In Europe and the UK they call them locusts or hoppers. Unfortunately for us in North America, its illegal to breed or sell them, which really sucks as they are a good feeder and easy to breed. If you can get out into a field somewhere and grab a bunch, Id recommend starting a colony. They are roughly the same nutritional value as roaches, though there are some slight variations. I wouldnt recommend using the canned variety for more than a treat though. Anything processed just doesnt hold up nutritionally, and its usually pretty easy to find live foods for them anyway. Look into breeding a colony of roaches. Super easy and then you have a free food source.


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## colinm (Sep 20, 2008)

I dont know what the Flukers ones are but to us in Britain Grasshoppers (Chorthippus) and Locusts (Locusta) are two different types of insect.Grasshoppers are a native of fields and grasslands and grow to about three quarters of an inch long. You can find them in the late summer and autumn. I used to go into the fields as a boy and catch grasshoppers for food for my lizards and amphibians. The really liked them although they are much smaller than commercially available crickets and locusts. We dont get naturally ocurring Locusts in Britain.

I agree that Cockroaches (Dubia) are the way to go.


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## herpcraze15 (Jul 31, 2014)

jarich said:


> Grasshoppers get called different things on this forum mostly. In Europe and the UK they call them locusts or hoppers. Unfortunately for us in North America, its illegal to breed or sell them, which really sucks as they are a good feeder and easy to breed. If you can get out into a field somewhere and grab a bunch, Id recommend starting a colony. They are roughly the same nutritional value as roaches, though there are some slight variations. I wouldnt recommend using the canned variety for more than a treat though. Anything processed just doesnt hold up nutritionally, and its usually pretty easy to find live foods for them anyway. Look into breeding a colony of roaches. Super easy and then you have a free food source.


Well, then, I hope Fluker's is sold from another country, beecause I live in America as well:gasp:
Anyways, as I said in my first post, I'm working on starting a Dubia colony, so will the canned variety be fine for a limited period?


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