# What's the best alternative to live food?



## melliott1963 (Jan 6, 2012)

As the title says, what's the best available alternative to live food?

I'm feeding my Rankins Dragon crickets and locusts at the moment, as well as the occasional veg, and I've no problem with doing this. I'm feeding before I go to work. 

However, I was just wondering if there was a good alternative that we could feed it on the odd occasion that I might not have the time. For example, I sometimes (not often) have to go in to work early, and this would be too early for me to feed it. I therefore need something that my wife or kids would be able to feed it as, at the moment, none of them are confident enough to handle the live food and I'm sure that if they were just to feed veg, this wouldn't really be the best for it, or is it?

Of course the idea case would be that the whole family is happy sorting out the live food, but until that time, I'd like something to fall back on.

Thanks.


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## wilko92 (Aug 29, 2011)

melliott1963 said:


> As the title says, what's the best available alternative to live food?
> 
> I'm feeding my Rankins Dragon crickets and locusts at the moment, as well as the occasional veg, and I've no problem with doing this. I'm feeding before I go to work.
> 
> ...


#
Might of heard it before.. but. roachies, they cant climb smoother surfaces so put as many as they will eat in a tub of some sort so the rankins can get in and the roaches wont get out, that way you can put the food in at 3 in the morning and you will know they will still be there when your rankins wake up :2thumb:


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## 123dragon (Jan 15, 2011)

but im sure he would be fine missing the odd feeding if you cant feed one morning


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## pants125 (Jan 30, 2009)

I used to get the wife to feed them veg in morning then I would add the live food when I get home from work,frozen is good as well just get some in a bowl and get wife to add it a few hrs or so later( In my opinion tho too much frozen makes them lazy )


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## melliott1963 (Jan 6, 2012)

What about if we run out of live food and can't get any more for a few days?

Are any of the pellet foods any good, like the Zoo Med Bearded Dragon range?

Sorry for the questions, but just trying to cover all eventualities.


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## OrigamiB (Feb 19, 2008)

Dried food is terrible, it's never properly balanced and will never compete with a selection of livefood/veg combo.
There are dried out bugs you can buy and put on vibrating plates to simulate movement, but these arnt very nutricious either as they can't be gut loaded and I can imagine most of the good stuff goes in the drying process. If you have ever bought dried mealworms for birds they are like a hollow shell almost.

To be honest if this is only ever going to happen for a few days in a row minimum there is nothing wrong with the alternatives such as pellets, dried bugs or just veg. They just make a terrible complete diet and as such live bugs should always be a staple as much as possible


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## melliott1963 (Jan 6, 2012)

Thanks.

I wouldn't dream of not feeding live food where possible, I'm just thinking of all eventualities, such as we get snowed in etc.

I guess, then, that keeping a small pot of pellets/dry bugs etc. handy wouldn't hurt in the short term.


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