Large Woodies

Keepers size feeders by a rule of thumb: a feeder should be no wider than the space between the animal's eyes. Judge width, not length.

Most adult dragons and monitors clear that bar easily here. The mistake at this end of the range is the opposite of the hatchling problem – an adult offered feeders that are too small works hard for very little return, and keepers compensate by feeding far too many of them.

These are supplier grades rather than a measured size, so check the feeder against your animal's eyes rather than trusting the grade name alone.

Adults eat far less often than juveniles – commonly every second or third day rather than daily. An adult bearded dragon should also be taking the majority of its diet as greens and vegetables, with insects as the smaller share.

Over-ordering is the standard mistake at this grade. Adults eat less often than new keepers expect, and the surplus dies in the tub rather than getting fed out. Buy about a week's worth.

Like almost every feeder insect other than black soldier fly larvae, woodies carry more phosphorus than calcium, where insectivores need the ratio the other way around.

An adult is not exempt from this. Metabolic bone disease is most visible in growing animals, but a mature female producing eggs draws heavily on her own skeleton, and years of undusted feeders show up eventually.

We do not publish a calcium-to-phosphorus figure for woodies, because there is no published nutritional analysis for the roach supplied under that trade name in Australia. Treat them as calcium-poor and supplement accordingly.

Do both. Gut-load for 24 to 48 hours on a calcium-rich food, dust with calcium immediately before offering, and feed out promptly.

Gut-loading alone is not enough – published work on feeder insects shows the calcium sits in the gut contents and is shed again once the calcium-rich food is removed. Use calcium with D3 where the animal has no UVB; where good UVB is provided, plain calcium is usually the better choice, since D3 can be over-supplied.

Keep them in a smooth-sided, ventilated tub at room temperature and out of direct sun, with egg carton or cardboard for surface area. At this size a clipped lid is worth having.

Keep it dry – damp and crowding kill a tub of roaches faster than hunger does. Feed a dry grain-based chow with a slice of carrot or similar for moisture rather than an open water dish, and clear out dead feeders as you go, since large ones foul bedding quickly.

Suitable for adult and sub-adult bearded dragons, water dragons, blue-tongue skinks, dwarf monitors, larger geckos, adult frogs and insectivorous birds.

Not suitable for hatchlings or small juveniles – drop back to medium or small woodies. Not suitable as a sole diet for omnivorous species such as bearded dragons and blue-tongues, which need plant matter as well.

Remove uneaten feeders before lights out. A large roach left loose will burrow into substrate or wedge behind decor, and a reptile that has gone torpid overnight is in no position to deal with it.

Keep the lid on the tub, and wash hands after handling feeders or cleaning containers.

• Exo Terra Calcium + D3 Powder – the dusting step that adult animals still need at every feed.
• Zoo Med Stainless Steel Feeding Tongs – keeps fingers out of an adult animal's feeding response.
• Zoo Med Cricket Block – gut-load and moisture in one, with no drowning risk in the tub.
• Medium Woodies – the grade below, for sub-adults not quite ready for these.

Live feeders are supplied for in-store collection or local delivery, with our live arrival guarantee.

Bulk counts are order in only and are not held in store. Place your bulk order by Monday for arrival on Wednesday.

Bulk orders are for in-store pickup only and cannot be posted or delivered.

How often should I feed an adult bearded dragon insects?

Most adult bearded dragons are offered insects every second or third day, with greens and vegetables making up the majority of the diet. Adults fed insects daily commonly become overweight.

Do adult reptiles still need their feeders dusted?

Yes. Feeder roaches stay calcium-poor at every grade, and breeding females in particular draw on skeletal calcium when it is not supplied in the diet.

Why do keepers rotate to woodies from crickets?

Woodies are near-silent and generally live longer in a tub, and crickets are known for biting a sleeping or torpid reptile. Uneaten feeders of any kind should still be removed before lights out.

My adult lizard ignores large woodies. What now?

Check the animal is warm enough to digest, because a cold reptile will not feed. If it is feeding but struggling with the size, drop back a grade and reassess against the eye-width rule.