Insects That Are Sold in Pet Stores As Food for Birds & Lizards

If you like wild birds in your garden or exotic lizards as pets, stock up on insects. Most birds and lizards are insectivores, with at least half their diet composed of a variety of six-legged creatures.



Pet stores sell feeder insects live or in dried form. Some vendors feed their insects vitamin- and mineral-rich foods or dust them with powdered mineral and vitamin mixtures to boost their nutritional content. Combination-insect food packages also guarantee a more balanced diet.

  1. Crickets

    • Crickets are a common staple for nearly all birds and lizards. Pet shops supply crickets in various sizes--from pinhead to adult--to cater to different types of pets. You can buy crickets in packages of anywhere from a few dozen to several hundred.

      Smaller crickets are recommended for small lizards like anoles and house geckos, while larger reptiles like monitor lizards and chameleons will be more satisfied with the largest crickets. While reptiles prefer live crickets, birds will be perfectly happy eating them either live or dried and served alongside mealworms.

    Fruit Flies

    • Pet shops offer either one of two fruit fly species: the little drosophila melanogaster or the larger drosophila hydei. Some stores provide them alive or in dried form, while others sell fruit fly starter kits complete with eggs and a fruit fly culture, so your pet lizard is guaranteed fresh food and the chance to hunt.

      Whatever the form, the fruit flies are genetically altered to be incapable of flight--without wings or proper muscles. This way, no flies can escape during feeding time and pose a threat to the environment.

    Springtails

    • Springtails are tiny insects that have a tail-like appendage at the end of their abdomen, which they use like a spring to jump or propel themselves forward at a distance farther than what their six legs can manage. Though too small to be a substantial snack for birds and larger reptiles, small house geckos may find them appealing. Springtails also serve as a decomposing agent in reptile "vivarium" cages, since they feed on any decaying organic matter from your pet or the plants inside. They're sold in the form of starter kits with eggs, which you use to grow and apply inside your pet's cage.

    Fly Ants

    • These South African insects are collected alive and placed into induced slumber through refrigeration. When feeding domesticated birds or lizards, simply bring the desired amount of fly ants to room temperature and place them inside your pet's cage before the insects completely wake up.