Stink Bugs for food

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daycrarble

New member
Hello Everyone,

I have friends that fed these annoying stink bugs to thier bearded dragons and i heard people feeding them to catfish, My questoin is if instead of giving them beetles or crickets of millworms, if you could use stink bugs. Thier is an abundance of them in PA here that always find a way into the house. I feed repashy CGD and treat once every week or so with crickets. Just curious if anyone else has fed them these or if it would be safe and ok every once in a while. Of coarse not forgetting to dust with calcium.

Thanks, Bill
 
aquamentus_11

aquamentus_11

New member
lol i've also been tempted to feed these to my reptiles. i never seriously consider it though because a) who knows what sort of chemicals, etc. they're covered in b) they ooze noxious chemicals from their butts c) they ooze noxious chemicals from their butts

i don't think they're safe, but if you want to try them please let me know what happens :idea:
 
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Hilde

Hilde

Administrator
Staff member
There are several species of bugs called "stink bugs". It would help if you let us know which species you're thinking of trying. If you don't know the latin name, then a picture would work (Google image search is a good place to start).
 
Hilde

Hilde

Administrator
Staff member
I doubt that they'd be readily accepted as food.

Stink Bugs - control and learn how to get rid of stink bugs
Stink bugs excrete offensive smelling liquid from their thorax glands that are placed in between the first and second pair of legs. When they are molested or attacked by predators, they produce this liquid defensively in order to put off potential threat to their lives.
Click to expand...

I've noticed a very nasty smell from our related stink bugs, makes me think it would be enough to discourage a typical gecko (though some geckos, as well as bearded dragons, will eat just about anything). Even if your geckos would eat them, you still have to deal with stinky bugs and possibly getting the liquid on yourself.
 
M

mikew1234

New member
If it comes from outside, you should know any responsible keeper wouldn't put it anywhere near their pets. Chemicals are sprayed everywhere to control tons of things. All these can harm your geckos. On top of the lack of nutritional value. Look up what causes the odor.
 
D

daycrarble

New member
I mean, im sure they arent the most nutritious, but I mean, a "treat" every now and then. And the Bearded Dragon is fine and doesnt have any effect on it and it has been eating them for about a year now and not just as a snack. Do you honestly think it would kill the gecko? or sicken it? And they dont have chemicals to kill the stink bugs so noone is really trying to spray them, if anything, they get sprayed with fertilizer in the spring but thats only dangerous if its still wet, and im not dumb enough to feed my gecko a wet insect caught in my back yard. But Im not trying to make anyone mad, Im just trying to debate with my points and thoughts. Thanks for your opinions, they r becoming mine more and more they are backed up.
 
Corwin's Keeper

Corwin's Keeper

New member
Here is an article about Catching Insects for Your Pet Reptiles and Amphibians . Below is an excerpt from the end of the article:

"Note: It is a good idea to discard any catch that you do not recognize, or that could be harmful to you or your pets. Brightly-colored insects, hairy caterpillars and spiders are best discarded. You also need to be absolutely sure that you collect from areas that are free from chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides, as this exposure could easily kill your pets. If you allow your pets to eat wild caught insects, a regular veterinary exam should be scheduled to test for parasites."

In the end it is up to you to make the decision on what is right for your gecko. I personally would not risk it.
 
Matt L.

Matt L.

New member
In general, you don't want to feed your animal wild caught insects because of pesticides but you should generally stick to what is accepted as safe for your pets so for cresties, crickets, phoenix worms, crested gecko diet, and baby food (as a treat) would be good to be fed. You want to be careful with most other things because they might not have an immediate effect, but could also create problems in the future. I don't know much about stinkbugs but their exoskeletons are pretty tough which could create similar problems that meal worms cause, like injured jaws. Just be careful and best of luck
 
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