Since Covid started, shopping out has become a daunting task. You might have been looking for critter shops online to feed your pet reptiles/amphibians without having to go out and The Critter Depot might have come up on your radar. Let’s take a deep dive into their brand and see if they’re any good.
Table of Contents
Products
The Critter Depot offers four different live critters for sale online. These are superworms, black soldier fly larvae, live crickets, and Dubia roaches.
Superworms
Superworms are worms high in protein that are ideal for your reptiles. Leopard Geckos love these a lot. These worms are high in protein, but they are also very fatty, therefore, it’s recommended to feed these as a weekly snack and use crickets for regular feeding to prevent your pet from becoming overweight. They are an ideal food for fish, reptiles, and birds.
As per the company page, The Critter Depot’s superworms are grown on their Florida farms and receive the same nutrition fruits as the sunshine state. One thing to keep in mind with them is to not refrigerate them. People usually mistake these for mealworms that do need refrigeration.
The price of the superworms depends on the size you choose and the amount you want. The table below shows all the prices.
| Quantity Size | 250 | 500 | 1000 | 2000 |
| Large (1.5-2 inches) | $31 | $36 | $41 | $62 |
| Medium (1-1.5 inches) | $28 | $34 | $40 | $62 |
| Small (1 inch) | $28 | $30 | $36 | $62 |
| Extra small (less than 1 inch) | $25 | $30 | $34 | $62 |
Black Soldier Fly Larvae
Black soldier fly larvae are an excellent choice for you if you’re into gardening and composting. These larvae are very efficient at composting (claimed to be better than red worms) and their waste product called ‘frass’ is an excellent source of nutrition for plants. Additionally, these can be fed to your pet after you’re done composting.
Their pricing is similar to the superworms, depending on their age and quantity.
| QuantitySize | 500 | 1000 | 2000 | 3000 | 4000 |
| ¼” (2-5 days old) | $21 | $25 | $41 | $50 | $60 |
| ½” (7-8 days old) | $21 | $25 | $41 | $50 | $60 |
| ¾” (10-12 days old) | $21 | $26 | $41 | $50 | $60 |
Live Crickets
Live Crickets are one of the most popular feeders for Bearded dragons, Geckos, Komodo dragons, and even Tarantulas. They offer high protein and unlike superworms, are not fatty, which makes them perfect for regular feeding.
The Critter Depot has locations in Florida, Texas, and Pennsylvania, but they ship throughout the United States to any state. Their Crickets are soft-bodied and wingless, making them easy to digest.
Their pricing depends only on quantity and not size. The different cricket sizes are Pinhead, ⅛”, ¼”,⅜ “, ½”, ⅝”, ¾”, Adult.
Their prices are as follows:
250 Crickets – $20
500 Crickets – $23
1000 Crickets – $25
2000 Crickets – $50
There are two delivery options for this product. Standard delivery takes 3-4 days and is free of charge, while expedited delivery takes only 1-2 days at the cost of $65.
Dubia Roaches
Dubia Roaches are a favorite snack for bearded dragons, but they can be used instead of crickets for any pet that eats crickets. They have a lot of lean protein, which provides your pet nutrition without making them obese. They also have a lower amount of chitin compared to crickets and superworms. Chitin is a tough, fibrous material found in an insect’s body that makes up the exoskeleton. The lower the amount of chitin, the easier it’ll be for your pet to consume.
Dubia Roaches are also rich in protein compared to crickets and superworms. Calcium is very important for bearded dragons and leopard geckos, as it helps prevent metabolic bone disease, which is very painful.
Their pricing depends on their size and quantity.
| Quantity Size | 25 | 50 | 100 | 200 | 300 | 400 | 500 |
| ¼” Small | $16 | $17 | $22 | $29 | $38 | $48 | $57 |
| ⅜”-¾” Medium | $18 | $21 | $30 | $45 | $60 | $60 | $57 |
| ¾”-1″ Large | $20 | $25 | $38 | $63 | $82 | $82 | $82 |
Customer Reviews
When we took a look at the customer reviews at The Critter Depot site, we felt something was wrong. More than 95% of the reviews were positive and similar in some way or another. Concerned about fake reviews, we looked at other review sites. Fortunately, some users on BBB were able to provide trustworthy feedback.
Packaging
One user reported that the container they received their delivery in was covered with worms and many worms had crawled on their porch. The packaging is probably not consistently great if it allows your worms to escape. Nothing has happened in this situation, but it could be a major health hazard for young children or other pets that don’t eat insects.
Products
Multiple customer reviews reported about receiving multiple or even all 1000 of their superworms dead. While this may be a one-off case, you must acknowledge that this can happen and ensure you talk to the seller before you purchase.
Selling live critters online is always tricky – on one hand, keep the packaging breathable, and you get worms crawling out. And keep them tight, and you risk killing them!
Customer Service
Some users have claimed on their reviews on third-party websites that the owner is very self-centered and rude. The company refuses to refund failed orders many times, and they’re really hard to contact after you’ve received your product.
Is The Critter Depot Good?
Let the negative reviews published in this article not stop you from giving this store a try, though. The reviews posted on the company’s website are generally positive and we are also mostly convinced that most of them are genuine, happy users.
However, as a general rule of thumb, it is necessary to exercise caution while checking reviews on a seller’s website (any seller – not just The Critter Depot).
Another point to note is that customers generally tend to post public reviews on third-party websites only when they are unhappy with the product or service. So, reviews always tend to lean on the side of negativity on third-party sites.
So – as a consumer, look at both the positive reviews from the site and the negatives from third-party websites before you make a decision. Given that this is a low-ticket item, there is no harm in giving the website a try before you decide whether it’s the right store for you.
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