Leaving crickets in cage over night

FrankTheTank

Established Member
I'm somewhat new and so I've never really seen anyone talk about doing this before. Is it a bad idea or is ok to put some crickets in after he goes to bed. I work until 2 in the after noon and want him to be able to eat earlier than that and my wife will not get near the crickets for whatever reason. So is this acceptable or is it a bad idea for some reason?
 
Roaches if you uses a cup or something inside to keep them in, silkworms, horn worms, calci worms I don't think you could leave mantids but there are a couple of options but Personaly id feed your Cham soon as ur home instead
 
Yeah I'd like him to be on a schedule. It's just that even feeding him right away isn't always an option b/c sometimes I have to do things after work before I go home or my wife makes me take care of my 3 mo son as soon as i walk in the door lol

But yeah I guess I'll just wait and see. I'll be getting hornworms with my next shipment so I might see how it goes then
 
I dont worry much about leaving crick nymphs in the cage overnight, but never the full grown cricks, and esp the black field crick (you can really feel their bite).

Only Smeagol and Noogie get adult cricks and dubia roaches because they are big enough to handle them. I cup feed only with those.

If they can "chirp", they are mature enough to bite!! they get cup, or hand fed. When holding them, I can feel biting, so imagine how it would feel for a little cham :eek:
 
They chirp, but I've never been bitten. I know they CAN bite, but I didn't think they would bite a sleeping chameleon. I won't be leaving them in his cage overnight though. I appreciate the help guys!
 
if you free range the crickets in the cage and are worried that some might be hiding at night, you can put some food at the bottom of the cage for them to eat and hopefully they will not bother your chameleon then.
 
I have to admit that I leave crickets in the cages all the time. I have only ever had one issue where MAYBE it was from crickets. A healthy cham is not going to just let bug eat away at it. IMO I do pick them out if i know they have been there for a day or so and if I am going away or worried I just toss a pc of baby carrot in the bottom of the cage for the crickets to eat.
 
I have a similar problem as you where I go into work about 2 hours before my cham wakes up and I don't get home until 3 pm. I've just been putting in about 8-10 crickets right before I leave and at the same time place a tray of bug burger and veggies in the middle of the cage and have had no problems. I've come home to find what's left of the crickets eating out of the tray so that's a good sign.
 
I'm like Hoj, when in doubt I will just leave food somewhere in the cage for the insects to eat. I hand feed a great deal of the time but when I'm in a rush or whatnot I will throw in crickets to everyone except my special needs eater, Castiel, and if I know that someone didn't finish their food (which is unlikely) I will put a little scoop of Superload or something yummy in the cage and all the crickets will end up eating from it.

I would not leave crickets in with a weakened or otherwise sickly animal though, but with my healthy chameleons I don't really worry.
 
what about bowl feeding? Instead of letting the crickets run around loose, put them in a large bowl (or two) placed in the cage. You can leave food for the crickets and a little calcium dust on the bottom of the bowl as well, thus ensuring the crickets are at least still gutloaded when eaten and maybe getting a little calcium on your chameleons tongue as well.

Crickets left to roam for a few hours will loose most of the calcium you dust with. They might also chew on your chameleon if they are hungry and nothing else is at hand.
 
if you free range the crickets in the cage and are worried that some might be hiding at night, you can put some food at the bottom of the cage for them to eat and hopefully they will not bother your chameleon then.

I keep a little feeder of cricket crack on the floor of each cage, LOL! I almost forgot I did that :)
 
what about bowl feeding? Instead of letting the crickets run around loose, put them in a large bowl (or two) placed in the cage. You can leave food for the crickets and a little calcium dust on the bottom of the bowl as well, thus ensuring the crickets are at least still gutloaded when eaten and maybe getting a little calcium on your chameleons tongue as well.

Crickets left to roam for a few hours will loose most of the calcium you dust with. They might also chew on your chameleon if they are hungry and nothing else is at hand.

I tried someting like that, but it turned into a big mess with all the misting and showers
 
These are all great ideas! Thanks everyone for your input. I think I have a better idea on how to take care of the feeding problem. And as mean as franklin can be, I doubt he'd let them nibble on him too much :D
 
crickets do not bite people, I don't know where you guys are getting that from:rolleyes: You're probably feeling their legs trying to dig or escape, their mouths are not big enough to bite us.

To the OP, it sounds like your solution would be to cup feed. provided that your cup is steep enough, you can put feeders, including crickets, in there overnight. That way they can't escape and bite your cham.Another option would be to get smaller crickets, that do not bite, and let them free roam like you want.
 
You've pretty much got all the help possible from other members.

But you can leave them in the cage overnight. IF...You make a feedercup (Someone gave you 2 links already)

What i usually do is pop the crickets back legs off, then throw them in the feeder cup. They won't be able to jump out or anything. Plus they still move around allot :)

Just grab a good cricket, pinch their back legs one by one and they'll pop them off themselves. Also be sure to dust them properly.
 
crickets do not bite people, I don't know where you guys are getting that from:rolleyes: You're probably feeling their legs trying to dig or escape, their mouths are not big enough to bite us.

So, by that logic, ants and fleas--which are far smaller than crickets--can't bite us? I think we all know that's wrong.

http://scienceray.com/biology/crickets-a-natural-history/

While catching Crickets I got bit a couple of times, on the webbing between my fingers. It swelled and hurt and I told everyone that Crickets bite. They said things like, “Sure they do, and so do worms.” But I never doubted, throughout my life, that Crickets bite. So, while researching Crickets for this article I specifically looked for evidence that crickets bite. I found lots of evidence of it. Crickets DO bite and it can be painful if they bite tender skin, such as between the fingers.
 
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