Best Practices: Hyrdrating Feeders?

deadhd5

Avid Member
Over the past week I have been giving my chams a round of Reptaid by injecting the serum into a cricket then feeding it off by hand. It is much easier than I expected.

The thought occurred to me that I could inject water into a cricket each morning for routine additional hydration. Does anyone else do this? Thoughts on whether this is a good idea?

Thanks in advance for the wisdom of this great community!
 
I am certainly not above doing this for a chameleon that is ill, weak, laying, etc. And have injected all sorts of things into feeders over my years keeping chameleons. A favorite for me is to inject calcium glubionate into feeders like roaches or butter/hornworms when one of my girls is getting ready to lay. Also for medicines it is the best, absolutely removes the stress of being force-fed a glob of antibiotics or what have you.

I can't see why injecting water is a bad idea, it just seems like extra work that could be substituted just by feeding well hydrated feeders to begin with, either by gutloading, using feeders like hornworms, or by being diligent with daily mistings.
 
If you give directly water to drink for your insects, I think it's better.
And like this, insects don't die due to the injection.

Personally, i've given a cup with a moist cotton and with a mixture of propolis, royal jelly, honig and calcium.
My crickets are very well hydrated.

But to give treatment, injections are a good way.
 
I am certainly not above doing this for a chameleon that is ill, weak, laying, etc. And have injected all sorts of things into feeders over my years keeping chameleons. A favorite for me is to inject calcium glubionate into feeders like roaches or butter/hornworms when one of my girls is getting ready to lay. Also for medicines it is the best, absolutely removes the stress of being force-fed a glob of antibiotics or what have you.

I can't see why injecting water is a bad idea, it just seems like extra work that could be substituted just by feeding well hydrated feeders to begin with, either by gutloading, using feeders like hornworms, or by being diligent with daily mistings.

Thanks for your thoughts Olimpia. You are right, it is probably not necessary as I have acheived very good hydration through the methods you mention.

If there is no harm I will probably do it from time to time anyway, as I am still at the point where it doesn;t feel like work yet :)

Another thought: Could this way of hydration be preferable in combination with reduced mistings? I sometimes consider that I haul 3-4 gallons of RO water a day to my misting bucket for my chams to injest just a few drops. Perhaps a reduction from 4 daily mistings to 3 along with an injected feeder would be beneficial by reducing potential for bacteria from a soaked enclosure. I control humidity with a room humidifier ran through a humidistat.
 
If you give directly water to drink for your insects, I think it's better.
And like this, insects don't die due to the injection.

Personally, i've given a cup with a moist cotton and with a mixture of propolis, royal jelly, honig and calcium.
My crickets are very well hydrated.

But to give treatment, injections are a good way.

This is probably a more humane way to hydrate crickets from the perspective of the cricket, haha.
 
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