Crickets... Crickets everywhere!

[MontyAndMelissa]

So, I just got Charma some Gut Loaded crickets for dinner (I got 100 and a cricket keeper, plants, a back drop, a new lamp... I spend more on my pets than my bills!) Anyways. I got the crickets in the keeper.. and now I can't figure out how to get some into her tank. I obviously don't want too many, but I don't want too few.. How do I do this?! Is there some kind of magic trick associated with getting crickets from point A to my Chameleon's mouth?!?! I thought if I put a toilet paper roll in the keeper with the crickets, I could just move them into her tank... but then they came out the other end.. on to my floor. Maybe block off one side?

 

[Blink]

You say that you have a cricket keeper... Do you have one with the long black tubes? If so, those make for easy transport into a feeding cup or another cup to count them. If not, you were in the right track with the toilet paper roll. Just tap the crickets from the toilet paper roll into a cup (that's how I do it). And yes, escapees are unavoidable.

 

[Pharaoh2015]

You can just collect them in one corner and open the lid letting them walk out into the container you use to cover them in calcium

 

[MontyAndMelissa]

You say that you have a cricket keeper... Do you have one with the long black tubes? If so, those make for easy transport into a feeding cup or another cup to count them. If not, you were in the right track with the toilet paper roll. Just tap the crickets from the toilet paper roll into a cup (that's how I do it). And yes, escapees are unavoidable.

What about getting extra crickets out when she's done eating? I was feeding her Meal Worms, and just switched her to crickets today. There are one or two stragglers. Are there any tips on getting them out?... Will they stay in a cup if I put them in there for feeding time? That would make my life 10,000,000 times easier.

No, my "cricket keeper" is more of a fish tank.. actually.. it is a fish tank.. One of those plastic ones. I taped one side of the toilet paper roll closed. Will chameleons eat the dead crickets? Or only alive ones? Sorry for the 10,000 questions.

 

[MontyAndMelissa]

You can just collect them in one corner and open the lid letting them walk out into the container you use to cover them in calcium

I use a calcium spray, not the dust. Should I switch over?

 

[Blink]

I can't really help with getting crickets out, since I cup feed. Usually if crickets escape from the cup, they just end up at the bottom... don't know why... I just catch em with tongs or a cup. I use deli cups for feeding cups, and the crickets don't usually get out, even in the shallow ones. And, no, you should never feed dead crickets. I don't know about the spray, but if it were by choice, I would stick to what I know.

 

[MontyAndMelissa]

I know more about the spray than I do the powder. I have the old meal worm container, that's about two inches deep. I feel like they'll get out of there.

 

[Blink]

Yeah, you'll probably need a taller cup than 2 inches. If you put a little bit of food in their they might be content, but a cricket can easily hop 2 inches. If your cham is like mine, though, the crickets won't get a chance to try.

 

[MontyAndMelissa]

We had a few meal worm left that we put in her tank in a bowl. She hasn't eaten all of them. There were about 8, there are about 5-6 left.

 

[Blink]

We had a few meal worm left that we put in her tank in a bowl. She hasn't eaten all of them. There were about 8, there are about 5-6 left.

I know this is off topic, but you said tank. Is she in a tank right now? Chameleons do best in screen cages for better airflow and to prevent air stagnancy among other reasons. There has been a direct connection between keeping chameleons in tanks and respiratory infection.

 

[MontyAndMelissa]

I know this is off topic, but you said tank. Is she in a tank right now? Chameleons do best in screen cages for better airflow and to prevent air stagnancy among other reasons. There has been a direct connection between keeping chameleons in tanks and respiratory infection.

She's in a screen enclosure. It's a lot quicker to type "tank" since I'm on my phone.

 

[Blink]

Oh, ok! Just wanted to check. Better safe than sorry!

 

[nancyszoo]

I keep egg carton pieces in with my crickets. They are always hanging in those things. I just pick one up and shake crickets from there into a bag to dust. If I have too many, it easy to put them back in the cricket keeper.

 

[Katy18]

Speaking of crickets, can you leave some in the cage at night? I have been, but I dunno if that is safe for my veiled.

 

[Blink]

Speaking of crickets, can you leave some in the cage at night? I have been, but I dunno if that is safe for my veiled.

No, you should avoid leaving crickets in the cage at night. Hungry crickets will not hesitate to munch on a sleeping chameleon, leading to injury.

 

[Katy18]

Okay, thank you, I have been leaving them in but have been parionoid that something could happen. So now I know.

 

[MontyAndMelissa]

With any reptile you want to remove prey items that aren't eaten after about 20 minutes, and up to an hour if you're watching closely. I feed charma only a few prey items at a time.