Crickets in cage at night

audiorazor

audiorazor

New Member
Lights just went out in my cage and I found a cricket crawling on my chameleon. Should I be removing the un eaten crickets from the cage every night?
 
Yes, please remove any uneaten crickets from your pet's cage at nighttime, especially when in large numbers.

I'd really recommend you consider another food source for your little guy though, there are so many more nutritious and less dangerous feeder insects that are sold on the web, we don't even stock crickets at our main facility anymore since there are so many better choices out there.

Hope this helps :-)

-Dave
SPF

EDIT: Also make sure if you are feeding crickets that you are only feeding the friendly brown house cricket, versus the aggressive black cricket, and this will help you avoid a biting incident, which could cause an infection with chameleons, especially their eyes.
 
Thanks Dave. Do you have any suggestions for what else to feed him? I really want him to free range and I figured crickets would be logical since they climb the side of the cage.
 
Are we talking about the Cham in your avatar pic? Do you have LOTS of vines and plants? Are the crickets the proper size?
 
Yea the cham in my avatar pic. He is 4 months old. Lots of live plants, vines, sticks. Crickets I have feeding right now are about 1/4 inch long. Some might be a tiny bit bigger but not much. Was thinking to maybe put some small hornworms or silkworms in for variety.
 
Hmmm he looks quite small, which will limit you on choices, but if hes still of a similar size as in your avatar, I'd say...
  • Small hornworms
  • Small silkworms (or buy eggs and raise them yourself to the appropriate size, which is cheaper)
  • Small phoenix worms
  • Small or baby superworms (stay away from mealworms at least till hes bigger to be able to properly process the e'tra chitin without getting impacted. And superworms are higher in fat too, which is also good for babies)
  • Dubia or discoid nymphs
  • Lesser waxworms for a treat.

Those are just a few different options available online.

-Dave
 
Thanks for the reply Dave. He is pretty tiny, about 3 inches long right now. Are all of those things you listed ok to just let wander in the cage? Or should I have a cup for the worms?
 
Guessing he has chosen a safe sleeping post....... crickets shouldn't bother him.(That size cage) A trick i used for hungry crickets(not mine) was to add a food container at the bottom of the Cham cage. Crickets never messed with Chams then...

Is it possible some of those crickets are left overs from a previous feeding?
 
A cup for the smaller worms (PW's, Baby Superworms). Caterpillars can roam for a few days without food in the cage, and won't attack your cham.
 
Dave has lots of pro advice about food choices, try them.:)

Thats the great thing about this web site, you will get ideas that have worked for everyone:):):)
 
Yes that is possible. I have put quite a few crickets in the last two days and was not sure what happened to them. I have seen him eat at least 8 in the last two days.

Tomorrow I will put some cricket food on the bottom of the cage to see if I can get them out of hiding.
 
You both have been super helpful. Thanks for taking the time. Have only been on these forums for the last 2 weeks but have found the community to be very knowledgeable and helpful.

Going to look into all my food options the new day or so.
 
I do not. No substrate. I do have over turned pots on the bottom though. I assume when I clean the cage on Sunday that I will find a few hiding under there. Either that or he is actually eating them all...
 
Yeah..... Strange.....

I have never(never) removed leftover crickets. The leftovers are devoired at first light! Did it this way for years, with NO issues.(Do it this way now) I plan it this way, as I work and leave early in the morning. When I return in the evening, I add more crickets for the main feeding.

Thinking out of the box..... Is it possable the crickets are missing something in their diet?

Yeah I know they say remove uneaten crickets and its a good idea.... But, that size cage means the crickets are on the hunt...(Perhaps a random cricket once)

Perhaps I'm wrong... But in my defense, I have bought, sold, owned, and breed 100's of Chams.

Hopefully others will chime in with ideas:)
 
I agree with the above post. If a cricket is biting and trying to attack or eat your Cham, isint there a problem with the crickets you are using?? Crickets shouldn't do that if they are well fed.
 
one thing you might want to consider is that the bottom pvc of your liner is completely flush with the four sides of the cage. Ive had problems in the past with the pvc bowing or not being full sized and giving enough space for feeders, especially crickets, to escape. I like to use tape to cover all of the undersides of the pvc so as to close off any escape. Ive had my vieled for a couple of years now and I only free range feed him a couple of dozen at a time and while he doesnt eat them all at once, he does manage to pick off the ones he didnt get at first over time and Ive never had any problems with potential cricket injuries on my cham. I also mix up his feedings with wax, silks and hornworms from time to time. thats my 2 cents.
 
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