Dead Crickets in Live Food Box - Still ok to feed?

[flowapowagirl]

Only the live ones obviously - I'm gunna go buy some more now, but just so I know for the future... if there are dead crickets in the box, should I still feed him the live ones or will they have bacteria on them that could make the chameleon sick?

Thanks
Vicki

(When I went to feed Kaji (my 11 week old sambava) today I noticed that there are alot of dead crickets on the bottom of the box... I have been gut loading them... also, Kaji didn't really take to them, they are small black silent crickets and much less obvious as the beige ones had I fed him before.)

 

[Kate]

Yes they are ok to feed. I would sort them out and put the live in a clean box with dry gutload and a bit of fruit or veg. It often depends when in the week the shop gets them in. By the end of the week there are often dead ones. Try and get them on the day they come in and ask which ones are fresh. The shop I use often put old to the front but they know I will ask. LOL

 

[flowapowagirl]

Cheers Kate, appreciate that alot, I will make sure I ask and am going to transfer them to a clean box now :-D thank you!

 

[stuwoac]

there death are by fighting for being the dom so dont worry but if this is happening at home split them up to smaller groups or bigger tub

 

[Hoj]

there death are by fighting for being the dom so dont worry but if this is happening at home split them up to smaller groups or bigger tub

I do not belive this is true,

There will always be some dead and some shed exoskelatons in a box, If you get boxs with 100% alive I want to get crcikets where you do

 

[ISA my Veiled]

I would base feeding them off of how long they have been dead, because in your first assumption like you said, they could build up bacteria from being munched on and sitting in cricket frass. And to Hoj, I get my crickets from reptilefood.com and literally my last shipment of 2000 crickets i probably had only around 20 dead. No lie. Fantastic company.

 

[AngieL]

I do not belive this is true,

There will always be some dead and some shed exoskelatons in a box, If you get boxs with 100% alive I want to get crcikets where you do

My last box of crickets were 100% live! And they didn't die off at the normal rate either! It was a box of 100 mixed size and I think ive only picked out about a dozen dead guys, and ive had them a month! It's a total fluke though