JaxyGirl
Avid Member
I started freezing my live crickets
What I do is order 1000 crickets at a time. As soon as I get them I put the unopened shipping box in my fridge for 5 to 10 min...long enough to knock the crickets out a bit...but still alive. Put in fortified Cricket chow..and enough good greens and fixings to gut load. Tape up the shipping box and put them in an area so that they can warm up and eat like little pigs for a day. Then put the box in the freezer for an hour or so until the crickets are frozen. Then I can easily scoop them up like frozen peas and put them into individual Zip-Lock freezer bags. I put about 100 or so in each bag instead of one big bag so they don't get crushed.
THE Crickets Stay individually Frozen even in a freezer bag! NOW..when I want to feed my reps I go to the the freezer, open a bag, and take out a 5-10 crickets as needed and let them defrost for about 5 mins or so. They defrost into perfect little individual crickets (that look alive) same color and texture of a live cricket, antennas attached and all their legs intact. I can still dust and fortify the crickets. "Triton" my Jackson's loves them...so do my beardies and fish. They seriously don't know the difference between a thawed cricket or a live one!!! Great for Chams that are willing to be hand fed.
What I do is order 1000 crickets at a time. As soon as I get them I put the unopened shipping box in my fridge for 5 to 10 min...long enough to knock the crickets out a bit...but still alive. Put in fortified Cricket chow..and enough good greens and fixings to gut load. Tape up the shipping box and put them in an area so that they can warm up and eat like little pigs for a day. Then put the box in the freezer for an hour or so until the crickets are frozen. Then I can easily scoop them up like frozen peas and put them into individual Zip-Lock freezer bags. I put about 100 or so in each bag instead of one big bag so they don't get crushed.
THE Crickets Stay individually Frozen even in a freezer bag! NOW..when I want to feed my reps I go to the the freezer, open a bag, and take out a 5-10 crickets as needed and let them defrost for about 5 mins or so. They defrost into perfect little individual crickets (that look alive) same color and texture of a live cricket, antennas attached and all their legs intact. I can still dust and fortify the crickets. "Triton" my Jackson's loves them...so do my beardies and fish. They seriously don't know the difference between a thawed cricket or a live one!!! Great for Chams that are willing to be hand fed.