So, me and my dad are living with my grandma at the moment, and my grandma says if she sees an escaped cricket, i'm not going to be allowed to feed Thanos?!?!? I'm pretty sure that's animal abuse, but there is nothing I can do to stop her. :/ How can I make sure 0 crickets escape?
Sorry to hear about this. Yes, it is a challenge to not have crickets escape. If you have a cat you might bring him/her in the room. My cat is my cleanup crew for any stray crickets. She loves them...she may be part chameleon. Who knows lol
Anyway,
I usually use a tall plastic bin, in specific, this one:
https://www.target.com/p/medium-clear-latching-storage-bin-made-by-design-8482/-/A-75664284?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&CPNG=PLA_Storage+Organization+Shopping_Brand&adgroup=SC_Storage+Organization&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9061089&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1247068&ds_rl=1246978&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1Iv0BRDaARIsAGTWD1uCXiDiGziiPCE2A4E7HzYygR_jGfD3MMvJxWCfkf6swLW_x1OmVlgaAlbVEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
I like that one because it's tall. As long as the egg crate isn't super high up, the crickets don't usually hop out. I always fill my dusting cup with crickets in that bin.
From there, I dust and then use insect tongs to distribute them to the cham cages. I usually use the tongs/tweezers to count how many crickets I'm providing to each of my chams. Also, to control the size I provide for them. Alternatively, you can dump the entire cup in if you're confident in the number in the cup isn't too many. I usually end up putting feeders back in their container.
These are the tongs I'm talking about:
https://www.chewy.com/zoo-med-stainless-steel-feeding-tongs/dp/190126?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=Zoo Med&utm_term=&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1Iv0BRDaARIsAGTWD1vFceFzfTaNEEsN2_cZRdKpFPN4Vp1pWrZfYsEUU2Dz9o8_xB9bylMaAjP9EALw_wcB
Don't be afraid of grabbing the crickets with the tool. They're pretty tough.
Whether you're using a glass or screen cage it may be beneficial to use a feeder cup so the feeders don't find their way out of the enclosure. Crickets can't jump out of a feeder cup for the most part. Idk how your relationship is with your dad, but maybe ask him to help you make one.
You can make one using common house hold items or purchase one
Here's a link how to make one:
https://dragonstrand.com/constructing-a-chameleon-feeder-run/
Otherwise, as other members said, look into getting another feeder such as roaches or silkworms. There's a member on here,
@jamest0o0, that sells all kinds of roaches if that helps. Banana roaches are useful if your cham doesn't like the dubias. My chams enjoy them more and happily eat them, but not dubias. I believe since the bananas are green that is one reason why they like them more.
