Is there a way to keep crickets from hiding in the plant pots?

[wodesorel]

Ugh. I forgot this is why I pulled the potted plants out of my geckos's enclosure months ago!

The crickets have all tunneled into the schfllera's pot and while I can't see them I can hear at least a dozen in there, singing away. Now I'm not sure how many my veiled is getting to eat! A good amount head straight up the cage when I put them in and she picks them off, but apparently several have gotten smart and dove underground instead. That pot is huge and heavy, and the plant is in shock from being new so I don't want to accidentally kill the plant that she's very much liking by doing something stupid and trying to repot it or mess with it right now.

Any ideas to get them out, or get them to stop? This has to be a common issue, right? I keep seeing cup feeding mentioned, but how does one contain a cricket that can jump a foot high?

 

[Crashbandit05]

Do you have rocks covering the soil? I would imagine that might help the crickets from burrowing into the plant soil

 

[MSMorgan]

You might try a paper towel or toilet paper tube with a bit of gut load in it. Place it near, or on the top of the plant. It's my experience that crickets are drawn to the tubes. Nonetheless, your best bet is to pull the plant and get the crickets out. Depends on how much chirping you can handle before being shipped off to the looney bin.
When cup feeing, you can either "hand feed" from a plastic "party" cup while holding you little guy or having him close by and shoot into the cup, or make a home made feeder like this:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/custom-made-cricket-feeder.80015/

You might also try only feeding crickets on the weekends, when working from home, or when you have extra time during the day to keep an eye on the enclosure and pull the crickets when he's done eating. I usually feed dubias and supers during the days I am working. They usually stay in the feeding cup, for the most part, until Lucky eats them, or I get home to put them back in the keepers to bulk up on gut load again. Here's a shot of my little feeding cup held up with magnets.

 

[nick barta]

Some of the crickets will jump out of a cup feeder, but if you put them into your dusting cup, let them calm down, and then tip the dusting cup so they can crawl into the feeding cup, most will stay in the feeding cup. The crickets will then climb the mesh/pole for easy pickings. Most chams will sit by the feeding cup when hungry. You can build your own, use the Search feature, or look in the classifieds, I sell 2 styles.

If your pot is hanging instead of resting on the floor, most crickets will not reach it. Put a piece of wood that across the outside top of the cage, and use florist's wire or fishing wire to hang it from the wood support. Another solution is to contact Bill at Dragonstrand (sponser-top right corner) and if your cage is listed, he has ledges that fit most 24-inch sided cages. You could sit the pot on a wood/plastic board.

CHEERS!

Nick

 

[wodesorel]

It's a big pot of sand that is doubling as an egg laying area, so I can't take it out permanently. They are managing to wedge into the drainage the bottom where they shouldn't even be able to fit! I really really hate crickets, but I know she needs them.

I've got a quart sized milk jug in the fridge that's just about empty. I'll try that as a feeding cup. We get some seriously bouncy crickets here. They spring right back over the 6 inch bottom ledge of the tank when I put them in. I'm usually having to bat them back in as I try to close the door.

 

[bobcochran]

If you pinch the two big back legs of crickets at the knee they can't jump anymore, and will stay in the feeder cup.

 

[TheCoop]

You can also give a feeder tub on the door a shot, has always worked well for me.

 

[alphakenc]

Sounds like you have a Mexican cricket cartel problem love to dig underground....I will suggest go to your local home depot,get some fine mesh,cut and fit around top of the soil and put a sign saying "NO DIGGER EL CHAPO CRICKETS ALLOW " border patrol after and see what happen.....yup....yup

 

[Alb123]

Fill the pot and soil with water. The water will drive the crickets out from their tunnels. Tried and true way to catch crickets in the wild, works the same at home. Used the same method when I had kept some gold dust day geckos in the exoterra terrarium. The uneaten crickets would burry into the dry soil and I would fill the soil with water and the crickets would immediately escape from the water in fear of drowning. Those that didn't escape did drown.

 

[wodesorel]

When cup feeing, you can either "hand feed" from a plastic "party" cup while holding you little guy or having him close by and shoot into the cup, or make a home made feeder like this:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/custom-made-cricket-feeder.80015/

This has been perfect!! She won't take the calci or waxworms from it (I have to hand feed in a little cup), but it is working for the crickets and the supers since they climb up the mesh. Thank you!!