So after recently cleaning my chameleon enclosure I noticed many dead crickets and not a great smell at all. I have a feeder I put dubias and wax worms and crickets but the crickets just jump out and either get eaten or hide and die. I was wondering if I could start feeding the crickets a different way so they don't stink and dirty up my enclosure and more. My chameleon still does not like me or movement so I can't hand feed or even get her to come out on my hand to feed her elsewhere. Are there any bugs I can start feeding in replace of crickets. Right now I feed crickets, dubias, wax worms, superiors, meal worms (just as a snack every once in a while). Also what would be the best way to clean poop from on leaves lol.
Keeping enclosure cleaner
- Thread starter 2134bean
- Start date
Yes! I will start putting carrots soon because they last long. My only issue is the crickets jump out of the container so the carrot would do no good for them. This would be great for the dubias and other insects tho. Just looking for a easy fix for the cricket situation and how they can get so nasty when they die.
nightanole
Chameleon Enthusiast
dubia is a direct replacement for crickets. "most" of the time, only adults will eat them.
Typically for a well rounded diet, i go by gut loads.
DUbia are fed a completely different diet vs supers for example. If you have another feeder that eats either of those diets, its not a good pic. However silk worms again eat a completely different diet, so another good choice, and cheap if you can hatch yourself and have a mulberry tree near your house.
In terms of stinky dead crickets, if i have to feed crickets, i eliminate all hiding spots. So all flower pots are propped up off the cage floor, and all drainage dishes for the plants are sealed off so the crickets cant get in there and drown and decay.
As for a cup feeder, a well designed feeder with a screen back, should be able to hold all feeders with no escapees.
Typically for a well rounded diet, i go by gut loads.
DUbia are fed a completely different diet vs supers for example. If you have another feeder that eats either of those diets, its not a good pic. However silk worms again eat a completely different diet, so another good choice, and cheap if you can hatch yourself and have a mulberry tree near your house.
In terms of stinky dead crickets, if i have to feed crickets, i eliminate all hiding spots. So all flower pots are propped up off the cage floor, and all drainage dishes for the plants are sealed off so the crickets cant get in there and drown and decay.
As for a cup feeder, a well designed feeder with a screen back, should be able to hold all feeders with no escapees.
This is my feeder, it works magic for the dubias and wax worms and etc. But the crickets jump right out and find a place to die and just stink up the place. If I just stick to feeding my dubias ( which my cham loves so much) and maybe start feeding silkworms or black soldier fly larvae or something. Could I stop feeding crickets because they are just not my vibe... I'd rather clean not smelling roaches lol
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nightanole
Chameleon Enthusiast
Crickets do better in a parabolic bowl. Hint, crickets can only jump "up" so if the bowl has a round bottom, they can only jump straight up in the middle, or sidways into the side of the bowl.
Klyde O'Scope
Chameleon Enthusiast
That only works if the radius of the bowl is greater than the distance the cricket can jump.
I've gotten a few dead crickets, but if they aren't vacuumed up on cleaning/supplement day, they get down into the drain pan, and are flushed down into the drain bucket & emptied with it.
