Why do Kricket Keepers always seem to get a bad press? They work great.

[Quantum Mark]

Anyone that's read my newbie posts asking for guidance will know that I have my first baby cham maturing for collection. As my flatmate has a bearded dragon, I've gone on cricket duty to practice cricket husbandry and get a feel how to keep them alive and healthy.

I bought a Kircket Keeper as it seemed like a good device even though many users here and RFUK seem to dislike them. I've put mine in a large cardboard box which is taped along the top so they cant climb out the box if they escape the keeper, which i've read happens a lot. As a double measure I put a bug trap in the bottom to monitor escapees.

For cleaning, I shake it til they all go in the tubes. Stand the tubes upright so they cant escape. Rinse out the container. Put in food and water (well, water gel). Shake the tubes so they're all in the container. Rinse the tubes and them put them back in. Takes less than 10 minutes.

The cricket tubs I order come in about 40 per tub. This thing keeps them like a dream. They've been in it for almost a week now with no deaths and apparently no escapees. They're lively and seem happy.

So what's the deal with Kricket Keepers? Seem to work great to me.

 

[Rocky]

I use them and have never had a problem with them.

 

[Malicious]

They do work well for small amounts of crickets, and are easy to keep clean. I used one for a long time without issues or escapes.


However..... just wait till the "Cham Bug" bites you and you have more then one chameleon, and then your housing 1000 crickets, your gonna need a bigger tub..


-Jay

 

[Pure]

I'm with Jay. I think it's just their size or lack there of that leaves less to be desired. You will need a bunch of them or something bigger when you need more crickets. I'm only on 3 chams and granted 2 are pretty large, but I would need to go get new crickets every day if I kept them in a keeper.

 

[tkilgour]

Yes they are right! When you have a lot of chams and are going through thousands of crickets a month you will need a larger one.

 

[haleybobl]

However..... just wait till the "Cham Bug" bites you and you have more then one chameleon, and then your housing 1000 crickets, your gonna need a bigger tub..

What do you keep your crickets in Jay? I hate the smell of them, but your always so organized. Figured maybe you had a better system.

 

[tkilgour]

I agree, the smell of crickets is gross! Heleyboble you have 8 parrots-are any for sale?

 

[haleybobl]

I agree, the smell of crickets is gross! Heleyboble you have 8 parrots-are any for sale?

All but one of my birds have come as rescues. I don't breed any birds to sell.

 

[summoner12]

I have my own keeper that I have built myself... It has a fan on one end and a metal screen on the other. I keep a solid lid on top and the fan pulls air from one end to the other keep the air 'fresh' so they don't all sufficate. The biggest issue with keeping crickets is keeping them clean and not smelly... their own smel kills them... especially when you have dead ones in the keeper. Another trick is to keep egg crates vertical... this way the droppings fall to the botom of the keeper.

I can post picture later... im still at work...

 

[Quantum Mark]

I've been keeping my cricket Alcatraz arrangement next to a window in a small, warm room that we don't use. Seems to be ventilated enough as there isn't a gross smell when it comes to cleaning them out. I was expecting one but I guess the holes in the top of the keeper and the breeze are working in keeping the air decent.

I doubt I'll ever have much more than one or two chams so I guess the Kricket Keepers will do me ok for the forseeable. I just wish time would hurry up to I could take collection of my first. Seven weeks or so to go

 

[chameleon guy]

What do you keep your crickets in Jay? I hate the smell of them, but your always so organized. Figured maybe you had a better system.

Crickets always smell like crap.

 

[Malicious]

What do you keep your crickets in Jay? I hate the smell of them, but your always so organized. Figured maybe you had a better system.

I keep my crickets individually housed in these:




Just like their Uncle......

 

[Quantum Mark]

I lol'ed........

 

[summoner12]

I lol'ed........

Yeah... I guess I did as well