Crickets are readily available, fairly inexpensive and often are the primary captive diet (although a varied diet is important to the well being of your chameleon!). Crickets can be fairly nutritious when they themselves are fed a complete diet that includes leafy greens, vegetables with a high calcium content, and fruits (see gutloading) and when maintained under hygienic conditions. Some keepers suggest removing the large hind jumping legs from crickets before offering to smaller chameleons, to prevent punctures and scrapes inside the chameleons mouth that could lead to infection. Crickets can be put in a high-sided, opaque cup/container that is directly under favoured branches. Or you may allow them to freely roam the cage (so long as any not eaten are removed before the chameleon sleeps). Allowing the crickets to disperse in the cage allows the chameleons to hunt the insects in a more natural manner. Supplying a small amount of cricket food inside the chameleon cage will allow any not immediately uneaten crickets to remain gut-loaded and will minimize the chance that the crickets will attempt to mibble on the chameleon. The size/width of crickets offered should not exceed the width of the chameleon's head. The container you keep your crickets in must be kept clean, to ensure the crickets are not passing unwanted germs and bacteria on to your chameleons. Cricket containers not cleaned regularly will also become quite odorous!
http://www.anapsid.org/crickets.html
http://chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=52
http://skylab.org/~chugga/cricket/http://www.nativecrickets.com/
http://www.amentsoc.org/insects/caresheets/crickets.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20060521...com/husbandry/index.php?show=Cricket.Box.html
http://www.anapsid.org/crickets.html
http://chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=52
http://skylab.org/~chugga/cricket/http://www.nativecrickets.com/
http://www.amentsoc.org/insects/caresheets/crickets.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20060521...com/husbandry/index.php?show=Cricket.Box.html
