Black crickets suck (can I type suck here??)

[Picasso123]

So very time I buy mulberry farms I get some crickets cuz their super cheap and helps justify the $15 on some hornworms. 2-0 they're black.

Every time I get them.

#1 the lighter crickets seem to disappear.
#2 Mr C ( temporary name the wife has given the unnamed Panther Cham) doesn't eat so much.
#3 Black crickets don't seem to climb in his feeding range.
#4 the Black crickets dine on the egg crate.
#5 Seems to poop a heck of alot more while attempting to be eaten.

Next time you see black crickets for sale pass. They're just trouble and I think cannibalize the lighter ones. While writing this he's hunting the lighter crickets like there's no tomorrow!!!

 

[Aminah Undone]

Interesting.

I prefer the Black crickets over the others for several reasons.

-They are quieter.
-They don't smell as rank. (I clean the bin regularly.)
-They eat everything, especially, the really important greens.
-They appear to be more "meat" for the mouthful, in comparison.
-They aren't as likely to hop out of the bin, when I open it.

However, you CANNOT leave them overnight or for any length of unsupervised time with your lizard, etc. They will chew on them!


Have you considered cup feeding? It would address the issue with them not crawling into tongue strike range. And since they don't really hop as much, they wouldn't escape like the other crickets. Not as much, anyway.

 

[pssh]

Tub feed! Use a tub (I like a nice shoe box sized tub) so your chameleon can still hunt but the insects are still contained. The best of both worlds!

I don't like how strong their bite is though!

 

[Aminah Undone]

Holy Cow! Their bite is nasty.. that's for sure! I try to avoid getting bit by them, though.

 

[Elizadolots]

Black crickets are evil. I'm willing to pay twice as much to get brown crickets. (and, if you'd told me 5 years ago I would someday have a preference in crickets I would have written you off as crazy)

 

[ChameleonNerd]

i'm guessing it's because black crickets are from "the hood"

 

[Cricket]

hahaha

i'm guessing it's because black crickets are from "the hood"

That was funny, everyone in the room with me just looked at me like I'm crazy.

 

[ChameleonNerd]

That was funny, everyone in the room with me just looked at me like I'm crazy.

"like"

 

[KTown333]

You guys ever use reptilefood.com? I got some feeders from there and I was happy with how cheap it was.

 

[DavidBuchan]

I'm with Aminah Undone here 100%, except who cares about a cricket bite, really? An adult locust once gave me an unpleasant surprise once but not what I'd call a bite!
Your 5 reasons are almost exactly what I'd go for - not only are they less likely to jump out they really are slower and more grounded creatures,and they escape less (which is why chams will eat the fast jumpy skinny brown ones first if they can)
Black crickets are easier to keep and are far quieter (if I could get them 15 years ago my mum would have complained a lot less!). The reason they eat the cardboard is because they are hungry for more calcium rich gutload and extra greens.
Feed them well, and watch them get big, juicy and healthy like one of those brown fools can only dream of.
I admit, even the black ones don't actually attempt to be eaten (the closest to that I saw was a kamikaze butterfly ) but when it comes to crickets I've tried black and I'm not going back.........

 

[Ionstorm]

For my adult chameleons I have a strong preference towards the standard brown crickets. The brown crickets have a tendancy to climb, well the black crickets stay near the bottom.

With my baby chameleons I like the black crickets. These crickets walk just enough to climb out of the containers used for feeding, but do not try and escape from the baby bins.

I have seen to evidence of the black crickets biting any of my adults or babies.

 

[thephotoprincess]

Other than my female veiled who is constantly starving and will eat ANYTHING, our chams hate the black crickets. Not sure why as they eat a variety of bugs ...

 

[Aminah Undone]

.. when it comes to crickets I've tried black and I'm not going back.........

This is funny!


People say I'm crazy.. super/king worm bites and cricket bites completely freak me out. I mean, screaming.. squealing.. jumping around... freak me out! Yet, I have very large snakes, tarantulas and so on ...that I handle often and without a hitch. *maybe I am crazy*

 

[pssh]

I dislike superworms bites. It never really hurts much (if at all) but I still flail my hand around and throw the worm at the ground. That's one of the insects i keep that I can't seem to get over. They look so creepy!

 

[Picasso123]

My chameleon has a totally different personality it seems with the black ones. He tends to hang out on the sides near the top much more. I wasn't aware they try attacking him at night? He probably eats most before bed though Perhaps why he stays higher up because they prefer the bottom.

 

[DavidBuchan]

This is funny!


People say I'm crazy.. super/king worm bites and cricket bites completely freak me out. I mean, screaming.. squealing.. jumping around... freak me out! Yet, I have very large snakes, tarantulas and so on ...that I handle often and without a hitch. *maybe I am crazy*

Well, maybe we're crazy, but there's a lot of it about so don't be worrying your crazy little head about it