Dark crickets?

[Jusanothermornin]

Hello everyone! Unfortunately, while out of the country, I ran out of crickets and my cricket supplier closed down. I had my pet sitter go to a local petshop to purchase some crickets. She sent me photos and the crickets from the petshop are very dark compared to the crickets I have been feeding my cham. The crickets I was originally feeding my cham were a tan to light brown color. These new crickets are a very dark brown to almost black (but not fully). Are these crickets safe? Simply a different species? Is the darker color due to gut loading?

Also, I'm looking into different kinds of feeders. Hardy, easy to care for, and nutritious. Any suggestions?

 

[Andee]

I wouldn't know what the crickets are without a picture

But hardy and easy to care for feeders are dubia and giant/regular green banana roaches. Stick bugs (in my opinion are easy), hornworms are ok but usually out grow your ability to use them pretty fast and unless you intend to breed them or feed the moths are useless then. Butterworms (if your cham isn't allergic can't bred them though), superworms... I'm sure there are others I am just not thinking of ^^

 

[WTF]

The dark ones Are fine I know the black ones are native to California and probably the US I think they are susceptible to the virus that was killing crickets off and the tan ones were hardier. Someone please tell my if I'm way off bAse with that

 

[Psychobunny]

If your talking about the black field cricket, they are very aggressive and bite. The brown banded cricks are much more docile.
I would not let loose adult black field cricks in a cage with a young cham.
They are known to attack small animals, and can leave nasty bite wounds.

 

[Jusanothermornin]

I got back to the states last night and there were four of them dead at the bottom of the container. The pet sitter purchased them on Thursday. The first crickets I was feeding did not die off this fast. Here is a photo, maybe someone could identify them. Some of them have black heads. I'm worried they're infected. Not all of them are this dark though. Some are light brown.

Btw, can someone teach me how to properly upload images? lol

 

[Psychobunny]

Click on the 'post reply' button.
Scroll down under the window where you type your post, and click "manage attachments.
A window will pop up.
Click "browse" and find the pics you want to attach on your harddrive, just find the file and click where it says "upload".
Wait for it to appear, then close that window and click "submit reply".