Do Yourself a Favor....put the LID BACK ON!! AWWWW

[jpowell86]

I can't believe I did this. 17 years of keeping herps and all the feeders that are used to feed them...and in one week I leave the door open on Oden's Enclosure(Veiled Chameleon) and today I woke up and proceeded to retrieve my first cup of coffee and realized there was a buzz in the background. I had forgot to close the lid completely on one of my fly colonies. Stupid stupid. Here's to trying to catch them all!!

 

[Onemorecast]

Just let the chams out, have em clean for ya. Thats tough and a rainy day to boot, good luck!

 

[Mikesyring]

Wow lol always fun our cat knocked over the cricket keeper and cracked it 200 crickets every were and the cats just play with them and let them go lol lol

 

[nick barta]

I did the opposite with 500 Blue Bottle flies: Put them in the freezer to cool them down to put them in the cages, forgot about them, found them searching for ice cream 2 days later!

CHEERS!

 

[Lathis]

Been there, done that, got covered in fly spit ><

 

[brownie64]

Why when a cricket escapes it always finds it's way to your bedroom in that place it can't be found? Talk about your sleepless nights! The things we do for our little buddies. Good luck I hope you get them all back in their rightful place.

 

[LindsayG]

Why when a cricket escapes it always finds it's way to your bedroom in that place it can't be found? Talk about your sleepless nights! The things we do for our little buddies. Good luck I hope you get them all back in their rightful place.

Sounds like you need a cat . Any escapees in my house get batted around for a while then eaten. I feel a whole lot safer knowing I won't have any unexpected guests visiting me in my sleep

 

[brownie64]

I got a cat, But she is kind of like Garfield if you know what I mean.

 

[radstusky]

I've got 500 fly pupae coming in tomorrow, thanks for the reminder about what NOT to do!

 

[Matt Vanilla Gorilla]

You need a bug vac!

 

[Carlton]

Sometimes I think we need a sticky thread for "feeder disasters" where we can all add our stories.

Oh let's see, there's the time my blue bottle fly order was delayed so by the time I picked them up at the PO the box was vibrating/buzzing so loud the postmaster wondered if it might be a bomb.

And, the night my dubia roach colony held a dance, rocked its Rubbermaid tote off its shelf over the boiler, and released who knows how many hundreds of nymphs and adults. Of course the colony happened to be at its production peak at the time. I discovered all this the next morning while leaving for work. Found live, dying, and dead roaches all over the house and crawlspace for months.

Then there was my first delivery of 500 European nightcrawlers who lived up to their name. I set them up in an open topped bin with a nightlight hanging overhead to keep them from escaping. The bulb burned out in the middle of the night and they were off. Woke up to hundreds of cold slimy things all over the bedroom carpet. I found dying and dead worms in my closet, under furniture, cabinets, and bookshelves for a week or so. Who would have thought keeping worms would be so hard? I now have great respect for the determination of all worms.

Because of where I live I try to round as many of them up as possible. All I can think about is how much each of them cost to get here!

 

[jpowell86]

Stellar ideas from you all!

I did the opposite with 500 Blue Bottle flies: Put them in the freezer to cool them down to put them in the cages, forgot about them, found them searching for ice cream 2 days later!

That's Hilarious!

Been there, done that, got covered in fly spit ><

Eew

Sometimes I think we need a sticky thread for "feeder disasters" where we can all add our stories.

Oh let's see, there's the time my blue bottle fly order was delayed so by the time I picked them up at the PO the box was vibrating/buzzing so loud the postmaster wondered if it might be a bomb.

And, the night my dubia roach colony held a dance, rocked its Rubbermaid tote off its shelf over the boiler, and released who knows how many hundreds of nymphs and adults. Of course the colony happened to be at its production peak at the time. I discovered all this the next morning while leaving for work. Found live, dying, and dead roaches all over the house and crawlspace for months.

Then there was my first delivery of 500 European nightcrawlers who lived up to their name. I set them up in an open topped bin with a nightlight hanging overhead to keep them from escaping. The bulb burned out in the middle of the night and they were off. Woke up to hundreds of cold slimy things all over the bedroom carpet. I found dying and dead worms in my closet, under furniture, cabinets, and bookshelves for a week or so. Who would have thought keeping worms would be so hard? I now have great respect for the determination of all worms.

Because of where I live I try to round as many of them up as possible. All I can think about is how much each of them cost to get here!

Not to gain from other's tragedies....but your post made me feel loads better!!

 

[jpowell86]

Window Clear!! Phew! Solution - I have a Schefflera arboricola that is about 7' tall. So I put it on a furniture dolly and rolled it in front of the window. Next, I placed three of my Melleri on the plant and I let them go to town! They were happy, I was thankful, and I have decided I am walling in the extra side of my garage and creating a feeder room. This is not going to happen again!

 

[Carlton]

That was brilliant! Did you watch the show? Would have made a great video. Everyone's a winner except the flies (but who cares whether annoying invertebrates are happy or not?).

 

[jpowell86]

That was brilliant! Did you watch the show? Would have made a great video. Everyone's a winner except the flies (but who cares whether annoying invertebrates are happy or not?).

Thank you! I actually pulled up a chair and watched for quite a while. In hind sight, I wish I would have filmed the frenzy. Funny, I walked outside to get the mail and I could hear distinct thuds against the glass!

 

[Carlton]

Thank you! I actually pulled up a chair and watched for quite a while. In hind sight, I wish I would have filmed the frenzy. Funny, I walked outside to get the mail and I could hear distinct thuds against the glass!

I believe it! My melleri sent more than one feeder flying out of my hands from 2 feet away!

 

[JaniP]

Sometimes I think we need a sticky thread for "feeder disasters" where we can all add our stories.

Oh let's see, there's the time my blue bottle fly order was delayed so by the time I picked them up at the PO the box was vibrating/buzzing so loud the postmaster wondered if it might be a bomb.

And, the night my dubia roach colony held a dance, rocked its Rubbermaid tote off its shelf over the boiler, and released who knows how many hundreds of nymphs and adults. Of course the colony happened to be at its production peak at the time. I discovered all this the next morning while leaving for work. Found live, dying, and dead roaches all over the house and crawlspace for months.

Then there was my first delivery of 500 European nightcrawlers who lived up to their name. I set them up in an open topped bin with a nightlight hanging overhead to keep them from escaping. The bulb burned out in the middle of the night and they were off. Woke up to hundreds of cold slimy things all over the bedroom carpet. I found dying and dead worms in my closet, under furniture, cabinets, and bookshelves for a week or so. Who would have thought keeping worms would be so hard? I now have great respect for the determination of all worms.

Because of where I live I try to round as many of them up as possible. All I can think about is how much each of them cost to get here!

I'm sorry but....GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! THE NIGHTCRAWLERS! I'd straight up die.

 

[jpowell86]

I believe it! My melleri sent more than one feeder flying out of my hands from 2 feet away!

It is truly amazing when you see first hand the rate of propulsion in their tongue movement!

 

[Dro B]

Chams eat nightcrawlers? I'd also say I'm skeptical about the extent of the nightcrawlers escape, because you didn't mention the smell!!! I had one worm get out of a container in my car and I spent a week trying to find it and literally had to park it with the windows down and put fans in it for days praying that whatever it was wouldn't smell anymore if it was 100% dry. I was convinced something very big died in there.