Handling Crickets

[marooned]

Hi all,

I am a new Cham caretaker and want to learn more about handling crickets for feeding. I am really nervous about getting loose ones in my home and (honestly) a little bit creeped out by them. Currently I take my long tweezers and grab one at a time from the bag I get them in and put them in a container which I have calcium powder to coat them in. Then I put them in the freezer for just a few minutes to paralyze them and then put them in the cage. They start moving again within 10 minutes or so typically.

I am looking into the feeders that are available, but ideally I don't want a huge structure on the side of my tank. Any suggestions on getting over my fear of them and suggestions on how to best handle them without them escaping?

Thanks so much!!

 

[Remkon]

You can also try feeding dubia roaches as your main staple. They don't jump, don't smell, are easy to breed and are more nutritious.

Crickets will eventually find their way into your home and will annoy you withctheir cricketing... I lost many hours if sleep because of them. If you can get your hans on em you can buy Jamaican field crickets, they arent as jumpy, more meaty and dont make much noise. They made a big difference for me at the time.

 

[marooned]

You can also try feeding dubia roaches as your main staple. They don't jump, don't smell, are easy to breed and are more nutritious.

Crickets will eventually find their way into your home and will annoy you withctheir cricketing... I lost many hours if sleep because of them. If you can get your hans on em you can buy Jamaican field crickets, they arent as jumpy, more meaty and dont make much noise. They made a big difference for me at the time.

Awesome, thanks so much for the suggestion! I am totally fine handling those so that might be a good alternative.

 

[Arpretty]

Hi all,

I am a new Cham caretaker and want to learn more about handling crickets for feeding. I am really nervous about getting loose ones in my home and (honestly) a little bit creeped out by them. Currently I take my long tweezers and grab one at a time from the bag I get them in and put them in a container which I have calcium powder to coat them in. Then I put them in the freezer for just a few minutes to paralyze them and then put them in the cage. They start moving again within 10 minutes or so typically.

I am looking into the feeders that are available, but ideally I don't want a huge structure on the side of my tank. Any suggestions on getting over my fear of them and suggestions on how to best handle them without them escaping?

Thanks so much!!

I was very confused about handling crickets at first too. Here’s what I do:
I keep them in a 10 gallon tank with a screen lid. There’s a section that has a bowl for their food and water crystals/sponge, and the rest of the tank has various pieces of egg carton and toilet paper rolls.
I use a large, tall plastic cup, and sprinkle some calcium in there. Then, I grab a piece of egg carton or toilet paper roll and shake a couple of crickets off into the cup. Swish the cup around a bit to coat them in calcium.
It helps to fold one end of the toilet paper roll so you can essentially dump them out if they’re hiding in one.
I then just dump the contents of the cup into my cham’s feeder cup in his cage.
I rarely ever have escapees. If one happens to jump out, I just grab it quickly and try not to think about it!
Hope this helps.

 

[bobbydigital]

I pretty much do the same as the reply above me. fortunately, i have three cats that hunt the crickets down that escape.

 

[ERKleRose]

Hi all,

I am a new Cham caretaker and want to learn more about handling crickets for feeding. I am really nervous about getting loose ones in my home and (honestly) a little bit creeped out by them. Currently I take my long tweezers and grab one at a time from the bag I get them in and put them in a container which I have calcium powder to coat them in. Then I put them in the freezer for just a few minutes to paralyze them and then put them in the cage. They start moving again within 10 minutes or so typically.

I am looking into the feeders that are available, but ideally I don't want a huge structure on the side of my tank. Any suggestions on getting over my fear of them and suggestions on how to best handle them without them escaping?

Thanks so much!!

Are you gutloading these crickets? Also, if you make a cricket bin out of a gasket sealed container it might give you more peace of mind, and if you use a cardboard tube, you could get more crickets out of the container while still keeping them contained. Hopefully your cage is cricket proof, too!

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Stumbled across this when I was looking for a way to get tiny crickets from their 10gal tank to the feeding bowl in my hatchlings viv. I was having trouble moving them without crushing them, this completely solved that issue. Never tried it on big crickets but should still work. Be sure to keep the removable tip on it as it creates extra suction, you’ll need that if your going after bigger feeders.

 

[marooned]

Oh my gosh, what a cool contraption! I'm going to have to give it a try. Thanks so much for the suggestion!

 

[ebclark]

Hi all,

I am a new Cham caretaker and want to learn more about handling crickets for feeding. I am really nervous about getting loose ones in my home and (honestly) a little bit creeped out by them. Currently I take my long tweezers and grab one at a time from the bag I get them in and put them in a container which I have calcium powder to coat them in. Then I put them in the freezer for just a few minutes to paralyze them and then put them in the cage. They start moving again within 10 minutes or so typically.

I am looking into the feeders that are available, but ideally I don't want a huge structure on the side of my tank. Any suggestions on getting over my fear of them and suggestions on how to best handle them without them escaping?

Thanks so much!!

I've never heard of putting them in the freezer for a few minutes, but it sounds like a great idea! Thank you!

 

[JoXie411]

When I first started I would keep them in my garage over night so that way when I got them in the morning the would be “sleeping” and move less when getting the amount I needed