Infestation. Not sure what to do.

[Goldenarcher1328]

First off, this is completely relevant to chameleons and if you will read through to the bottom you'll see this doesn't belong in the lizard lounge.

Well, Once upon a time we decided to see if my tegu's would eat crickets. Surely enough they did. Now, Once upon a time not so long ago i have been faced with a major problem. I have an infestation that was the result of being unable to capture all the crickets residing in the enclosure. This is miserable, my tegu's are simply to large to be concerned with crickets and really don't care to eat them. I now have the largest infestation of crickets i have ever seen. every time i move the sphagnum moss/ terrarium moss hundreds of newly hatched crickets flee before my very eyes. Every Half log i move harbors around 30 medium sized crickets. Every stone i turn has a colony. This is out of control and although my tegu's are burrowing species, and are large and armored i fear that crickets may nibble them....

Yes i catch as many as i can and throw them into the chameleons cage but with numbers like these this is highly unpractical as well as tiring, the crickets are lightning fast, i mean at least twice as fast as storebought crickets. i feel like i'm trying to catch dubia roaches

Could i do something such as purchase an anole or longtail lizard, have them attempt to cull of the infestation, and then introduce said new lizard into the large 5x6 chameleon enclosure, in which the bottom 4 feet are virtually untouched by my cham. is this a terrible idea???


Opinions? This is miserable...


my biggest concern in the little cleaner lizard having some sorta disease and spreading it.....

 

[JonRich]

I don't know if one or 2 lizards will help with the #'s you are speaking of. And i would not put anything that can fit into a Veilds mouth in the same cage with it, no matter how large the cage.

Damn , this is a tuff one . One that brings a concern for all the people that have recently considered doing the planted grass enclosures.

I don't even know what to say aside from taking it all apart and getting em all out

 

[KylieT]

This might not work but is there any way to flood it? They drown so fast it's reasonable to think up to 5 mins in water and you could get them all, or at least drive them out.

 

[clarkrw3]

If you can seal the cage and place dry ice in the cage in will kill them all. The CO2 will give the plants a boost and at the same time kill anything that needs O2. So MAKE SURE YOUR ANIMALS ARE OUT OF THE CAGE

 

[Goldenarcher1328]

If you can seal the cage and place dry ice in the cage in will kill them all. The CO2 will give the plants a boost and at the same time kill anything that needs O2. So MAKE SURE YOUR ANIMALS ARE OUT OF THE CAGE

I like that idea. Haha,its just a matter of two lone crickets getting lucky and reproducing. Lol just my luck.


I may have to try that.

 

[Goldenarcher1328]

I don't know if one or 2 lizards will help with the #'s you are speaking of. And i would not put anything that can fit into a Veilds mouth in the same cage with it, no matter how large the cage.

Damn , this is a tuff one . One that brings a concern for all the people that have recently considered doing the planted grass enclosures.

I don't even know what to say aside from taking it all apart and getting em all out

Its not really a matter of the grass, as my tegu's have eaten and trampled the grass to oblivion. The grass is currently being replanted, the thing is the terrarium moss is an ideal breeding place for crickets and logs are great for the adult crickets to hide under.

The grass hasn't posed any problems as of yet.

 

[JonRich]

Its not really a matter of the grass, as my tegu's have eaten and trampled the grass to oblivion. The grass is currently being replanted, the thing is the terrarium moss is an ideal breeding place for crickets and logs are great for the adult crickets to hide under.

The grass hasn't posed any problems as of yet.

I know. I ment in order to have grass, you'd have soil and other "natural" media to promote cricket breeding if you free-range any for your animals to eat.

Most people just keep the cage bottom bare with no option for a loose cricket to breed.

 

[fluxlizard]

Realistically your only choice is to clean the thing out completely - substrate and furnishings and everything- and start over fresh.

A few long tailed grass lizards aren't going to do the job. If there are as many crickets as you say, they are going to reproduce faster than the little lizards will eat them, unless you have a small army of lizards in there...

Might be a good time to build an outdoor tegu pen for the summer!

Galvanized metal roofing for the walls is pretty cheap and long lasting!

 

[jpm995]

maybe place some kind of box inside the cage with food for the crickets in it and scoop it out before they can get out. May take many times doing it to get them all.

 

[clarkrw3]

I like that idea. Haha,its just a matter of two lone crickets getting lucky and reproducing. Lol just my luck.


I may have to try that.

This method works and has been used by the dart frog community for years. Just two things. You need to leave a vent for the O2 (Air) to escape once the dry ice has been placed. Also so that pressure doesn't build up in the viv. And Two you need enough dry ice to displace all the Air. You will know this is happening if dry ice smoke which is heavier then air starts coming out of the vent hole you have placed at the top of the viv. This method is completely NON-Toxic it just kills things because they don't have air to breath

 

[Chameleonic]

Also, just to mention that you don't really want to be giving your chams ungutloaded crickets from your tegu cage.

 

[Goldenarcher1328]

I know. I ment in order to have grass, you'd have soil and other "natural" media to promote cricket breeding if you free-range any for your animals to eat.


Ahh i see what your saying! haha, yeah it seems like the perfect breeding enclosure for crickets at this point.


Most people just keep the cage bottom bare with no option for a loose cricket to breed.

Sadly that is not an option with the Colombian Black and White Tegu's ( they are a burrowing species and spend about 2/3 of the day during the winter underground. Coming out to bask, eat, other bodily functions, and to roam, logs and other hides when placed on a bare surface will make them uncomfortable and screw up the biological cycles)

Realistically your only choice is to clean the thing out completely - substrate and furnishings and everything- and start over fresh.

A few long tailed grass lizards aren't going to do the job. If there are as many crickets as you say, they are going to reproduce faster than the little lizards will eat them, unless you have a small army of lizards in there...

Might be a good time to build an outdoor tegu pen for the summer!

Galvanized metal roofing for the walls is pretty cheap and long lasting!

I really want to do the outdoor penning so badly! my Tegu's would love it! Only problem is we have feral cats that get into everything. But i'm sure they'd be fine, just'd make me nervous a little. But space is the biggest problem at the moment.

This method works and has been used by the dart frog community for years. Just two things. You need to leave a vent for the O2 (Air) to escape once the dry ice has been placed. Also so that pressure doesn't build up in the viv. And Two you need enough dry ice to displace all the Air. You will know this is happening if dry ice smoke which is heavier then air starts coming out of the vent hole you have placed at the top of the viv. This method is completely NON-Toxic it just kills things because they don't have air to breath

I do like this idea alot, it makes simple sense and sounds wonderfully easy. Only problem is, where does one acquire dry ice?

Also, just to mention that you don't really want to be giving your chams ungutloaded crickets from your tegu cage.

Some go to the fish, some go to the chams, Escapees go to the cats lol. ( i'm not relying on the infestation as a foodsource. Not that you were implying that, but i see no harm or ill effects so far on them eating an extra non dusted, cricket.)


Thanks for all the replies so far!!

 

[DanSB]

The dry ice idea works well except it will not kill all the eggs and will require multiple applications.

I'm not sure where you would get it in your area. There is an Ice place around my house that sells it. It is very cool to check out and fun to play with! (Just be careful it is a little dangerous).

Try this place, I looked up dry ice in your area: http://www.newenglanddryice.com/ (At least call and see who they deliver to in your area.)

Dry Ice is fun to play with so buy extra! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59fNA983RGY

 

[Goldenarcher1328]

The dry ice idea works well except it will not kill all the eggs and will require multiple applications.

I'm not sure where you would get it in your area. There is an Ice place around my house that sells it. It is very cool to check out and fun to play with! (Just be careful it is a little dangerous).

Try this place, I looked up dry ice in your area: http://www.newenglanddryice.com/ (At least call and see who they deliver to in your area.)

Dry Ice is fun to play with so buy extra! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59fNA983RGY

Haha it is so much fun! so of course i would naturally buy extra!!!!

didn't know about the eggs part, makes sense through.would the general temperature drop manage to kill them off? Or are the resilient little buggers

 

[DanSB]

Haha it is so much fun! so of course i would naturally buy extra!!!!

didn't know about the eggs part, makes sense through.would the general temperature drop manage to kill them off? Or are the resilient little buggers

It would kill some of them especially anything in direct contact but crickets lay a lot of eggs and are good at hiding them. I think it also depends on type of cricket. Many crickets live in areas that get snow all winter and the eggs don't die off... (I'm only guessing on that last part)

 

[pssh]

I haven't read the whole thing, but if you dry it out for a week, any small crickets will die very quickly. Just take out the lizards and relocate them for a week or so. Also, lesser/dark mealworms like to eat the eggs of the crickets. I've heard of them Wiping out cricket tubs (intentional breeding of the crickets.)

If you need some PM me.

 

[clarkrw3]

You can often get the dry ice at the grocery store, not all but many have it. And if you did that method you could do it then repeat 3 weeks later and that would get all the new hatchlings or use pssh's method of drying it out....as long as you don't have breeders you should have a continued problem once the current breeders are killed off.

 

[Swede]

I assume that the dead crickets are supposed to be taken out of the terrarium.
It doesn't sound like a good idea to leave them there.

 

[ChamomilleCame]

What about a small tube vacuum?? Wouldn't this take them all out?