noisy crickets?/cricket escape!

[ChameleonClem]

Any tips on keeping crickets semi quiet? Generally i just put them outside or in another room but sometimes its too cold outside. And my family finds them too loud. Any solutions?

Also ive been having alot of trouble with crickets jumping out of the cup while im feeding with tongs. Ive tried keeping them in the fridge for a few minutes before i feed but that just kills them faster.
Any solutions? Tips? Or should i just get better at catching them?

 

[AZChamFan]

Ask the pet store to give you only females - they don't chirp. Let us know how that goes!

I use an empty large size peanut butter jar and they rarely jump out.

 

[ChameleonClem]

Ask the pet store to give you only females - they don't chirp. Let us know how that goes!

I use an empty large size peanut butter jar and they rarely jump out.

Peanut butter jar is a great idea! And i didnt know the females didnt chirp thank you so much i hope the website i get them from will do that. Ill keep the thread posted when i get a cham in a few months!

 

[AZChamFan]

Peanut butter jar is a great idea! And i didnt know the females didnt chirp thank you so much i hope the website i get them from will do that. Ill keep the thread posted when i get a cham in a few months!

Oh gosh I was just kidding about asking for only females - I doubt they will do that but if they do they are very accommodating! However, you could at least feed off the males first - I wasn't joking about that - they are the noisy ones!!! Maybe someone else will have a clever trick for keeping them quiet but aside from putting them somewhere that you can't hear them, I don't know what it would be.

Yes the peanut butter jar is lightweight and tall enough they don't usually jump out.

You could also try Dubia roaches. They are completely quiet, don't stink, don't bite, don't hop and cannot climb glass. They are also excellent feeders that you can easily raise yourself.

 

[ChameleonClem]

Oh gosh I was just kidding about asking for only females - I doubt they will do that but if they do they are very accommodating! However, you could at least feed off the males first - I wasn't joking about that - they are the noisy ones!!! Maybe someone else will have a clever trick for keeping them quiet but aside from putting them somewhere that you can't hear them, I don't know what it would be.

Yes the peanut butter jar is lightweight and tall enough they don't usually jump out.

You could also try Dubia roaches. They are completely quiet, don't stink, don't bite, don't hop and cannot climb glass. They are also excellent feeders that you can easily raise yourself.

Lol that joke flew right over my head, but i have seen somewhere that was selling male or female crickets. Im pretty sure they were for breeding your own though. And roaches got it.

 

[ChamLB]

There are black crickets you can get that don't chirp but the down side is that they eat anything and everything including plastic. They ate the coating of of our vines. They will stalk and kill dubia in the cup with them. Quiet but deadly.

 

[ChameleonClem]

There are black crickets you can get that don't chirp but the down side is that they eat anything and everything including plastic. They ate the coating of of our vines. They will stalk and kill dubia in the cup with them. Quiet but deadly.

Wow, thanks for the suggestion but i think ill stick with regular crickets lol!

 

[ChamLB]

So will I. Learned the hard way there are worse things that chirping.

 

[ChameleonClem]

So will I. Learned the hard way there are worse things that chirping.

I can tell lol!

 

[opheliaeatsbugs]

oh I despise keeping crickets! blech! They are messy, smelly, noisy, sneaky, uncooperative and can be trouble to catch - my my veiled loves hunting them, so I deal with them once in a while. She also loves to eat the other feeders, thankfully! My favorite feeder so far are the dubia roaches - I buy them online (several places dubiaroaches.com or amazon for example). I even have a breeding colony which sounds weird but it's been kinda cool. They are easy maintenance and like @AZChamFan said, they are noiseless, don't smell, bite, climb glass or smooth plastic. We also buy black soldier fly larvae which are another interesting creature - purportedly very high in calcium. I use a feeder cup for the larvae and the small dubia roaches (which remind me of pill bugs... roly poly's?). It has been a WHOLE 'nother learning curve, trying to learn how to keep the feeders properly fed (gut loaded), watered, and contained.

Have fun

 

[ChameleonClem]

oh I despise keeping crickets! blech! They are messy, smelly, noisy, sneaky, uncooperative and can be trouble to catch - my my veiled loves hunting them, so I deal with them once in a while. She also loves to eat the other feeders, thankfully! My favorite feeder so far are the dubia roaches - I buy them online (several places dubiaroaches.com or amazon for example). I even have a breeding colony which sounds weird but it's been kinda cool. They are easy maintenance and like @AZChamFan said, they are noiseless, don't smell, bite, climb glass or smooth plastic. We also buy black soldier fly larvae which are another interesting creature - purportedly very high in calcium. I use a feeder cup for the larvae and the small dubia roaches (which remind me of pill bugs... roly poly's?). It has been a WHOLE 'nother learning curve, trying to learn how to keep the feeders properly fed (gut loaded), watered, and contained.

Have fun

I could deal with young roaches just fine, but unfortunately, my mom refuses. Guess my family will just have to suck it up. And i think its rather genius to breed roches think of all the money saved! Ive been considering trying it with crickets in the summer (so i can leave them outside muahhahaha)
I was reading a thread where someone put his bugs in a wine cooler to keep them at 65 f degrees,because it was too hot or something. But, i wonder if you could keep them a little cooler, and have them not move so fast, and the wine cooler itself would muffle out the noise.
Thing is, would it just kill your crickets before your cham could get them in his kisser?

 

[Remkon]

See if you can get your hands on Gryllus assimilis.
I am very easily disturbed by the chirping of crickets to a point I stopped feeding crickets altogether and maybe even quit my hobby.

I then came across the above mentioned species, they make no sound at all, nothing, it's amazing, really is (Imagine that in Trump's voice)!
They are more chubby than your banded or house crickets, jump less and are not as fast either...
So now I have no sounds from them (well little sound they make is actually cute) and less escapees!

The 'black crickets' @ChamLB mentioned are more likely to nibble on your chameleon as well so if you get em make sure there's enough food for them available in the enclosure.

 

[AZChamFan]

See if you can get your hands on Gryllus assimilis.
I am very easily disturbed by the chirping of crickets to a point I stopped feeding crickets altogether and maybe even quit my hobby.

I then came across the above mentioned species, they make no sound at all, nothing, it's amazing, really is (Imagine that in Trump's voice)!
They are more chubby than your banded or house crickets, jump less and are not as fast either...
So now I have no sounds from them (well little sound they make is actually cute) and less escapees!

The 'black crickets' @ChamLB mentioned are more likely to nibble on your chameleon as well so if you get em make sure there's enough food for them available in the enclosure.

Didn't realize there was a species of cricket that doesn't chirp!!! I agree with everyone on the black crickets - I've tried them also and they were just too aggressive. I ended up feeding them only to my bearded dragon and I killed them first! They are nice and big but not really worth the risk. However, I have to say the black crickets I bought were some of the loudest crickets I've ever gotten as opposed to some people receiving ones that were quiet?! I wonder if they had full grown adults?!!! I just keep my crickets in a back spare bedroom with the door shut and I can't hear them. When I do allow crickets to roam in a chameleon cage which is in a part of the house where the chirping would bother me, I use only females since they don't chirp. OP - you really need to talk your mom into the roaches - these are not the type that invade houses! They are also not dirty as she may be thinking - a roach is only dirty if it crawls out of a sewer! Also regarding the wine cooler, etc. - keep in mind that generally crickets need good ventilation or you will have a high mortality rate.

 

[opheliaeatsbugs]

I'm a mom. I naturally despise roaches.

But these are definitely not the same as a house roach or a sewer roach. they totally made me shudder at first, but after dealing with naughty crickets, I came to appreciate the roaches. Low maintenance and I kinda enjoy them - so weird but true :lol:

 

[AZChamFan]

I'm a mom. I naturally despise roaches.

But these are definitely not the same as a house roach or a sewer roach. they totally made me shudder at first, but after dealing with naughty crickets, I came to appreciate the roaches. Low maintenance and I kinda enjoy them - so weird but true :lol:

I agree - I actually find them quite cute in their own way!!! Especially when you put fresh food in the cage and all their little antennae start poking out from the egg crates. Then a few minutes later all of them are munching happily! It's definitely the stigma attached to roaches in general that makes some people avoid the dubias - not the reality of keeping them - they are a dream feeder insect in my opinion!!!

 

[Big Gulp]

Also ive been having alot of trouble with crickets jumping out of the cup while im feeding with tongs.

I keep my dusting supplements in a ziplock baggy.

In my Rubbermaid bins where I keep my crickets, I have empty toilet paper rolls (as well as egg crates). I grab a TP roll and shake it into the baggy...many crickets falls into the bag. I then use my tongs to get them out of the baggy. They don't jump out this way.

 

[ChameleonClem]

I'm a mom. I naturally despise roaches.

But these are definitely not the same as a house roach or a sewer roach. they totally made me shudder at first, but after dealing with naughty crickets, I came to appreciate the roaches. Low maintenance and I kinda enjoy them - so weird but true :lol:

I agree - I actually find them quite cute in their own way!!! Especially when you put fresh food in the cage and all their little antennae start poking out from the egg crates. Then a few minutes later all of them are munching happily! It's definitely the stigma attached to roaches in general that makes some people avoid the dubias - not the reality of keeping them - they are a dream feeder insect in my opinion!!!

My mom is very peculiar, lol. Were very close though, so its usally pretty easy to get her to rethink something. Though whem my mom thinks roaches she thinks germs, giant, and generally disgusting. (Cant say i blame her) especially since we found one in our house a few years back (which is ironic because we are almost obsessively clean people) none the less ill have to ask her. My house is currently very small and has very thin walls so no matter where i put it, itll bother someone.
The more i hear about them the better they sound though, perhaps with time i can teach her that theyre not what shes thinking of.
But with luck we'll be moving soon (never thought id say that) and the sound wont be a problem.
Worst case ill just learn how to sex them and feed the males first. Maybe set up a cricket trap that way if one was to escape i have a backup.
And what AZChamFan say about feeding your roaches reminds me of my hermit crabs
Also aplogies to everyone on this threat it seems I accidentally unwatched it

 

[AZChamFan]

My mom is very peculiar, lol. Were very close though, so its usally pretty easy to get her to rethink something. Though whem my mom thinks roaches she thinks germs, giant, and generally disgusting. (Cant say i blame her) especially since we found one in our house a few years back (which is ironic because we are almost obsessively clean people) none the less ill have to ask her. My house is currently very small and has very thin walls so no matter where i put it, itll bother someone.
The more i hear about them the better they sound though, perhaps with time i can teach her that theyre not what shes thinking of.
But with luck we'll be moving soon (never thought id say that) and the sound wont be a problem.
Worst case ill just learn how to sex them and feed the males first. Maybe set up a cricket trap that way if one was to escape i have a backup.
And what AZChamFan say about feeding your roaches reminds me of my hermit crabs
Also aplogies to everyone on this threat it seems I accidentally unwatched it

First of all best wishes on your move!! The crickets are very easy to sex (except the small immature ones). The female will have a thin needle like appendage coming out of her rear end - this is her ovipositor which she uses to stick in the ground and lay her eggs with. The females usually look more plump as well since they're full of eggs. Regarding escapees - I use a few sticky traps here and there to catch strays. They are great because they work really well and use no poisons. However just be sure no pet can reach them because they are indeed exceedingly sticky! I place them under or behind furniture in safe places.

 

[ChameleonClem]

First of all best wishes on your move!! The crickets are very easy to sex (except the small immature ones). The female will have a thin needle like appendage coming out of her rear end - this is her ovipositor which she uses to stick in the ground and lay her eggs with. The females usually look more plump as well since they're full of eggs. Regarding escapees - I use a few sticky traps here and there to catch strays. They are great because they work really well and use no poisons. However just be sure no pet can reach them because they are indeed exceedingly sticky! I place them under or behind furniture in safe places.

Thanks for the best wishes!
Ive read a bit about sexing them but i was getting confused on the plump part thanks for clearing that up for me ill definitely look for sticky traps. And ill make absolutely sure that theyre away from my pets, that would be a nightmare!

 

[walzy444]

Cant help you with the chirping.. except i put my cricket keepers inside another bigger bin (just in case escapes..) so it kinda muffles the noise. The Medium sized ones dont chirp as much as the large size that I noticed. They also cant jump as high.. i use those fruit fly clear deli cups for feeding..They are pretty deep. I have one labeled Cal w/D3, Cal w/out D3, and vitamins.. i keep the powder in them.. i open the cricket keeper inside of a big plastic bin (in case they jump from the keeper they are still in the big bin.. i keep egg crate small chunks and toilet paper rolls in the keepers, so i pick one up fast and shake it into the deli container til i have what i need. I put the lid on and shake shake.. then i dump them into a clean deli container (so my chams wont get a mouth full of excess powder when eating) then i hand feed. They come down to my hand and I stick their head/ body into the clear deli container and they eat out of it. The container also blocks the bugs from squirting juices at me or in my room.. yuk lol Mainly the wax worms squirt.. Only one time i was feeding like this and she grabbed 2 Large crickets at once and dropped one on my floor.. i panicked.. put the deli container in her cage and grabbed for another container to catch the cricket on the floor.. meanwhile shes hissing at me cuz I'm flailing my arm around with her on it, plus i took the food bucket away hahaha what a mess.