How to make feeding time less messy (crickets)??

[MMAnne]

Hey

Right, i have this annoying problem! I buy the commercially packaged crickets, and they put this super annoying substrate in their containers (I'm sure you know the one). Well, I don't have the patience to feed my lizards and frogs with tongs, and feeding them without is super messy and it gets the cricket subsrate all other their enclosures, which makes cleaning difficult and frequent.

I might have to just get over it and use the tongs, but does anyone have cleaner and more efficient ways of feeding their lizards? Just curious (and hopeful).

Any replies are appreciated
Mish

ps - perhaps breeding my own reptile food might be easier?

 

[dragozz]

I just take out the egg carton from the box and shake a few crickets off to whatever I'm feeding. Another way is to partially open the lid to create a gap and shake the box, which makes the crickets run around the box and jump out through the gap that you created, this way is more controlled in terms of number of crickets that you want to feed. I never get any junk coming out from the box that way.Hope this helps

 

[MMAnne]

Yeah, i do the shaking thing now, but i must suck at it or something cause I get stuff everywhere

I might try the other way, though. sounds good considering i need to be more controlled when it comes to my feeding.

Thanks!
Any more?

 

[Ishah]

i just disturb the box a bit then open the lid in the enclosure until enough have jumped out... then i put the lid back on and take it out...although my beardy does get a bit excited sometimes...

 

[braddq]

what i do is i went to woolies and bought a big tub and all i do is take the egg cartons out and put them in the tub and throw out the substrate stuff as it is no use

 

[katie25]

Usually what i do is empty the crickets into a large plastic storage container. I then pull off their back legs and pop them in a large feeding bowl. Although this can take some time it eliminates having to feed your lizards by hand and your problem with having a messy enclosure.

 

[Glider]

If you put the crickets in the fridge for 5-10 minutes they will slow right down and you can easily pick out as many as you want without making a mess or them jumping everywhere. You can either put them directly into the enclosure, or put them in an icecream container or Milo tin with calcium & vtiamin powder and shake it gently to coat the insects, before tipping them into the enclosure. Once they warm up they'll be off bouncing around good as new.

 

[Jewly]

I put my crickets in one of those cricket keepers and I find it really easy to just pull out one of the tubes and dump a few crickets in a tall plastic cup and then I tip that into my beardies enclosure.

 

[MMAnne]

Oh wow, thanks for all the replies

I tried opening the lid just a tad, but even when i shake the box it takes a good 10 minutes of waiting before they jump out :S maybe my circkets are smarter I might try putting them in the fridge for awhile beforehand and catch them by hand - thanks for that tip Glider I totally forgot about it. Every fortnight I coat some crickets with calcium powder is a plastic bag, which, as you can guess is very messy!

If that doesn't work I might try the plastic tub or cricket dispenser idea.

Wish me luck >.<
Thanks

 

[mebebrian]

Just a quick q about the cricket keeper, how do you get the crix inside the keeper without letting those already inside out?

 

[Tatelina]

What animals are you feeding??
I'm suprised no one has suggested moving your animals into a plastic feeding tub for crickets...put a thick line of fluon around the top, don't put any substrate down and viola! A feeding tub that is easy to clean, no wastage and you know that there aren't any run away crickets.

 

[Jewly]

Just a quick q about the cricket keeper, how do you get the crix inside the keeper without letting those already inside out?

It does have a hinged lid in the top, and the top is also removable. I have a couple of them, and I when I want to clean them out, I just remove the black tubes and tap the end and let the crickets fall in a tall plastic cup. Then I give the whole thing a good clean in hot water and dry it out and then I replace the food, water crystals, lid and tubes and then I tip the crickets back in through the hinged lid.

 

[MMAnne]

What animals are you feeding??
I'm suprised no one has suggested moving your animals into a plastic feeding tub for crickets...put a thick line of fluon around the top, don't put any substrate down and viola! A feeding tub that is easy to clean, no wastage and you know that there aren't any run away crickets.

Frogs and gecko's. That could work (fed seperately of course), except with the frog i've found he only eats when he wants to... He doesn't race after the crickets straight away. I'm worried he would just sit in the plastic tub, not eating while the crickets run rampant on him! Do you find this at all? Plus, do you monitor them to make sure they arent eating too much, and how often do you feed?

It is VERY temping, though, considering the mess dead crickets make in their enclosures. I tried the 'cooling' trick, it did help, but i still found it a little frustrating. I think I might just buy a plastic tub to put the crickets in, minus substrate.