Removing crickets?

Question

I have just got a bearded dradon and i have read that you have to remove any leftover crickets so they don't agravate him at night. Is there a easier way of getting them out of his viv as we have tried to catch them in a net but it it really difficult and one has allready escaped and is running around the house some where? :-(

Answer 1

I scoop mine out with a piece of the cardboard that you can get with them...they grab onto it and then you can make a quick move back to the cricket keeper!

Answer 2

Depending on the size of the tank, and the age of your beardie - catching the uneaten crickets can be a chore.

But, kuddos for providing the proper care for your beardie.

You can simplify this by feeding your beardie its insects in a separate smaller tank/container.

I'll provide a basic recipe here for you:

GUT LOADING CRICKETS for REPTILES:

The number one problem:

Dried up and malnourished pet store crickets and mealworms. These food items are essentially useless. A dehydrated and unfed cricket contains almost no nutrients at all; refrigerated mealworms are even worse. A lot of the variety in nutrients found in wild insects is actually in the stomach content - usually plant material. We need to duplicate this to provide the best for our reptiles; without the risk of illness/disease/parasites which can result from feeding our pets wild insects.

Please note that wax worms, while fattening, are not nutritious.  Young geckos can eat small silk and phoenix worms, as well.

Basic Dry/Staple Cricket Food:

Equal amounts of dry Iguana food, dry dog food, chick starter mash, oatmeal (you can add dry baby food wheat/rye/barley, etc. as well; even shredded wheat - no sugar).

Grind these items together.  Place in a small lid/bowl for the crickets to eat.  Store the unused portion in the refrigerator or freezer, until needed.

Supplement daily with one of the following: sweet potato, bananas, zucchini, oranges, carrots, strawberries, assorted squashes (acorn, yellow, etc.), grapefruit, green beans, apples, kale, spinach, cactus pads, and just about any other nutritious item you can think of (do not use white/yellow potatoes - these are starchy and only good if used as a moisture source during shipping, and NEVER use Avocado - it's poisonous to most animals).

Provide the dry food and kale at all times (kale is readily available during the winter months, too), rotating the other food items through in succession. The key is variety, and to provide an assortment of varying nutrients. What you are trying to do is offer your reptiles crickets with guts 'loaded' with fresh foodstuffs.

The crickets should be gut loaded for 1-2 days prior to offering them to your reptiles.

Also, provide fresh clean water in a lid/bowl, adding a sponge or folded paper towel to prevent drowning.

  

Don't offer more crickets than the reptile(s) will consume within: 1.) a few hours if it’s a lizard, salamander, frog/toad, or 2.) a few minutes, if it’s a water turtle, so you know the crickets will still be full of the good stuff when eaten.

The crickets should be dusted (shaken in a plastic bag gently to coat them) with vitamins (keep these refrigerated) and calcium D3 powder 2-4 times a week, depending on the age of the reptile.

Be sure to remove any uneaten crickets so that they do not soil your pet's environment/water or bother your pet, once it is full.  Crickets CAN turn the table - and feast upon your pet! Or aggravate them, causing stress and even cessation of eating.  If the habitat is large, you might want to move the reptile to a smaller container/tank for the feeding of its insects.

Also be sure the crickets are the correct size for the reptile.  The cricket should be the same size long as the reptile’s head is wide (about the space between the lizards’ eyes).

I'll post some sites below for general information that you can peek out when you have time.  One can never be too informed about the animal they own.  But, please note my disclaimer:

--DISCLAIMER-- Please do not keep your lizard(s) of any age on play/repti sand or loose substrate.  Impaction and bacteria issues are real and serious – and can result in death.  Consult your reptile veterinarian for their opinion.

An informed owner is a happy one who has a healthy and content pet.

Keep up the good work, and most of all, enjoy your pet!

I hope this has been helpful.

*footnote - A cricket might escape occasionally.  For an occasional escaped insect, you can put out a tiny shallow lid (as from a milk jug) of Boric Acid in a bowl (I place a couple grains of table sugar on top/center for bait) but make sure this is contained in a bowl w/lid, and has an opening too small for your pet to enter.  Also stick a moist piece of paper towel/sponge in the bowl near the poison.  Check it every few days; discard the dead insects, and remoisten/ replace the towel/sponge as needed.

Answer 3

I bought a package of little Dixie cups, then I kind of squish it on one side so I can grab it...it makes a little triangle shape and makes an excellent scoop--even in corners!

Answer 4

I dont have that problem with mine..i feed both my beardies in a separate feeding box,that way i know exactually how much they both are eating and after they have had there fill i simply tip the rest of the crickets (carefully making sure i dont loose any,which does happen) back in to the tub. qiuck and simple

Answer 5

I pick them up by hand, one at a time.

Answer 6

the best thing to do is just get a cup and scoop them out

Answer 7

Get used to having crickets all over the house. They manage to escape from just about anything you try to keep them in and will end up everywhere. One of the joys of having a Bearded Dragon.

Just pick out the uneaten ones by hand. And start to gauge how many your lizard will eat at a time. Don't give him more than that. It's better for the Dragon to be a little bit hungry than to over-feed him. If there are routinely uneaten crickets in the cage a few minutes after feeding him, you're giving him too many. Supplement with veggies and he's not going to be hungry.

Answer 8

Leaving crickets with beardies isn't a good idea....that's correct.  It's possible the crickets can chew on the dragon during the night.  There really isn't any "easy" way to catch them..... sorry.  If there are only a few, just leave them if you can't catch them.

In the future, only feed a couple at a time........ the "good" news is that the crickets won't live very long in the viv..... just remove the carcasses as you stumble across them.

Answer 9

Remove the beardie from the tank and take your time in catching them or place some crickets food in a corner (out of the way of the beardie) for them.  As long as the cricket food is there they will not bother your beardie.  KISS  Keep It Simple, Silly!!  :-)