# Cricket Care



## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

*shudder* I forgot how much I un-like crickets...totally...freak...me...out.

So, I naturally want to have as little as possible to do with the creepy little things, while maximizing their nutritional value for Snarf. He had better appreciate this!

My plan is to take the brand new, just purchased today crickets and gut load them by dropping them into a 5 gallon pail, along with healthy veggies (greens, yams, peas, carrots). I will let them gorge their creepy little hearts out for a day or two, then make my BF transfer them to a smaller container to freeze the little <ahem> 'creatures'. Once they are frozen, I will freeze them again to make sure they're really dead, then I plan to (again 'I' as in 'BF Jamie') put a handful *shudder* into ziplocs (just so they don't get all broken and squirshed), then I can just pull out one or two to feed to Snarf.

Does this make sense?? I there any point to gut loading them? Or is the stuff they've been eating good enough? (It would be much easier just to put the tub into the freezer right now... :roll: ) Any holes in my plan?

If any escape into my freezer I am moving out. Jamie tried to give one to Snarf then left our apartment. An hour later, I was checking on Snarf and almost touched the little creep (the cricket, not Snarf). He is now trapped under three progressively heavier bowls until Jamie gets home.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

1st of all.... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: 

2nd - I think it's a great idea to gut-load them first before freezing. You have no idea what they have been eating this whole time & I can guarantee it isn't anything as healthy as you are going to give them. 

3rd - I was with a group of girlfriends today & they were impressed & amazed (& a little grossed out) that I give the hedgies mealworms, aliens & beetles. :lol: I talked it up too... Funny how just a few months ago, I couldn't touch a bug, and today, I was the ONLY one who was able to get the bug off my friends skirt. Everyone else was shrieking in terror! I was a total hero! :lol: 

4th.... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

First of all...  

I know what the right answer is...I was just really hoping someone would let me off the hook. :?


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## abrowndog (Nov 26, 2010)

First, can you freeze something that is already frozen?

Second, BARF O RAMA!! I don't even like my own KIDS enough to do all that.

:shock:


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I agree with PJM, gut loading sounds like a good idea. Sorry to give you the wrong answer again! :lol: You have my sympathies though, I also hate crickets. However, my hate stems from working at a pet store and being required to bag the stupid things in the morning so people can just grab a bag of them to buy instead of waiting. The little ones? They're not smart enough, they're pretty easy to get into the scoop and dump into bags. The large ones? Those nasty buggers have gotten smart enough that if you just touch the egg shell things, they ALL jump ship and go into hiding. So you pick up a section to try shaking them into the scoop, suddenly you have nothing to shake into it. :roll: :lol: And while I'm not that bug-leery, I do NOT like having crickets crawl up my hand to escape the bag! :?


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Lilysmommy said:


> I do NOT like having crickets crawl up my hand to escape the bag! :?


 :shock: 
Please stop.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

Awhile back my husband got me one of these little Critter Carrier things with tubes in it that the crickets can hide in. The price was kinda high on it but the good part is that you don't have to touch them at all, the tube is dark and you can pull it out without opening the carrier. I would take a tube out and cap it then shake a couple into the tub and let Sandra go and have a blast chasing and eating them. I'll try to find a link for one in case its something you would want. I agree with everyone though, crickets are so gross lol


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

This is a link to one that looks like mine.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind...-C881-DE11-B712-001422107090&mr:referralID=NA


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

Hedgieonboard said:


> Awhile back my husband got me one of these little Critter Carrier things with tubes in it that the crickets can hide in. The price was kinda high on it but the good part is that you don't have to touch them at all, the tube is dark and you can pull it out without opening the carrier. I would take a tube out and cap it then shake a couple into the tub and let Sandra go and have a blast chasing and eating them. I'll try to find a link for one in case its something you would want. I agree with everyone though, crickets are so gross lol


we have the tube thing too.


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## xspiked (Feb 27, 2011)

MissC said:


> Once they are frozen, I will freeze them again to make sure they're really dead,quote]
> 
> 
> *pause* Why am I laughing? I would so do the same thing.
> ...


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

xspiked said:


> I love worms. They're so harmless! But i hate hate hate any insect that can jump/fly.


Amen, sister. I am trying not to use 'hate' so much in my daily language but saying I un-like crickets is SUCH an understatement....I. HATE. THEM.

I was going to buy one of those feeder thingamys...but unless they found a way to sound-proof them, I will still have to hear the creepy little things. We tried freezing a couple and fed them st Snarf...LOVED them. So: easy decision - freezing it is...no smell, noise, escapes, stray body parts...perfect.

And yes, I WILL be gut loading for a couple days <siiiiiigh>....we're going to dump the whole works into a 5 gallon bucket then add veggies (yams, carrots, spinach) and put we'll put handfuls into ziplocks to freeze ("we" as in "Jamie").


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## leopardhedgehog (Nov 18, 2010)

MissC said:


> *shudder* I forgot how much I un-like crickets...totally...freak...me...out.
> quote]
> Ughh-I hate crickets. Mealies are just fine, but crickets have those little shells and it kinda freaks me out a little to touch them :?


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

leopardhedgehog said:


> Ughh-I hate crickets. Mealies are just fine, but crickets have those little shells and it kinda freaks me out a little to touch them :?


And their eyes are so big and they're always watching you...and all those appendages sticking out everywhere...arms, legs, wings...so many knees and feet....eeeeeeeeewwwwwwwww


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## leopardhedgehog (Nov 18, 2010)

MissC said:


> leopardhedgehog said:
> 
> 
> > Ughh-I hate crickets. Mealies are just fine, but crickets have those little shells and it kinda freaks me out a little to touch them :?
> ...


Exactly. 
Ok so I saw this offer on petco for 1000 1/4 inch mealies for like $15 and I was wondering if those would keep for the time it would take to feed them to a single hedgie
Oh and they also come in packages of 5000 but 1000 is the smallest


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

leopardhedgehog said:


> Ok so I saw this offer on petco for 1000 1/4 inch mealies for like $15 and I was wondering if those would keep for the time it would take to feed them to a single hedgie
> Oh and they also come in packages of 5000 but 1000 is the smallest


Yes...if you're prepared to become a Mealworm Farmer and will care for the disgusting little things...I keep a lot of mealies on hand so I can grom them into even more disgusting beetles. There's a ton of info on the internet about farming mealies...in a nutshell:

- if you want to keep some a certain size, put them in the fridge
- I keep a flowerpot on the counter with 15-20 mealies in 1" of bran/oatmeal and a carrot - these are the ones I give to Snarf daily
- I keep the bulk of them out of my sight in a plastic shoe box in 2" of bran and oatmeal; I toss in 2 - 3 baby carrots and replace them every 2-3 days - when they start looking dry (the carrots - not the mealies)
- when I check them *every *morning, I remove dead ones, shedded skin (?) and aliens (they kinda float to the top - aliens are the stage between worm and beetle; the most disgusting of the stages)
- I put the aliens in a separate container or they will apparently get eaten or believe me, they would stay right where they are...eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwww
- I used to keep the beetles in the same container as the mealies as we only had 2-3 beetles at a time but not sure if I am going to need a separate container or not once they're at this stage NOTE: beetles are good at moving fast and far. :roll:


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## leopardhedgehog (Nov 18, 2010)

MissC said:


> leopardhedgehog said:
> 
> 
> > Ok so I saw this offer on petco for 1000 1/4 inch mealies for like $15 and I was wondering if those would keep for the time it would take to feed them to a single hedgie
> ...


I think thats a little more than I am prepared to do-I'll just buy the ones in the jar if thats still nutritious for hedgies  I don't think my parents would react well to me running a Mealworm Farm-my mom still isn't completly on board with the whole hedgie thing, but I will change her mind!


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## Libby_n_Captian (Jan 5, 2011)

MissC said:


> I keep a flowerpot on the counter with 15-20 mealies in 1" of bran/oatmeal and a carrot - these are the ones I give to Snarf daily


Do they ever crawl out???? This has been my worry with leaving them in Captains cage... I feed the mealies to him by hand straight out of the fridge... i don't want escapees... plus its fun to watch him eat them.. nom nom nom!

My local pet store wouldn't sell me crickets cause they would "make my hedgehog wild" :roll: 
So I "borrowed" four from my friend who gets them for... something she has.. I wanna say geckos.... idk. anyhow I froze them and gave two to Captain Qtip today and he LOVED them.. so I'm thinking were gonna need to have more.. ugh lol...

I actually asked for them to give to Gilbert the overweight hegie I just adopted but hes doing some quick adjusting to new food as it is so his are still frozen...

crickets = creepy 
....the things we do for our hegies....


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

***Do they ever crawl out????***

The only attempted escape was when I had a pair of chopsticks in the container (I use a flower pot cuz it's pretty and I forget what's in there that way :mrgreen: ) and one of the little devils was crawling up the chopstick. :shock: 

I keep a plastic shoebox with the 'breeding' mealies in the storage room and the pot on my kitchen counter - gross, but no space-no chocie. 

***My local pet store wouldn't sell me crickets cause they would "make my hedgehog wild"***

WTF??? :shock: :shock: :shock: :? :? :? 
Tell them you're buying them for your gecko. Lie. They're too stupid to notice.

They are Snarf's AND his vet's favorite!! He LOVES 'em.

I would much prefer to feed live crickets to Snarf but they require a lot more work and attention than mealies to keep alive and they. are. dis. gusting. NOT going to happen. The mealie-beetles are a great compromise - same crunch (gag), low fat, alive, easy to grow, no noise. Kinda quick, tho'.


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