# Touching insects



## oddsleepjunkie (Jul 11, 2009)

I was planning on getting a bearded dragon but i'm scared of insects.Is there any way i can feed them insects without touching them?I know, im such a coward! Also, how do you gutload said insects? Do you have to keep them in a fishtank or something and feed them veg for a while before giving them to the beardie?And last but not least, i was in my local reptile store and noticed a bearded dragon frantically trying to climb the walls of his viv.Why is this?Was he stressed or kept in too small an enclosure. I would say he was a juvenile dragon, as for his viv it looked quite small.Any advice?


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## RNelson (May 29, 2009)

Tweezers and yes just feed them before feeding Beardie


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## PRS (Dec 31, 2007)

You dont have to touch them so dont worry, basically you can either use tongs which imo if they are still in the cricket tub and you have alot of reptiles to feed takes ages so what I normally do is pick up the egg carton bit thats inside the tub that has the crickets on and just shake it a little until the amount that you want comes off saves time and you dont have to touch them.. If your still squeamish try using the tongs to pick the carton bit up with perhaps?


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## pymn nice but dim (Oct 28, 2008)

just be sure to dust every other feeding though.

i have a couple of beardies and i dust every other meal of crickets and some times theyre veg, but yeah as said above tweezers and shaking work well. but be caefull tweezes take ages and the amount of legs that break off is unreal, be sure to make sure none escape its bit of a mission.


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## erewegoagain (Mar 25, 2009)

You might find you grow to love crickets and insects once keeping them too, i certainly came to like the black field crickets


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## queenquack (Apr 6, 2009)

i am about to post an isect handling thread myself!! been having trouble with crickets!!! locusts are (buggers) anoying but i found they are much easer to deal with if you put them in the fridge for about 15mins.
i move all my bugs into a small travel tank. this is a good way to keep them.. quite hard to do if your isects are bonkers!! i have to do it in the gardon otherwise crickets turn up days later wondering around under the sofa!! i feed them sprouting leaves from the gardon. i also recently found a calcium diet for crickets. they look like 100's and 1000's! and they really like them (i call the cric bix but i dont think that is the proper name). i also dust them before feeding them to gordon gecko in my cric box.
unfortunatly u often see unhappy, badly rased reptiles in pet shops. please dont buy from a shop and dont set much store in their advise. ask on here. 
hope this helps and best of luck xxx


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## BellaCullen (Apr 23, 2009)

i used one of those fondu sticks lol i just sort of flicks them into the viv with that and cause they had been in the fridge for a little bit they were slower lol

x


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## Fluffygirl (Apr 12, 2009)

For getting them out of the tank they are kept in and into the beardies viv I would recommend a lucky reptile Kricket Keeper (to keep the crickets in, with some fishfood and veg - we used potatos mainly), they have tubes that come with them which you put into the tub in special spaces and the crickets run up the tube, then pull that out and put the cap on the end and then put it in to the viv and remove cap and tip out one at a time! 

For dusting we do the same thing but just put them into a tub they come in and then shake them around and tip out of there. Then just repeat as many times you need!

I find it so much easier, as I wasn't so keen on touching the crickets. But we have had our baby bearded dragon for 4 weeks or so and I am already becoming less worried by them!


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## Lew (May 31, 2009)

I have a faunarium , put a toilet roll in with them and then use this to put into a tub they come in and shake them off , basically the same idea as above but without the cric keeper


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## mika_len (Jul 13, 2009)

Hey,had to reply as,while i'm not scared per say,i CANNOT STAND crix! lol

What i do,i put the dusting powder in a lidded jar (like an old pasta sauce jar),then before i tip the crix in,i shake their tub a little bit to daze them,then open a corner just enough for them to get out,and into the jar.They usually wander straight out and fall into the jar.When u have enough in there,make sure you shut the crix tub properly,screw the lid on the jar and give it a swirl to coat them,then you can put the jar in the viv,take the lid off,and lay it down for them to walk out,and just take the empty jar out after.Although,they can be really thick,so its a good idea to have a flick stick handy for any that try to get out the bottom of the jar! lol

i've had my leo for 8 years,so you'd think i'd be used to them by now,but i actually squealed when one walked onto my hand the other day! :gasp:

hope that made sense,

Caz


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