# What's the easiest way to get out the locusts you need?



## melliott1963

This is my first ever week of feeding a reptile.

At the moment I've got crickets and locusts just in the pastic containers you buy them in.

I've got a cricket pen on order, so hopefully, removing them will just be a case of removing a tube and shaking them out, but what about the locusts?

Can they be kept in cricket pens, or would they not go in the tubes? Assuming I'll be keeping them in a plain tub, what's the best way of getting out the number I need for the day's feed? At the moment, I'm partially opening the lid of the plastic container they come in and shaking them out into my feeder rock. Trouble is, once a few have gone in, they start trying to get out before I've shaken more out! I've had them in the fridge for 5 minutes to try and slow them down. Should I increase this to 10 minutes? Would this then slow them down enough for me to be able to pick them out with feeding tongs?

Any help will be gratefully received!

Thanks.


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## graham40

Yeh 10 mins would slow them down more and if it's your first week I no this can seem scary but just grab them. The locusts are nicer to pick up than the crickets. I was like never I kept doing it in the bath lol. Wouldn't really put the crickets and locusts together cus the crickets will bite the locusts. Or maybe put them into a small tub like a small bucket then tip the amount you want out the bucket and into the rock feeder
Hopes this helps


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## melliott1963

Yes, it's more the escapees I'm worried about than anything else. Fortunately I've managed to round them all up at the moment!

I think / hope that it will get easier as my Rankins Dragon grows up and starts eating larger crickets and locusts as I'm finding the tiny crickets I'm feeding at the moment are so small it's almost impossible to pick them up if they've escaped without killing them!

I'm going to try putting them in a large plastic bag first and then emptying it into the feeder rock to see if this is any easier as, hopefully, they should all more or less go in at the same time this way.

As you say, it is daunting at first, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it soon.


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## melliott1963

Just thought I'd update this as I think I've found a solution!

Last night a got a large, deep clear pastic bag and put the locust container in the bottom of it and shook out all that I needed. Because it was a deep bag, none of the locusts were able to jump or crawl out.

I then just resealed the locust container and removed it, shook the locusts in the bag to one corner and then, covering the lid of the feeder rock with the plastic bag so that the corner was over the top, emptied them into it and the put the lid on.

The result? Non escapees, no mess, no fuss.

Works for me anyway!


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## Carl6688

Just grab them, I always pick up locusts to feed my lot and I've never been bitten. Also don't worry about them escaping, unlike crickets that will make a mad dash under your furniture, locusts just hop about, making it easy to grab them.


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## melliott1963

OK, now I've been doing this for over a week, things have got really easy.

Crickets are now in an Exo Terra cricket pen. I just remove a tube and shake them out.

Locusts are in a small Faunarium (Is that what they're called?). Very easy to pick out with some tongs.

I've covered all the air holes in the boxes with cut down tights stuck over them to prevent any escapees as, at the moment, the crickets I'm having to feed are quite tiny and would easily have been able to crawl out of the holes.

I've not had a problem at all with handling the locusts, it's just the damned tiny crickets that are tricky to pick up. The quicker my Rankins grows and moves up to larger ones the better!


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## ozzie k

melliott1963 said:


> Just thought I'd update this as I think I've found a solution!
> 
> Last night a got a large, deep clear pastic bag and put the locust container in the bottom of it and shook out all that I needed. Because it was a deep bag, none of the locusts were able to jump or crawl out.
> 
> I then just resealed the locust container and removed it, shook the locusts in the bag to one corner and then, covering the lid of the feeder rock with the plastic bag so that the corner was over the top, emptied them into it and the put the lid on.
> 
> The result? Non escapees, no mess, no fuss.
> 
> Works for me anyway!


thank you for posting this - im a newbie having exactly the same problem! the first time i tried to just open the tub and tip some in, all my beardie got was a bran shower...!!
will try the bag trick tonite :2thumb:


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## melliott1963

ozzie k said:


> thank you for posting this - im a newbie having exactly the same problem! the first time i tried to just open the tub and tip some in, all my beardie got was a bran shower...!!
> will try the bag trick tonite :2thumb:


To be honest, I think the handling of the live food was by far the hardest part of getting a reptile! 

I've now been doing this for a few weeks, and it does get easier. I'd strongly recommend getting a cricket Pen (if you're feeding crickets) or a Faunarium for the locusts, but, depending on the size insects you're getting, do cover the vents with tights (I've glued mine over the gaps) as I'm sure the insects could escape. As already mentioned, the crickets go into the tubes and you just pull one out and shake it in the vivarium until the required number have dropped out. You then just slide the tube back in. For the locusts, I got some tongs and just pick out the ones I need.

As for transfering them from the plastic cartons into the Pen / Faunarium, I just put them in the fridge for about 10 minutes to slow them down, and then I transfer them in the bath! Any that do escape only hope around the bath as it seems to be too deep for them to get out, so once I've transfered the rest, it's just a case of picking them up by hand (or tongs) and putting them in the box.

Good luck! Trust me, it does get easier! :2thumb:


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