# kricket keeper alternatives



## white.akita (Jun 19, 2011)

hi, today i bought some water gel for the crickets to drink and cricket food.
now i need a kricket keeper type of device but i have read alot of bad reviews on here about them escaping.
i need to use small crickets for my 2 week old beardy.
what does everyone else do ?
at the moment im buying the small tubs of the smallest crickets from my local pet shop and having to peel 1 corner of the lid up and try to pick up the little blighters up using tongs ! which is awkward.


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## Junior13reptilez (Oct 17, 2010)

Why use tongs? Shake the tub into one corner and pour them out.


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## stokesy (Mar 11, 2011)

I've got mine in a tall faunarium. (Because I had some in the shed) but think they're cheaper than proper cricket keepers anyway, I put in some egg boxes and tip in the crix I want off the egg cartons into my dusting tupperware. sides are tall enough to stop leaping out.


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## Knarf3 (Aug 25, 2008)

Ditch the crickets and go for hoppers... Much nicer for the rep owner... : victory:


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## white.akita (Jun 19, 2011)

Junior13reptilez said:


> Why use tongs? Shake the tub into one corner and pour them out.


i didnt do that because there are some dead crickets in there aswell and i didnt want to incase to many went in and they run all over and the beardie had trouble finding them under all the wood chippings.


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## white.akita (Jun 19, 2011)

Knarf3 said:


> Ditch the crickets and go for hoppers... Much nicer for the rep owner... : victory:


why are hoppers nicer ?
are they ok to give to a 2 week old beardy ?
how are they easier to feed to a beardy ?


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## thething84 (Apr 26, 2010)

hoppers are also more expesive to geed. i get on with crickets just fine. i use a large tub from thing me bobs. cut the top and applied some netting for ventilation, added egg carton. and its fine


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## xtyler123x (Mar 11, 2011)

white.akita said:


> i didnt do that because there are some dead crickets in there aswell and i didnt want to incase to many went in and they run all over and the beardie had trouble finding them under all the wood chippings.



im not having a go but i would ditch the wood chippings and use kitchen roll as he could swallow the wood chippings and get impacted kitchen roll is a lot safer .


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## McToons (May 7, 2011)

Take tub full of small crickets, put in fridge for about 15mins. Take out of fridge and transfer to a tupperware container wrapped in a pair of tights and no lid (if they are truly tiny crickets)...add empty toilet rolls (cut down if needed) and assorted fruit/veg.

When feeding time, place tupperware tub in fridge for 15mins, take out, open, take a toilet roll tube, shake into viv or shake and bake Tesco 50(odd)p bags with Nutrabol or calcium and empty into viv....sit back...enjoy.


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## pogopogona (Jun 19, 2011)

i would also look at keeping them on kitchen towel, also it works out cheaper because they tend to make a mess when being fed twice a day and towel s cheaper than wood chippings or sand  You'll want to clean out pretty much daily and this is an easy option - I also gave up with decoration and just used bits of cardboard and egg boxes for my babies as they poo over it all anyway.

my babies I started on the babie crickets and using a couple of tubs I could poor a few out into a dusting container and then chill them to make them a bit slower. I find that crickets are more economical than hoppers, but at about 4 weeks look for the micro mealworms as they're great for getting the beardie to put on some weight and get the minerals from dusting.

I also have a solution for all the escaped crickets - I have another bearded dragon who wanders around eating them


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## creepy creatures (Aug 18, 2009)

All my crickets live in a fish tank on a substrate sterilized top soil and a wooden lid on top. They have egg trays to hide in and are gut loaded for 2 days before going to there doom. When I need some I take he lid off the tank and shake them into a plastic cup for dusting. Sometimes 1 might be lucky and escape only to be hunted down by the killer cats.:lol2:


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## white.akita (Jun 19, 2011)

I deceided to leave the wood chippings in after talking to coast to coast in darlington, they are a reptile shop in darlington that have been breeding beardies and many other reptiles for 20 years and they tell me they have always used the chippings and still do now and have never had a problem with it and claimed that its very rare and internet forums blow things out of porportion.


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## ricknchi (Jun 13, 2011)

white.akita said:


> I deceided to leave the wood chippings in after talking to coast to coast in darlington, they are a reptile shop in darlington that have been breeding beardies and many other reptiles for 20 years and they tell me they have always used the chippings and still do now and have never had a problem with it and claimed that its very rare and internet forums blow things out of porportion.


laying kitchen roll will help to stop the crickets hiding, helping you you to see that your beardie is eating ok, it will also allow you to see if your baby's pooping ok, which bearing in mind you have a 2 week old beardie that shouldn't have been with you until at least 8 weeks, I would think that this is pretty sound advice that you have been given here


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## white.akita (Jun 19, 2011)

ricknchi said:


> laying kitchen roll will help to stop the crickets hiding, helping you you to see that your beardie is eating ok, it will also allow you to see if your baby's pooping ok, which bearing in mind you have a 2 week old beardie that shouldn't have been with you until at least 8 weeks, I would think that this is pretty sound advice that you have been given here


So do you think the reptile shop with 30 years experiancehas given me bad advice? 
They had beardies same age as mine on chippings and said they always have done without any problems.
I was going to put lino in as suggested but coast to coast said not to and to definately not to disturb the beardy for a few weeks after re homing it.


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## dan20 (Jun 30, 2008)

*2 week old dragon*

Did that reptile shop sell you a 2 week old dragon. Any good reptile shop will not sell a dragon at 2 weeks old. 6 weeks old is the min age to sell a dragon


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## ricknchi (Jun 13, 2011)

white.akita said:


> So do you think the reptile shop with 30 years experiancehas given me bad advice?
> They had beardies same age as mine on chippings and said they always have done without any problems.
> I was going to put lino in as suggested but coast to coast said not to and to definately not to disturb the beardy for a few weeks after re homing it.


30 years experience and they sold you a baby of 2 weeks old? lets just say I wouldn't go there! The advice you have been given here about the kitchen roll is advice, whether or not you choose to take it is up to you. I have merely pointed out the advantages of having kitchen roll... the crickets have nowhere to hide so you can see how many crickets your baby is eating, whether or not he/she is pooping ok and so forth.


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## white.akita (Jun 19, 2011)

They did not sell me it, i bought it private for £15.
Have a read up on their background.


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