Any tips on controlling live crickets as feed for reptiles ?

Question

The little critters just escape when I open their container to give them gut loading food and even more so when I try and transfer a few of them to a little container to dust them with calcium prior to feeding to our leopard gecko. Any of you experienced reptile keepers out there have any helpful advice, please ?

Answer 1

for transfer use a dip net for fish. you don't have to open the cage as far to do this.

Answer 2

I purchase crickets and transport them in a plastic bag, yours is probobly the same manner. I simply open the bag, it is large enough that they cannot jump out, and quickly pour in the vitamins and calcium-both in powder form. I shake the bag a little bit to coat all the crickets. If you must gut load, purchase a small tank or other enclosure that could actually contain the crickets. You must dump them in the enclosure quickly and seal it. Some are bound to escape anyway.Use a net, like a goldfish net, to scoop some up and place c=something over it, like a piece of cardboard, to prevent them from jumping out of the net. I hope this helps.

Answer 3

Hope this helps.: Feeding the Crickets to Your Animals
The rearing containers will contain small pieces of egg crate, and the breeding container should also, if you plan to feed adult crickets to your herps. A 4 litre ( 1 gallon) square water jug works well as a cricket collector. Remove the bottom from this, and keep the screw lid on to create a large funnel.(Cover any handle holes within the jug with duct tape to prevent the crickets from hiding in them ). Remove one of the small pieces of egg crate from the cricket containers and shake it within this funnel. Hold the whole apparatus over the colony as you do this to prevent escapes. Sprinkle in calcium supplements and vitamins as required, shake gently, and tip the funnel into the herp cage.