Crickets are tough little suckers!!!

[1stdeadeye]

My oldest has Anoles. They are tiny lizards. They will only eat live crickets. Quite the pain.

So last night on the way home from the office I stop at petsmart and buy 2 dozen. Well being the holiday season, I run accross the street to the Deptford Mall. Do a little shopping then head home. As I unloaded the trunk, I forgot all about the crickets in a bag on the front seat. About four hours later in the freezing cold, I remember them. I rushed out to the car and they were all frozen.

Rather then through them out, I dumped them in the tank to see if the anoles like popsicles. Well the tank is heated and has a special lamp as well. I checked back about 1/2 hour later and the crickets were ALIVE!!!! They thawed out in time to become dinner!

Tough little buggers, but the lizards seemed not to mind!

[PyRo]

Sounds like the experiments we did with bee's and flies at work back in the day. Saw how long we could keep them in the freezer for and revive them

[LittlePaintballBoy]

Yeah, we were camping and we took some to try as fishing bait but they froze over night, so we threw them near the fire to see if they would catch flame and they just hopped out.

[MantisMag]

seems a lot of insects are capable of doing this. researchers in the cryogenics field would love to figure out how they do it.

[swat150]

Ya, ladybugs are just like that. We put them in our garden when we need them. But until then we put them in the freezer and they all hybernate.

[Bad_Dog]

Time to put a twist on the `ole bee on a string... although I dunno if the cricket on a string would be too interesting...

[hitech]

Re: Crickets are tough little suckers!!!

Originally posted by 1stdeadeye
My oldest has Anoles. They thawed out in time to become dinner! Tough little buggers, but the lizards seemed not to mind!

My oldest has one also. And a "blue belly" caught outside the bowling alley. The pet store always made a big deal about getting the little critters home so they wouldn't die in the bag. That reminds me, need to get to petsmart before the lizards starve.

[MantisMag]

well if you're worried about them dying on the way home now you know what to do. put em on ice.

[Python14]

When I was raising some Madagascar Giant Day Geckos, I would buy mealworms by the 10s of thousands(still only like $50) and just put the box in the freezer. When it came time to feed them(the geckos), I just took a handful and put it in a dish under a light and let them "revitalize".

Wax worms were the same way, but they were too fatty so the lil 'uns only got them every once in a while.

[1stdeadeye]

Re: Re: Crickets are tough little suckers!!!

Originally posted by hitech


My oldest has one also. And a "blue belly" caught outside the bowling alley. The pet store always made a big deal about getting the little critters home so they wouldn't die in the bag. That reminds me, need to get to petsmart before the lizards starve.

That is the biggest problem with those little anoles is you forget about them. I thought the my son's would have starved a few times now, but they endure! I usually feed them once per week, but have forgotten a week before.

[hitech]

Re: Re: Re: Crickets are tough little suckers!!!

Originally posted by 1stdeadeye
I usually feed them once per week, but have forgotten a week before.

ONCE A WEEK! Really?!?! You just dump a bunch of crickets in there? We try to feed them every day or every other day, but just with a few (5 or 6) crickets. Am I making things harder than they need to be?

[Python14]

Anoles are super hardy....however, if you chose to feed them weekly, put some calcium suppliment dust on the crickets (since I'm assuming you aren't gut-loading them). It not only makes your reptiles healthier, and more robust and active...it also gives you a safe guard if you forget to feed them for a week.

Oh yea, and I recommend letting them try banana or drops of honey as a treat. The sugar makes them more active and thusly, more fun to watch. And they like it too.

[1stdeadeye]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Crickets are tough little suckers!!!

Originally posted by hitech


ONCE A WEEK! Really?!?! You just dump a bunch of crickets in there? We try to feed them every day or every other day, but just with a few (5 or 6) crickets. Am I making things harder than they need to be?

We have two small Anoles and feed them 18 crickets once a week! We've had them for almost 2 years now, so looks like they are holding out okay.

[MantisMag]

that's what i used to do with my pair of anoles. just dump the whole bag of crickets in there. they'll eat a bunch right away and then catch the rest of them as they get hungry.

[dave_p]

crickets are tough as hell. at work we put straight concentrated Astro(permethrin) insecticide on one(normally mixed at 2oz per 100 gallons of water) and he was shaking it off for hours. we eventually stomped him.