Don’t Laugh But…

[VaporRyder]

I’m having problems catching my feeders!

My local pet stores are currently selling out of live food really quickly and, after driving around, I eventually got some very small crickets for my 10 slings on the third try.

The problem? I’m a locust guy. I like hoppers. They’re prettier and easy to catch when you lift the lid of the tub that they come in.

Seriously though, I can’t catch these small crickets with my tongs without killing them - which is fine for the really tiny two, which I pre-kill for, but not the other 8.

How are you supposed to get them out of the tub alive? And, if you actually manage this, into the slings’ enclosures before they break their legs off and escape?

 

[Scorpiobsession]

Put a toilet paper roll in the tub. They'll go in the tube and you can shake them off.

 

[Greasylake]

Put them in a ziploc and they'll all fall in the corner. You can carefully grab one then.

 

[DomGom TheFather]

Put a small piece of harborage in.
Shake or tap over a second container and go from there.
It's playing round up... But you know... With bugs.
Smooth containers and paper products.

 

[USNGunner]

Chill. Stick in the fridge for 10 minutes or so.

 

[Accepted]

I slide the lid and tilt the container, knocking a few into a dram vial.

 

[Benson1990]

I honestly found crickets too much hassle myself so switched over to meal worms and morio worms, so much easier.

 

[l4nsky]

For my lateralis, I knock an egg carton flat into a smooth, steep sided bowl they can't climb and use a small cup to scoop the appropriate quantity and size out for the T that I'm feeding. No tongs required, just dump them in.

 

[LucN]

Teeny, tiny crickets are truly a pain in the neck for me. I carefully remove the lid and allow a couple to fall into the spiders' enclosure. Adults, females especially, are so much easier. I just grab them by the ovipositor and drop them in.

 

[USNGunner]

For my lateralis, I knock an egg carton flat into a smooth, steep sided bowl they can't climb and use a small cup to scoop the appropriate quantity and size out for the T that I'm feeding. No tongs required, just dump them in.

Ditto. That is my M.O. for both feeders and feeding as well.

 

[VaporRyder]

The cheeky feckers are sitting there in their boxes right now, chirping! They be mocking me guys!

 

[spideyspinneret78]

Ugh.....I feel you. I honestly hate crickets. They're annoying to catch, smelly, and tend to die too quickly. Plus I'm mildly allergic to them, and superworms/ mealworms too! I can't do roaches because I'm renting a house from a family member and they told me that I can basically do whatever I want in regards to my spiders, except I cannot under any circumstances have feeder roaches. They're a pain in the butt to catch and their legs always break off. But 100% worth it to observe the tarantulas hunting.

 

[Thane1616]

Put them in a ziploc and they'll all fall in the corner. You can carefully grab one then.

In my area of the US when you buy crickets they put them in a plastic bag. I open the bag so the crickets all fall in one corner then flatten the bag so they cant jump around and grab them by the head with my tongs. Still kills them sometimes but with opportunistic hunters they dont mind much. As others have said put a TP roll or piece of egg crate in the box then shake them into a bag and use tongs.

 

[Metallattorney]

I use a small dram vial and try to catch them in it. Works pretty well.

 

[viper69]

I’m having problems catching my feeders!

My local pet stores are currently selling out of live food really quickly and, after driving around, I eventually got some very small crickets for my 10 slings on the third try.

The problem? I’m a locust guy. I like hoppers. They’re prettier and easy to catch when you lift the lid of the tub that they come in.

Seriously though, I can’t catch these small crickets with my tongs without killing them - which is fine for the really tiny two, which I pre-kill for, but not the other 8.

How are you supposed to get them out of the tub alive? And, if you actually manage this, into the slings’ enclosures before they break their legs off and escape?

Carefully

 

[Kitara]

I use a small dram vial and try to catch them in it. Works pretty well.

This is what I do. I have no trouble catching them. I keep them in a Kritter Keeper with egg cartons. I knock them off the egg cartons when I want one and then I just stick the vial in there and get them. I never use tongs. I've tried, but I'm too jumpy and they just end up losing legs.

 

[Hardus nameous]

Rather than tongs I use a smaller pair of bent tweezers for crickets. I also use a red headlamp in a dark room. The crickets are much easier to catch when they can't see the tweezers coming.

 

[MrGhostMantis]

Patience is key young padawan…

 

[LucN]

An aside, an amusing event occurred while I went on my cricket run. I use a small Kritter Keeper to collect my crickets, which is placed in a plastic bag, because I'm paranoid. On my way back home, the container fell on its side and a couple of crickets managed to squeeze through the small gaps where the handles were. Once making the discovery, I basically opened the latch on top and placed the bag inside. A light shake and both escapees were amongst their brethren once more.

They'll be meeting my Ts in a few moments. Since the B. boehmei is still in premolt, the G. porteri, T. albopilosus and B. hamorii will be tested to see whom of the 3 gets theirs first. My money is on the albo.

Edit : G. porteri made the first catch ! Who'd thought, huh ?

 

[Jumbie Spider]

Petsmart sells them in plastic bags... just pour them out! They can't climb the plastic bags as previously stated, so if they don't come in a bag, just dump the container in a plastic bag and then pour them out of the bag... they actually form a line to walk out of the plastic bag (near the creases), so you can literally count them as they are jumping out into the terrarium.