Something to eat a ton of crickets?

[Mushroom Spore]

I'm considering raising my own crickets before long, as I don't have a car and am too poor to get one (I walk to campus and get rides for groceries, etc) and so that'll save me some hassle. I've got links to a few recommended setups that are supposed to work pretty well and not reek too badly.

However, I am only going to be feeding four tarantulas. Granted, my Pink Birdeater spiderling has finally started growing and might hit 10" in two years, so I have no doubt it will be eating like a fiend before long. But I'm still pretty certain that I'm just going to have too many crickets.

Since I will have my own source of crickets, a pet that eats every day will not only NOT be inconvenient, it will possibly become necessary. Suggestions? Space is an issue (I live in a single room), so no bearded dragons--or anything else with complex vegetable needs.

I have always loved leopard geckos, and I know that the infamous pacman frog is supposed to be some sort of all-devouring death machine. Any other suggestions? Tips and tricks on dealing with crickets?

I posted this on another board and everyone suggested tokay geckos, but I'm seriously hesitant about something that can zip up walls and would dearly love to gnaw my fingers off.

 

[wickedsweetheart]

maybe a green snake? we have one and he eats a couple cricks a day...there small, don't smell, and are kinda fun to watch and you can make the tank look really kewl

 

[Thoth]

Tokay geckos. My pair put away about 5 dozen a week.

Though many will probably tell you start a roach colony instead, no chirping no smell.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Tokay geckos. My pair put away about 5 dozen a week.

Though many will probably tell you start a roach colony instead, no chirping no smell.

Like I said, though, I'm nervous about tokays, heh.

And no roaches! Those and centipedes are the only critters I absolutely cannot even look at. Plus my housemates would have seizures.

 

[Thoth]

oops missed the last line. Though they'll only try to bit your fingers off if you try to touch or handle them. How about Striped or Skunk geckos (Gekko vittaus) Almost as big as tokays but much nicer.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

oops missed the last line. Though they'll only try to bit your fingers off if you try to touch or handle them.

And if they escaped, I'd never be able to catch them, between the wall-climbing and the sheer bitey-ness.

 

[padkison]

Leopard Geckos are easy to care for and don't need UV light.

Fence lizards can put down several crickets a day if you have them there.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Leopard Geckos are easy to care for and don't need UV light.

I do love leopard geckos, but how much food can they put away? I may get one anyway, since even a small cricket "farm" should be able to support one, but I don't know if it would help put a serious dent in the population. :?

 

[Randolph XX()]

an adult savannah monitor would do

 

[Mushroom Spore]

an adult savannah monitor would do

I said in the first post that space is an issue. I am not going to have room for any 4-5 foot lizard in a three-foot-by-six-foot enclosure.

Furthermore, from what I can find, they wouldn't even EAT crickets as an adult, they end up way too big. The only mice I want to bother with buying are the f/t feeders for my ball python.

 

[Thoth]

I got a large fish net from the pet store to help catch my tokay when he escaped (still have all ten fingers ).

Here's another way to help control your cricket population.
http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~cbader/ghprec.html

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Here's another way to help control your cricket population. http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~cbader/ghprec.html

:?

 

[insect714]

Here's another way to help control your cricket population.
http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~cbader/ghprec.html

:clap: now that was some real thining Thoth two thumbs up

Insect

 

[Karmashadowsh]

bearded dragon

I have a young one year old bearded dragon that eats close to 30 baby crickets every day,some times more...so if you want you a cricket machine eater then thats my idea of some eating!

 

[Randolph XX()]

I said in the first post that space is an issue. I am not going to have room for any 4-5 foot lizard in a three-foot-by-six-foot enclosure.

Furthermore, from what I can find, they wouldn't even EAT crickets as an adult, they end up way too big. The only mice I want to bother with buying are the f/t feeders for my ball python.

first of all most of them only grow to 3'
and secondly, adults eat crix too, i feed my 2 3/4' male crix and roaches most of the time
they are stricktly insectivores in the wild, feeding mainly rodents only cost their health (ie. fatty liver, reproduction problem)

 

[ErikH]

How about one of the larger toad species? Bufo Marinus or the like? I hear of people feeding them dog food, I am sure they could keep a cricket population under control.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

first of all most of them only grow to 3'
and secondly, adults eat crix too, i feed my 2 3/4' male crix and roaches most of the time
they are stricktly insectivores in the wild, feeding mainly rodents only cost their health (ie. fatty liver, reproduction problem)

They are still listed as requiring a TON of space on every care sheet I find, which I absolutely cannot provide, as I've said before.

 

[Thoth]

How about a bird, I know many species of finches also eat insects in addition to seeds as food.

Though probably one of the various gecko species will fit your need just find one you like. how about golden geckos, largere than leos and relatively calm.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

How about a bird, I know many species of finches also eat insects in addition to seeds as food.

Though probably one of the various gecko species will fit your need just find one you like. how about golden geckos, largere than leos and relatively calm.

Birds make noise, which my two housemates would not appreciate.

The local petshop has a pretty steady supply of golden geckos. They're definitely pretty, but do they really get bigger than leos? The leopard gecko they had in was HUGE.

 

[Thoth]

No about the same size, i.e. no bigger than 8 inches in length.

http://www.wnyherp.org/care-sheets/lizards/golden-gecko.php