# General Topics > Vivarium, Terrarium & Enclosure Discussion >  Cricket glass bowl trick????

## CrazyAirborne

This glass bowl trick, some of you guys do, how do the crickets not jump out? i assume since its glass they cant climb out, but they are just not smart enough to jump?  Anyone have any pics of how deep this bowl is? It sounds like a good idea and i want to implement it on my next vive.

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## Paul Rust

*I use a small candy bowl. It's about 4" around and 2" deep. Yes they can jump out but they don't. I will get a pic when I get home tonight. It's really nothing special, it just keeps the crickets under control. I started this by using the bowl to feed my frogs by dropping a few crickets in there so the frogs could at least find a few and discovered that all the crickets in the enclosure ended up in the bowl by morning.*

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## bshmerlie

I just use a little glass bowl 2 inches deep by 3 inches that was originally dipping sauce bowl, they don't jump out.

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## Jace

Okay, I zipped to the dollar store and picked up two desert glass bowls.  I am going to use one in my Fire-bellied toads and one with Yoki....if I can find room in his setup for it.  Now, let's see if this works...

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## Paul Rust

> Okay, I zipped to the dollar store and picked up two desert glass bowls. I am going to use one in my Fire-bellied toads and one with Yoki....if I can find room in his setup for it. Now, let's see if this works...


*Put it in a back corner and bury it half deep in the substrate. It's not as big a deal with Yoki as it is with enclosures with lots of water. I rarely have a floater in my Black Eyed Leaf Frog pool since I discovered this.*

*You doubt me Jo-Anna? Shame on you! *

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## Jace

I would NEVER doubt you, Paul....I just don't trust crickets.  They can be sneaky little buggers!  I took the toads out, fed them, and then placed some of the left-over crickets in the bowl...so far they seem to be staying put.  I put a little calcium in the bowl, too.  As for Yoki, I just worry that he's not getting the crickets I put into his setup.  He is chubby, but I want to make sure he stays that way!!

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## Tropicok

Dunce here!  What are we talking about...........a glass bowl that crickets won't jump out of?   I must have missed a post or sumpin'.

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## bshmerlie

I don't use a bowl for my fire bellies because they are so quick and don't leave any survivors.  I just sprinkle and watch them eat.  I only use it for my RETF because he takes him time to come on down to the feeding dish and I don't want them to wander off and die under the substrate.

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## hyla

Wheres that pic Paul?  :Big Grin:  I need to find a good dish for this too and something to compare it too would be helpful!

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## Paul Rust

key3ord.3roke........

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## CrazyAirborne

interesting, looks like ill be making a dollar store run 2morow as well as stopping by a place that sells slate stone to see if i can get some scraps

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## hyla

Ahh the bowl...its beautiful. Haha. Thanks for the picture, looks easy enough to aquire. So the frogs will just jump on in there and pick them off huh?

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## bshmerlie

I have pretty much the exact same bowl and my RETF sits on the rim and just reaches down into the bowl to get them and then steps out again.  My smaller Xanthic Tree Frog actually sits at the bottom of the dish with the crickets. Sometimes he sits on a cricket and kills it but no big deal.

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## Jace

> I don't use a bowl for my fire bellies because they are so quick and don't leave any survivors. I just sprinkle and watch them eat. I only use it for my Red-Eyed Leaf Frog because he takes him time to come on down to the feeding dish and I don't want them to wander off and die under the substrate.


I frequently get unwanted or lame toads from the pet store who don't have the heart to kill them.  In order for them to get a chance to eat without me constantly having to take them out to feed them, I've used the bowl method.  Two of my current toads were considered goners, but are now chubby and healthy thanks to this method.  However, I was using a plastic dish and the glass is working much much better!

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## Tropicok

Blimey, I've never heard of this bleeding trick before.  Aaarrrgggh!

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## Paul Rust

> Blimey, I've never heard of this bleeding trick before. Aaarrrgggh!


* Sorry everyone. I tried to respond last night but I spilled water all over my keyboard and had some technical difficulties as a result.* 

*This whole glass bowl thing came about by accident. I dump crickets in the enclosure and let my Leaf Frogs hunt them after dark. I have a lot of long stemmed moss in the enclosure and was concerned that the crickets could get away from the frogs so I put this bowl in there with a few crickets so the frogs could at least find a few if they were unsuccesful at hunting that night. To my surprise, the next day the bowl was full of crickets, so began another experiment. I emptied the bowl and dumped crickets in the enclosure after dark and watched them all night. The crickets moved around all over the place and some were caught by the frogs but the rest eventually made their way to the bowl and fell in and could not escape. Viola!!! Problem solved. I can feed from one side of the enclosure and the crickets that don't get eaten will fall in the bowl and become a snack for the frogs later. The next day I dump the crickets back into the cricket tub for re-gutloading and recycling. My enclosure stays clean and my frogs stay fed, a win-win.*

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## hyla

Good thing you are back up and running, we couldnt have another lame v.i.p on here, like Kurt....and I mean lame in the physical way of course!

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## Paul Rust

> Good thing you are back up and running, we couldnt have another lame v.i.p on here, like Kurt....and I mean lame in the physical way of course!


 *LMAO, of course.*

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## Ebony

Brilliant :Big Applause: . This is really going to help a lot of us Paul. I think it would work for Locusts too. Thanks

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## Paul Rust

> Brilliant. This is really going to help a lot of us Paul. I think it would work for Locusts too. Thanks


* Of course you're welcome Ebony.*
*I bet it would work fine for locusts and roaches as well. Good idea.*

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## CrazyAirborne

well im glad i started this thread!!! I tried this out in both my enclosures last night, and sure enough, the crickets had made there way into the bowl and couldnt get out. it worked great!!

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## Paul Rust

> well im glad i started this thread!!! I tried this out in both my enclosures last night, and sure enough, the crickets had made there way into the bowl and couldnt get out. it worked great!!


*Another doubter sees the light!!!* 
*I'm glad it worked for you.*

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## Kurt

> Good thing you are back up and running, we couldnt have another lame v.i.p on here, like Kurt....and I mean lame in the physical way of course!


Sure, thats what you meant.

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## firebelly2

would  this trick work for fire belly toads or would they eat them up at once as i have heard?

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## Paul Rust

> would this trick work for fire belly toads or would they eat them up at once as i have heard?


* If they eat them up at once you don't need this trick.*

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## Jace

I use this trick for my Fire-bellied toads.  It keeps the crickets from drowning in the water.  The quicker toads get the first batch of crickets I put in and the slower toads get the next.  Everyone is plump and healthy!

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## Johnny O. Farnen

> * Of course you're welcome Ebony.*
> *I bet it would work fine for locusts and roaches as well. Good idea.*



If you remove the back legs from the locusts, for sure it would work.

As for roaches...it depends on the species. quite a few have no issue climbing glass.

This really is a darn fine way to feed your critters! (I'm a free-feeder though I admit...)


Just remember to wash your food dishes whenever you do enclosure maintenance.

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## firebelly2

would you be able to keep them in the tank in the bowl even when the feeding time is over or would the toads eat them all at once out of the bowl, without saving any for later?

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## Paul Rust

> This really is a darn fine way to feed your critters! (I'm a free-feeder though I admit...)


* I free feed also Johnny, that's why I like the left over crickets falling in the bowl so i can remove them.*



> would you be able to keep them in the tank in the bowl even when the feeding time is over or would the toads eat them all at once out of the bowl, without saving any for later?


*You need to empty the bowl every day because they need to gut load for your frog's nutrition. The crickets will also eat each other if you leave them in there too long.*

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## Easternwolf

Hi, I'm new to the list and will first reply to your question.  The glass bowl I have is clear glass about 2/1 tall about the same round.  And I thought for sure the crickets would jump out, but they don't. 

Can someone help me post a few questions about my terrarium.  I want to know if I'm doing the right thing with substrate, lights etc....
I'm lost!!! :Frog Smile:

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## lnaminneci

Great Idea Paul!  You are the super Brain!   

I will be trying this, only have a nice crystal candy dish.  My frogs will be fancy for a little while til I can dash out and get one at the Dollar Store, love that place. :Wink:

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## Kurt

> Can someone help me post a few questions about my terrarium. I want to know if I'm doing the right thing with substrate, lights etc....
> I'm lost!!!


To start a new thread, click on Forum Index, then click on the right category, scroll down to find the "new thread" button. Click on that and your good to go.

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## dbolack

> * I free feed also Johnny, that's why I like the left over crickets falling in the bowl so i can remove them.*
> 
> *You need to empty the bowl every day because they need to gut load for your frog's nutrition. The crickets will also eat each other if you leave them in there too long.*


Does this need to be a "bowl shaped" bowl or will any glass dish do? I have several I use for Hermit water dishes but they have flat bottoms and 90 degree sides.

Is there any reason why you couldn't/shouldn't put cricket food in the dish with them?

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## Paul Rust

*Any glass bowl that has steep sides will work I suppose.*

*It is too humid and the food will mold, and I want to make sure I feed fresh gutloaded crickets to my frogs.*

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## dbolack

> *Any glass bowl that has steep sides will work I suppose.*
> 
> *It is too humid and the food will mold, and I want to make sure I feed fresh gutloaded crickets to my frogs.*


Ah. Guess I don't have quite the right food then. The Jelly stuff doesn't have enough nutrients or the wrong mix?

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## Paul Rust

*I just wouldn't put any food in there. The purpose of the bowl is to get the loose crickets out.*

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## John Clare

Just saw this.  How do the crickets get into the bowl if you only half bury it Paul?

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## bshmerlie

My crickets start off in the bowl so there's no reason to get back in.  They don't get out.  Some do get sat on by lazy frogs that just want to sit in there and eat, but most of the time the frogs sit on the edge and reach down and grab them one at a time. I take the bowl out when they're done.

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## Lamb

Hi!

I have yet to try this trick, but I'm planning on it. However, I was wondering whether anyone has observed aggressive behavior at the bowl in tanks where two or more frogs are kept?

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## TheBambooGoanna

Great idea! Thanks for the tip...I'll have to try this now  :Smile:

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## bshmerlie

[QUOTE :Smile: =Lamb;44855]Hi!

I have yet to try this trick, but I'm planning on it. However, I was wondering whether anyone has observed aggressive behavior at the bowl in tanks where two or more frogs are kept?[/QUOTE]

I have five red eyes in one tank. When "Big Mama" comes down to the bowl all the other frogs leave. Trust me you don't want to be the only frog sitting in the bowl when she's looking for food. I have since added another bowl.

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## Lamb

My two green treefrogs enjoying the cricket bowl! It's a little tall (they basically jump straight up to get out of it), but it works.

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## mafoo

ooo if this does work my firebellies will definately be happy! especialy ice tea cause hes way to lazy to even get up and search for his food lol. the other one is juicy fruit and hes all over the place so has no problem finding it but if it works for em thanks a whole bunch!!

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## Nutz1207

Boy am i glad i seen this. just last night i was watching one of my Red Eyes stalking a cricket that was on the screen top and i was thinking to myself i hope she doesn't do it and a t that very instant she jumpped missed the cricket and smashed her face on the screen there is no way that could of felt good. and i have notice that my other red eyed (i think its a male because he talks to me, and is alot smaller) is not a very good hunter and have been worried about him not eating enough. i was thinking i was going to have to feed them in another cage so i know they wouldnt get hurt and eating. but i think this trick is the ticket im going to try it tonight.

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## Easternwolf

Hi,

I hope your frog is okay, poor thing.  I was concerned about my tree frog eating and kept checking and finding the odd cricket that died.  I wanted to make sure she was eating and found out on this site about the glass bowl.

I am pretty sure my tree frog is a female, she doesn't say a word.  I'm sure you'll be relieved using one.

Cheers, or should I say Ribbit!

Cheryl

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## Nutz1207

Well this trick worked great. i put six crickets in the bowl and after the lights were out for an hour or so i checked in on them and my male was sitting on the bowl and two crickets were missing and when i checked on them this morning my female was sleeping on the glass next to the bowl and only one ckicket was left.

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## mafoo

works awesome and this thread should be a sticky here for sure! in my firebelly toads tank ive always had problems with floaters in there water but now i put the glass bowl in there and i just dump all the crickets in there and they all get eaten! this morning i actualy woke up to look and my frogs and ones sitting in the empty glass bowl and the other is just staring at it!  since last time i fed my frogs were thursday and they had all 6 crickets i put in there eaten by friday they havent eaten in a while so i know there hungry!

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## RCA1186

This trick is awesome, my White's just learned how to use his bowl, he loves to perch on his water dish and have at 'em 


White&#39;s Tree Frog Winston eats from his bowl - YouTube

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## Stardust369

What size glass bowl is good for this? I have baby white's tree frogs and I feed them small crickets.

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## Stardust369

I'm about to try this! I couldn't find a glass bowl small enough, so I'm using a plastic one. So far the crickets are staying in there. I just hope my frogs are smart enough to see them.

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## Karen aka mshine1217

> * Sorry everyone. I tried to respond last night but I spilled water all over my keyboard and had some technical difficulties as a result.* 
> 
> *This whole glass bowl thing came about by accident. I dump crickets in the enclosure and let my Leaf Frogs hunt them after dark. I have a lot of long stemmed moss in the enclosure and was concerned that the crickets could get away from the frogs so I put this bowl in there with a few crickets so the frogs could at least find a few if they were unsuccesful at hunting that night. To my surprise, the next day the bowl was full of crickets, so began another experiment. I emptied the bowl and dumped crickets in the enclosure after dark and watched them all night. The crickets moved around all over the place and some were caught by the frogs but the rest eventually made their way to the bowl and fell in and could not escape. Viola!!! Problem solved. I can feed from one side of the enclosure and the crickets that don't get eaten will fall in the bowl and become a snack for the frogs later. The next day I dump the crickets back into the cricket tub for re-gutloading and recycling. My enclosure stays clean and my frogs stay fed, a win-win.*



This may be an old thread but I am so glad that I found it, and yes it should be a sticky.  I had a small tub of crickets sitting on top of my tortiose enclosure and didn't realize that I had some escapees that landed in with the torties.  They seem to love the environment because they have been breeding like crazy.  I've been trying many different methods to remove them with no luck.  I plan on trying this tonight and see what happens.  Thanks

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## Heather

I use the glass bowl for my red eyes and my day gecko uses one too. Works great.

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## Patsy

> What size glass bowl is good for this? I have baby white's tree frogs and I feed them small crickets.


I use a glass kidney shaped water/feeding bowl from the pet store. The bowl is either the medium or large, I can't remember. My Whites love it because they both can get in the bowl at the same time to eat.




> I use the glass bowl for my red eyes and my day gecko uses one too. Works great.


I just started doing the glass bowl trick with my leopard geckos. I used to just dump the crickets in their tank but then didn't know if they got eaten or not. I still never see the geckos eat but I see crickets missing so they must be!

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## Joeri De Block

Amazing thread, after years of repti and amfibianscare, coming across a trick like this is awesome :-)

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## Ilovemywhitetreefrogs

I have just recently tried this with my two whites tree frogs....and it does work!! Love it :Frog Smile: 

Thank-you for the tips,

Just one question though...how many crickets should I be feeding? Thanks

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## Carlos

> ... Just one question though...how many crickets should I be feeding? Thanks


It depends on your Whites size and if growing or not.  Crickets should be sized to distance between frog's eyes.  Babies should eat daily; but adults can be fed every three days.  

White's are prone to over eating and becoming too fat for their own good.  A way to tell and avoid overfeeding is to observe their "supratympanic ridge," a thick fold of glandular skin called positioned above the tympanum or eardrum.  With fat frogs; it starts to overgrow and cover their eyes.  The frog on second pic in this article is just about perfect; so try to adjust your's food intake to match that.  Good luck  :Smile:  !

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## Ilovemywhitetreefrogs

Thank-you Carlos...really helps. The glass bowl really works though... I do worry Im not doing the right thing sometimes as Ive never had frogs before!! :Frog Surprise: 
I like to think Im doing my best for them. They seem contented enough....they ate last night so I will skip their feed tonight now..
Thanks again

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## Gail

So at what point are they considered adults then? I got mine in Jan as tiny babies, and now I still feed every night & most of the time there's an empty bowl in the morning, but sometimes they might leave a few crickets or roaches.   Shadrack comes out as soon as the lights go out 6pm and stares where the dish should be.  It's a pitiful sight to behold.

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## Steadfast

Not a lot of room? A shot glass works too!  :Wink: 



Hey human!  Make that a double!!!

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## jen17

This is great! Can't wait to try with my FBTs. 


Jennifer

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## victorsgrace

Wow! I was looking for a completely different thread and happened upon this. Amazing! I'll sure try it with my boys  :Big Grin:

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## Gail

These are just two examples of the dishes I use on frogs and toads.

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## Tongue Flicker

I would normally cut the end part of the crickets legs, where their microscopic claws are, to prevent them from climbing unto anything

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## Heather

Glass heart candy dish from Dollar Tree. Fits right in the corner.

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