Drowning crickets...

[FrogFever]

I've been trying to reduce the number of cricket drownings in my vivariums....
I've tried putting little cricket ladders in the water bowls made out of toothpicks and screen, and I've also cut out sun or star shaped screen that sit in the water bowl and protrude over the side so they can easily crawl out... Although I'm sure it has helped I've still found dead crickets floating about in the morning.
Anyone have any ideas on an easy fix to this little dilemma?

Thanks!

[bshmerlie]

Try using a cricket bowl for feeding your frogs. That can't wander off and kill themselves if they're stuck in a bowl.

[FrogFever]

I love how helpful you all are! Another few months or so and I should be able to answer questions just as you guys do.
So what exactly would a cricket bowl be? Like a short, small jar? Or is something that they sell at a store?

[Whistly]

Hi a cricket bowl is a small shallow dish/bowl that has vertical sides and really smooth sides so they can't grip onto the sides to pull themselves out. Make sure it is taller then the length of the crickets or they might be able to get out.

[bshmerlie]

I just use a smooth glass dipping sauce bowl or you can use one of your wife's expensive crystal candy dishes. It can be a couple of inches deep. Just push it down into the soil so it is flush. The glass is too smooth and the crickets just slide back down. The frogs will eventually wait for you at the bowl to put in crickets. You'll go through less crickets this way and you can be certain your frog is eating. Start off putting it close to your frogs soaking dish so he'll see it. Once he's used to it you can put it anywhere.

[FrogFever]

Thanks!
I just figured the crickets could easily jump straight up and out though....

[bshmerlie]

Believe it or not they just don't.

[Striped marsh]

lol i have the same problem in my Australian Green tree frog tank, i had to put australian because for some reason it changes it puts american in front of it? anyway i have a log that is sitting in the water and i once found a cricket with it's head in the water but the rest of it's body out. what i now do is hand feed them to my frogs although i get bitten alot

[DogRetepCow]

It seems to me that crickets drown very easily. Whenever this happens with me, the cricket is dead practically the second it touches the water, or so it seems.

[LilyPad]

It seems to me that crickets drown very easily. Whenever this happens with me, the cricket is dead practically the second it touches the water, or so it seems.

LOL Isn't that weird??? That's how it seems in my tanks too. Paddy is too hungry to care though...eventually she'll fish them out and eat them.

[Whistly]

Weird! The crickets that I have had normally head into the water and happily run around under the water for a few minutes before getting out and straight into Jabba's waiting mouth.
What species do you guys use?
I used black field crickets.

[FrogFever]

After trying the cricket bowl method for a week or so I have to say that it does work. The red eyes get the hang of it, but both types om my the tiger legs still gotta figure it out. If a cricket does happen to get out of the bowl then oh well, the frogs will most likely devour it anyways. I can see this method really keeping my scavenging for floating dead crickets to a minimum.

[Wormwood]

Another trick is to have a water dish or pool that is craggy or tiered. Crickets that jump into my water dishes now usually skim themselves across the top an to the edge, or water step that is above water, because it's a rough edge they can grab a foot hold and get out.

Crickets I've noticed only really drown in flat edged bowls where they can't get a grip on the side of the bowl to get out.

[Firebelly love]

I just feed my toads with really long tongs I found at petco, and they work fantastically!! It takes the ew out of feeding time for me.