Scared of Crickets

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ROOMA

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Well we stopped feeding Ouros live crickets a few months ago and changed to dubia after a incident with them attacking her when a few got loose in her enclosure. We have since sometimes tweezer fed larger ones reluctantly.

I ordered 500 crickets since they were cheap, they shipped us the wrong size and we got 1/16-1/8" ones.
Issue is we tried the new method of putting her in the 90qt container like we do with the roaches to feast for a few mins...and she went crazy. She ran up the wall and kept trying to jump out like the bottom was lava.

I then took her out calmed her down letter her cuddle for a bit then moved her to her enclosure and put 3 in there with her....she ran to the other side of the enclosure then up her tree and sat up there staying away from them. She is literally scared of baby crickets.

Thinking of trying to kill a few and feed them via tweezers like I have before this just seems absurd.....why is she so fearful of small ones alive? Does she see them as ants or some thing to be afraid of?

I am hoping another 2-4 months she will forget about her issues...now what to do with 500 crickets lol.

Please if anyone has any stories of their beardies being scared of feeders/food I could use a story...just blew our feeding budget on something she is scared of. My little princess here is driving me bonkers with her quirks.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Crickets move pretty fast so try slowing them down by putting 3-4 in a bottle or other container with a pinch of calcium powder . Then shake them up until they are weak + crippled, then drop just a few right near her. When the prey item is slow moving . a stressed beardie is more likely to go for it.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Just offer a few at time , she wont be overwhelmed by them scurrying and hopping in all over the place.
Let her catch and them , then give a few more.
 

ROOMA

Member
Original Poster
Well tried with a few (4) in her enclosure again...I walked away for a bit came back she is up on her rock mouth open beard black and backed up into the corner facing off with a 1/8th inch cricket.....she hates the dang things and will not even eat them alive. (I can do it again and get pictures, but I think they have traumatized her enough)

It is odd, she used to eat them as a hatchling then a few months ago I left a few with her (my mistake) and came back to find them on her and her trying to get them off like they were attacking her. I then moved to dubia, and only fed dried broken up crickets. Now live crickets seem to scare her? How long do lizards hold fears? Will she grow out of this?

I got them from GreatLakesHornWorms, I ordered a larger size and they gave me 500 itty bitty things. I messaged them about the error and they said that is normal....I am used to order 1/4 " from other companies and getting 3/8-1/2" I get them from Grealakes, and I get 1/16-1/8" IE never order crickets from GreatLakesHornworms. I think something else might be up with them.

Going to barrow money from my family to buy some dubia again....the princess wins she gets what she wants.
 

ROOMA

Member
Original Poster
Spent the day today stunning them like mentioned shaking them up..bit hard with these tiny things. But doing so has made her no longer fear them as much it seems...but she wants nothing to do with them, just walks away from them. I did not feeder her anything but attempting with crickets, and collards til noon. Pretty sure she would rather starve then eat them. Gave a few meal worms and right at them.

I am giving up on crickets, order dubia now and hoping to get them next week. -_- This spoiled little girl is driving me nuts. But I have grown to find her very comforting as a ESA to talk to, so she is a part of my life and family now.

I thank you for your feed back, but seems crickets are bust. On a side note half jokenly is there a food pantry or service for getting dubia on a low budget for low income people with dragons as a Emotional Support Animal? About ready to start up a donation fund, keep having to have my family pay for them...and I am on a collard greens, eggs, and nut meal/butter diet myself living on a budget with some bad stomach issues.
 
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