Shipping crickets in winter?

[isabelleandpaul]

Hello,
I got a little worried this morning. The place I usually order crickets from emailed me to mention that crickets can sustain cold temperatures, but no too much below freezing, so he cannot guarantee that they will arrive all alive. He even suggested delaying the shipment until warmer days, which I cannot do. This is going to be my first winter with my dragon, and since he eats like a pig I cannot rely on the pet store for crickets (they don't have small size, and they cost a fortune).
How do you guys from colder parts of the world manage to get crickets shipped when temps are well below freezing? In my area it is already cold :roll: and there is snow on the ground.

Is it possible to used the canned crickets and put them on a vibrating tray? Do dragons really get fooled by this? Mine eats only crickets that move...

thanks!
Isabelle

 

[Pravius]

Most good companies will use heat packs in with the crickets. I am in a similar situation come winter time though. What I have been doing is ordering the crickets and having them delivered to my local petstore... and just give them a few bucks for letting me use them. That is only because UPS always just leaves the box where ever and I work full time so I will have crickets just sitting out front of my door for like 8 hours in the dead of winter. But if you are home during the day and do not work then look for a company that uses heat packs for winter shipments.

 

[moose9]

When I was using crickets, I used to ordered mine through my lps. They would just order extra. As mentioned above, most dealers use heat packs which if the box is insulated should work fine. The problem with crickets is there to sensitive and die off to easy. From what I read a few years back, crickets can tolerate down to 40°F. One other option is to breed your own roach colony. Then you never have to worry about not having food available for your dragon. I haven't used crickets or bought any feeders in about 4 months. Good luck.

 

[isabelleandpaul]

Thank you for the replies.
Actually, I'm getting ready to start a roach colony, so that will at some point resolve my problems (I guess in a few months)! In the meantime, I will ask about heatpacks when I order.