Reptile & Amphibian Forums

this summer has produced quite a population explosion of grasshoppers in my hometown and i was wondering if it is possible to preserve this bounty for any substantial length of time? i was considering freezing or even canning them to use as food for my beardie and just wanted some feedback. has anyone tried this? which method would you prefer? will the nutritional value remain the same or relatively close? and, what do you think the shelf life would be? i would love to extend the feast as long as possible for these grasshoppers are not only plentiful, and pesticide free, they also don't cost me a cent! thanx in advance for your help.

-ethan

Freezing them would be better than canning them, as far as preserving nutrients go. But, the real question is, will he eat them once they aren't moving? Try freezing one and thawing it to see if he takes it.

Be careful with wild caught feeders though...there's always a parasite risk.

I wouldn't feed anything from the wild unless I could be positive that they were never exposed to pesticides that could be harmful to the reptiles.

Just a though.........

Marcia