Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I keep my crickets on paper towels. What can I keep them on that will cut down on the smell? I get 1000 at a time and I clean the cage out every 2 weeks, but with the warmer weather the smell seems to be getting stronger.
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Thanks Dawn
1.0 Veiled (Moe)
0.1 Helmeted Iguana (Louie)
0.2 Southern Toads (Tiny and Bubba)
1.0 Bearded Dragon (Joker)
3.1 Cats (Buffy, Spike, London, and Lilly)

I would keep them on nothing. A cheap empty plastic bin from Wal Mart is perfect for them, just make sure they can crawl around on egg crating, paper towel or TP rolls, and they'll typically do ok. When you clean the bin, just throw everything away, clean out the bin with hot water, let dry and start fresh, ideally with new rolls or egg crating. Keeping them slightly warm (80-85) helps keep them alive, and it's the dead crickets that really end up smelling. Try cleaning once a week, or buy less crickets, so they're all gone before you need to clean at all. Keeping a vented lid (with 50 percent or more of the top replaced with aluminum screening) will keep some of the smell in, but when you open it up, ii'll smell really bad while the lid is open. It's probably best just to leave the top off, and keep the container clean and well ventilated. Also, buying crickets from a source with no "pest bugs" will help keep them alive it seems. Once those fuzzy little black worms get going, it seems that cricket groups die off fast. I seem to have the best of luck so far getting crickets from Wormman.com. Good luck!
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Tyler Stewart
Las Vegas NV
www.BLUEBEASTREPTILE.com

Just what the heck are those fuzzy little worms anyway? They look like caterpillar/meal worms. I order from LLLReptile.com because they're super cheap and my cricket orders always come with two or three of those worms and a few beetles. I just end up tossing them out the window. Don't wanna feed my cham something that even I don't know what the hell it is. Anybody know what they are? Are they "cham safe" ?

You are probably seeing the larva (and adult) of the dermestid beetle. They feed on dead organic material. I have gotten a few in some cricket orders and flush them down the toilet. They won't hurt your cham but you do not want them multiplying in your house.
Link

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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica the j sisters were sent to freedom last month
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia (MIA
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

I love my setup! I keep them in glass tanks and put several layers of plastic canvas (used in crafts) on the bottom. All their poop falls thru and keeps the floor spotless! You just have to make sure it fits well so they don't go underneath and get caught. I only have to dump their cage every 3 weeks or so! There is absolutely no smell. put the egg cartons on their sides so the poop falls down. Every day I just give the egg cartons a little shake to get the poop to fall. here is a picture - I cleaned this out 5 days ago...magic - no poop!

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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica the j sisters were sent to freedom last month
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia (MIA
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

i just put my crickets in a sterilite container with no substrate but in the past ive used aspen shavings and pine shavings cause my mom used to whine about the smell alot
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1.0.0 Bearded Dragon "Duke"
0.1.0 Ball Python
2.0.0 Cockatiels "Afro" and "Sunshine"
1.0.0 Bourkes Parakeet "Kerpal"
1.0.0 Mississippi Map Turtle "Atlas"
0.1.0 Painted Turtle "Artist"
0.1.0 Leopard Gecko "Claire"
0.1.0 Veiled Chameleon "Sassy"
0.1.0 Doggy "Sheilah"
0.0.1000 assorted crickets (decreasing at a rate of 15/day)
Misc. Amphibians
Misc. Fish
Several Russian Dwarf Hamsters

Email

check out www.armstrongcrickets.com They have a poly bin that comes with a whisk broom you can use daily to sweep out the bin.
You don't need any substrate and it works great. It has cut my cricket bills in half because I am losing very few crickets a month and stays cleaner and better smelling.