Crickets

[Lesley A]

Hey guys, my outdoor heated enclosure is experiencing a cricket invasion. Realistically, do they pose harm to my Sulcata … and any creative catching methods? I don’t see any harm right now. I think they just like the warmth and the moisture. Surely, I can’t be the first to deal with kinda thing… right? Thank u for help.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Hey guys, my outdoor heated enclosure is experiencing a cricket invasion. Realistically, do they pose harm to my Sulcata … and any creative catching methods? I don’t see any harm right now. I think they just like the warmth and the moisture. Surely, I can’t be the first to deal with kinda thing… right? Thank u for help.

Crickets can bite.
I had a large group of them kill a pet Chameleon once. But I doubt seriously that they'd pose a threat to a tortoise.
Have you tried food grade Diotomacious earth powder?
That'd kill the crickets and be perfectly safe

 

[enchilada]

release da box turtles they'll decimate the crickets in days

 

[Tom]

Hey guys, my outdoor heated enclosure is experiencing a cricket invasion. Realistically, do they pose harm to my Sulcata … and any creative catching methods? I don’t see any harm right now. I think they just like the warmth and the moisture. Surely, I can’t be the first to deal with kinda thing… right? Thank u for help.

Crickets can do harm to a tortoise. They will bite at its eyes and cloacal opening while it sleeps. One or two of them won't do any damage, but if there are enough of them, over time, they can cause sores.

I tried the diatomaceous earth here in SCV many times, and it did nothing. I used it on ants and I had white powdered ants walking around. I kept them covered in it for two weeks and it did nothing. Didn't slow down the roaches, crickets, big red ants, or the small red ants.

I find that the roach motels work the best to get rid of the crickets and roaches, but make sure there is no other food available for them. Keep the motels out of tortoise reach.

 

[SinLA]

I will say the roach motels did almost nothing for me, and they did go away after I used diatomaceous earth, but could be a coincidence. I will say they worked well on ants, but raid sugar baits worked better.

 

[TammyJ]

What is diatomaceous earth?

 

[SinLA]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00025H2PY/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

 

[TammyJ]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00025H2PY/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Yes, thanks, but what exactly is it comprised of? How can it be healthy for pets but used like a pesticide???

 

[ZEROPILOT]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00025H2PY/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

It needs to be FOOD GRADE like this one. Because most others have added pesticides

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Yes, thanks, but what exactly is it comprised of? How can it be healthy for pets but used like a pesticide???

They are microscopic diatom skeletons.
They rub through the outer bodies of the insects and dry them out.
It feels just like wheat flower.
There's probably a better description on the internet.
My attic looks like Christmas because it's been sprayed everywhere.
You'll see it mentioned in other posts as DE

 

[TammyJ]

They are microscopic diatom skeletons.
They rub through the outer bodies of the insects and dry them out.
It feels just like wheat flower.
There's probably a better description on the internet.

😲 Ok.

 

[jaizei]

Yes, thanks, but what exactly is it comprised of? How can it be healthy for pets but used like a pesticide???

It's silica so it's best to avoid inhalation, thats really the biggest safety concern