Will martins eat live crickets?

[Sue P]

I ordered crickets on Friday, not realizing that they wouldn't be delivered until today. I had some left over from the last order which I fed yesterday, and then of course fed egg as well.

When the crickets arrived, I put them in the freezer for an hour, but apparently an hour isn't long enough. They looked dead, and I placed a handful of crickets in each housing unit. I checked this evening to see if the martins had eaten them, and most of the crickets were gone. The martins did spend a lot of time in the gourds today, but I was surprised to see a few live and a few dead crickets in some of the units. Will the martins eat the live crickets? I know for a fact that a lot of the crickets were dead when I fed them, but just wondered if the crickets in the gourds would get a new lease on life by jumping out. I didn't find any on the ground, and it is very windy and cold here today.

Oh well, the crickets will be dead when I feed them to the martins next time, but were just wondering about the ones that are alive right now. Will they be eaten?

[John Miller]

ha.

not if they get away. but if they are just sluggish, martins will enjoy all the more. In fact, some people (me) have initially tried compartment and porch feeding with chilled but sluggish crickets on cold days. I thought it helped get the martins to peck at the crickets -- but some crickets hopped off the porches. John M

[Sue P]

Oh yes, John, I figured I would get an answer like yours --- I got a laugh out of it too, because I admit the question seemed a bit stupid. However it interested me that you have actually tried to work with sluggish crickets.

I think my problem with live crickets is solved, though, because the martins were out foraging late this afternoon, and a boy blue bird went into one of the gourds that I know had "sluggish" crickets in it. He came out fat and happy, so I assume the crickets won't jump out of the gourd now.

Thank you, John, for your information. I appreciate it.

Sue P

[Connie Roman ~ NJ]

Sue,
You are not alone.
The first time I ordered crickets; I put the cricket box in a plastic bag and then put it in the freezer. After freezing the crickets for an hour or more; I opened the box to transfer them to plastic bags. Imagine my surprise when half way through packaging the crickets; they came alive!

[Sue P]

That is so funny, Connie. Maybe crickets have 9 lives like cats!

Sue P

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

I went to Petsmart and bought some live crickets last year and flipped them with a spoon, and it was very easy to train the martins to catch the live crickets. The martins followed me to the back porch, they wanted more. I went and bought some more, but it gets expensive in a hurry to purchase them live locally. Our granddaughter enjoyed those sessions a lot.

[Louise Chambers]

My senior wiener dog Peewee was left alone in the kitchen, guarding a tower of boxes with newly arrived crickets, 1000 per box. I forgot he was guarding them and went back to work - returned to kitchen later to find he had 'liberated' one box of 1000 and they were EVERYWHERE, climbing the walls and cabinets, going under appliances, and making forays into living room, dining room, laundry room...... I am not a fan of crickets to begin with so you can imagine how I reacted.

Took me and my dustbuster, plus fly swatter and dust pan, about an hour or so to capture them all - got them into freezer, phew! I never again let Peewee guard the crickets. My brother said he knew people who would have set fire to their houses rather than deal with 1000 escaped crickets.

[Sue P]

Louise that is just too funny. When I received the first box of crickets I ordered I put them in the garage by the freezer. We went out for the evening and when i arrived home to put them in the freezer, they were all singing away in their box. I went on a real guilt trip when I froze the happy songsters.

However I might feel very similar to you if I had a thousand of them in the house.

Sue P

[Sue P]

Emil, I hope my martins get as friendly as yours. I shopped for our first crickets at Petco, and quickly realized that if I continued to do that I would have to mortgage our house. Didn't seem smart. I wish I could get on to that cricket flipping thing. I flip them, the birds think I am nuts, and I go looking through the grass trying to find the crickets because I don't want to waste them. I guess I should find somellthing else to practice with until I get the hang of it. Maybe then my martins would be tame like yours are.

Sue P

[KathyF]

Louise, are you absolutely, positively *SURE* you got every last one of the crickets? Or when you go to sleep at night, do you hear the lone cricket playing the banjo under you cupboards?

(sorry, I couldn't resist). LOL

Sue - "songsters"....HAHAHA made me laugh out loud!!!

I learned a lesson last year when my crickets arrived - take out the hand warmers AND the pieces of potatoes, otherwise they freeze to the sides of the potato.