Feeding and Nutrition :: Old Crickets fed to turtle

[MEL]

Hello everyone! I have a question - I had some canned crickets in my fridge that I give to my turtle every now & then. I just gave her some and after I had already dropped them into her aquarium, I paid more attention and realized they had a sort of a sour odor, making me feel like maybe they were too old to feed her. They have been in the fridge a couple of months, but there's no expiration date on the can.

Will she get sick from this?? If so, what should I do?

[SpotsMama]

Turtles have pretty tough digestive systems so she'll probably be ok. Watch for any vomiting or diarrhea.

When in doubt, throw it out.

[BullDog]

I've heard those canned ones really only last about a week in the fridge.
As Spots said, just keep an eye out for unusual behaviour.

[MEL]

Thank y'all so much. I had no idea that the canned crickets only last about a week in the fridge. I'll make sure that the next ones I buy get eaten quickly. She seems ok today. She's been basking all day, which is normal for her. When I went in tonight to check on her, she got excited to see me, which means she wanted food, so I guess that's a good sign!

[TheComputerGremlin]

I recommend if you aren't buying fresh alive crickets, buy the freeze-dried gut-loaded ones. You get like 40-50 of them in a thing and they expire years later. Crickets should be fed only about one cricket per month, so a can (unless you have other reptiles in the house) would be a waste.

[marisa]

I think there's a difference between the canned crickets and freeze dried ones, if the protein content is to be believed (the freeze-dried ones are much higher). I give a few canned crickets weekly, have not tried the freeze-dried ones (don't like that protein content).

I have a can of crickets in the fridge that have been there for a few weeks. Their odor does grow stronger after the can is opened. I've never kept them as long as two months, but I do try to stretch them out as long as possible. If they get moldy, I throw them out. If they just seem more smelly, I rinse and use them. Turtles have strong stomachs---they will eat carrion in the wild.

You can try extending the use of the crickets by freezing a portion of them.