You know your box turtle and other reptiles love insects, but what if you’d rather not touch them? Or maybe your pet isn’t interested in canned bugs because they don’t move?
These stainless steel tongs from Zoo Med can help. They let you feed crickets, nightcrawlers, mealworms and anything else without the “yuck” factor. And you can be sure they won’t escape before your pet catches them … no more crickets loose in the house, or “lost” mealworms emerging as full-grown beetles!
They also make it easy to dangle canned or frozen insects insects invitingly (and safely) in front of your pet, making him think they’re alive.
Keep reading for more about these Stainless Steel Feeding Tongs:
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What You Get Do You Need? Pros & Cons
. Where to Find
What Are These Zoo Med Feeding Tongs?
These tongs are a high-quality, sturdy tool for feeding your box turtle (or other reptile) live prey or canned insects.
They’re made from stainless steel, so they’re strong enough to hold even large prey items. And with just a little care, they can last for years, unlike plastic tongs which tend to break easily. Some reviewers have been using theirs for years. Just don’t use them in saltwater (they’ll rust).
At 10 inches long, they’re much longer than regular tweezers. This keeps your hand far away from your pet’s hungry, hungry mouth!
They’re also easy to clean and disinfect. Cleaning after each use helps them last and prevents the growth of germs and/or mold.
And they’re safe for your pet. The rounded tips won’t poke or injure him.
Do You Really Need Them?
Well, if you’re not interested in touching insects, you definitely need something. And if you need to make a dead insect look like it’s wiggling, you need to keep your fingers safe.
These tongs are a good, strong, long-lasting option. But really, any pair of tweezers will work. Just make sure you get some with rounded, not pointed ends.
Longer is better, to keep your fingers out of the way of a potentially painful (or worse) bite, but you can also find regular tweezers/forceps in longer lengths:
- Like this 12-inch stainless steel tweezers
- Or this 30 cm (11.8 inch) pair
We’re not sure about the quality of these other tweezers, but a quick glance at their reviews suggests they’re reasonably good quality. A few of the reviewers were even using them to feed their aquatic pets!
Pros and Cons Summary
Pros:
These tongs are very useful, and not just for feeding reptiles! Use it with birds, fish and other small animals, too.
We’ve even seen reviewers posting uses ranging from picking up their pets’ poop to pulling algae off coral.
Other Pros include:
- No more touching insects (dead or alive!)
- Keeps your fingers safely out of the way of a striking reptile
- Strong and durable
Cons:
The tip may be a bit big (wide) for picking up smaller insects
Also, it’s not suitable for use in a saltwater tank (they’ll rust). This is obviously not a concern for feeding box turtles, but because they’re so useful for so many things, some reviewers did mention using them in salt water. They rusted in under a year (sometimes just a few weeks).
Where to Find Zoo Med Stainless Steel Feeding Tongs
If these tongs look useful to you, Amazon had the tongs in stock the day we visited.
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