If crickets are not consumed in a brief period of time - they will groom themselves, removing the dusting. This may be corrected for by placing a small amount of calcium-rich cricket food in the cage with the animal. These can be accomplished by placing the animal in a small, tough bag and swinging it against a flat surface. Large rodents should always be stunned since the animal, while caged, does not have the maneuvering room it would have in the wild to fight effectively. With earthworm specialists, simply release the worms into the substrate and allow the animal to find them.
Some reptiles require complete privacy to eat.
Cages may be draped during feeding. Others may be placed in a cloth bag with the prey item overnight. It can then be pureed and mixed with a small amount of water. This preparation can then be frozen and thawed later to be used as a 'dip' for feeding mice. Pinks do not have teeth or defensive responses.