| Crickets |
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| Crickets Introduction Crickets are easy to keep and are very nutritious for most reptile. How ever finding a reliable supply of crickets can be a bother, and the costs of feeding a large collection with store bought crickets is also outrageous. The following is a method for raising a constant supply of large and small crickets. To start a cricket colony you need least 200+ crickets, and they should not be used for feeding until the babies are adult-sized. If you plan to use some of the crickets for feeding, a batch of 1000+ is recommended. There is little maintenance that is needed for a breeding colony, filling the food, keeping the nesting material damp and filling the water when empty. Every 2 months or so the entire colony and fixtures should be moved to a second container and the first container can be washed. Housing and setup Any size container will work for housing, just remember that the crickets will kill, even eat each other so make sure that there is plenty of room in the cage. A heat pad placed on the bottom of the cage, or a black light (crickets hate light) on top of the enclosure will provide adequate warmth, but beware that if it is to hot it will kill the crickets easily, the best way to regulate the temperature is to have a thermometer in the tank. Crickets prefer temperatures between 80-90 degrees F. At lower temperatures they will survive and breed, but there will not be as many successful egg hatchings. They also live longer at lower temperatures, something to keep in mind if you find yourself with an extra that you want to keep alive as long as possible. You should not have any type of bedding in the tank for them, this only makes it harder to clean and separate the eggs form the adults. One full egg carton filled with damp dirt placed side by side at the bottom of the cage will be good for a nesting area. In the open space I have a Food dish with commercial cricket feed in it, a water dish with a sponge and a food dish with fresh fruits and vegetables in it. I have two egg cartons over top of the food dishes, to provide the breeding ground. The tank should be lightly misted daily. The dirt should be misted as needed to keep it damp, if it dries out then the eggs will have less of a chance of hatching. Feeding and Watering The crickets need good nutrition to survive and breed. Also the nutrition from the crickets will be passed on to your reptiles so it is important to keep them healthy. Crickets should have a high-protein diet. Commercial cricket food is available in large and small amounts. Fish flakes and cat food are also other types of food for the crickets, however when you are raising large amounts of crickets this can get very expensive. To provide a balanced diet alfalfa pellets, fruits, and vegetables should be included in the crickets diet. Many crickets will drown in a water dish, the best way to provide water to them is to give them fresh fruits and vegetable everyday. Most pet stores carry a type of water supplement for crickets, this is a gel type substance that will help keep the crickets from drowning. A small water dish with a sponge in it will also work, the sponge will keep the crickets from drowning and provide the water that they need. Breeding Make sure the crickets are winged, if they do not have wings then it will take a week or so for them to grow thier wings. As long as the crickets have food, water and the right temperature they will breed on their own. The best way to get the eggs out of the container and into an incubator is to give them no bedding at all, put two egg cartons filled with damp dirt in the container, this will force them to lay the majority of the eggs in this area, eggs placed any where else will most likely not hatch. Listen for the sounds of chirping crickets (thier mating call), if there are no chirps then there is something wrong with the cage or setup. It will be about 1 week for the eggs to be laid and about a week for the eggs to hatch. It should take a total of 2-3 weeks for the first eggs to start hatching. Back |
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