Crickets are readily taken by a host of reptiles, amphibians and inverts and make a meaty and nutrious meal when gut-loaded with the right diet.
Gut-loading is the practice of feeding crickets and other feeder insects with highly nutritious food items that will in turn make the feeder insects more beneficial to the health of your exotic pet. Crickets are also suitable for dusting with vitamins and calcium prior to being fed to your pets. Crickets are easy to keep and cheap to feed which makes them a good, affordable choice to have as a handy food item.
The only downside to keeping crickets is their relatively short lifespan, so care must be taken to ensure you have a constant supply available through breeding within the colony. Black Field Crickets are also quite loud as they will chirp in adulthood, so if you would prefer a silent colony then the quieter Brown Crickets are recommended. Crickets do not climb well on smooth surfaces, so ensure that the sides of the tub are not textured.
Air holes should be punched into the lid of the box for ventilation or alternatively cut a large section of the lid out with some sharp scissors and cover the hole with a fine wire mesh or a recycled pair of old tights pantyhose. No substrate needs to be used, so this makes cleaning a more simple process.
They will also require places to hide, so cardboard tubes or egg box bottoms placed in the tub will help them to feel secure. The tub should be kept dry and in a place where a normal light cycle can be maintained, with around 8 hours of darkness each day. As Black Crickets will chirp in adulthood, placing the container away from areas that this noise may disturb you is advised. Crickets will eat almost anything, but as you are going to be feeding them to your exotic pets it is wise to feed them on foods that boost their nutritional value.
Dry foods like oats, bran, grain and flaked fish food should always be readily available, but the addition of plenty of fresh vegetables regularly would give the crickets a good diet. Variety is recommended, but potatoes and carrots are a favourite.
Mix a small amount of bleach with cold water. Dampen a rag with the solution and use it to wipe down the inside of the tank. Make sure the tank is dry before housing your crickets. Do not use other chemical cleaners as they could be harmful to the crickets.
Add torn-up egg crates to the tank so your crickets have shelter. Get a few cardboard egg crates and tear them up into pieces. Then, place the pieces on the bottom of the tank to create a habitat for the crickets. This will give the crickets shade and the space they need to thrive. Keep the crickets in a dark area that maintains a steady temperature to encourage healthy crickets. If the temperature in the tank is too cold, crickets will die and eat each other. If the temperature is too hot, the crickets lifespan will be shortened.
Clean the tank twice a month to keep your crickets healthy. Carefully remove the crickets and place them in another box with breathing holes. Wipe down the bottom of the tank, making sure to remove any feces or dead crickets that remain.
Then, use your diluted bleach solution and a rag to wipe down the inside of the tank to sanitize it. Transfer new crickets to their habitat as soon as you get home with them. Transfer them to a clean tank as soon as you get home. Part 2. Feed your crickets oatmeal, cornmeal, or cricket food.
Put cornmeal, oatmeal, or cricket food in a dish in the tank. Provide a damp sponge or piece of fruit as a water source. Crickets can drown very easily in a small dish of water. Crickets will be able to suck out the moisture from the sponge or fruit. Keep food and water in the tank at all times. A food and water source should always be kept in the tank so that your crickets can feed and drink when they need to.
Keep the food fresh by throwing it out and filling it back up once a week. Crickets won't overeat, so don't worry about overfeeding them. Did you know you can get expert answers for this article? Unlock expert answers by supporting wikiHow.
Samuel Ramsey, PhD Entomologist. Samuel Ramsey, PhD. Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 3. Also, remove any uneaten food before it begins to rot.
If you find that your crickets are not living for very long, you may need to clean more often. Provide adequate ventilation. A screen top is best for your cricket cage. If you are poking holes in your plastic lid, you will have to poke a ton of holes. The holes should cover the entire area of the lid. If your crickets are not living very long, poke more holes or switch to a metal screen. Your crickets will not get enough air if they are too crowded in their space either. Use egg cartons and make sure that you have a large enough cage.
Use a safe water source. Apples are great as a water source for your crickets. Also place a sponge in the water dish so that your crickets can easily climb out of the dish. Method 4. Recognize the difference between male and female crickets. You can easily tell the difference between adult female and adult male crickets. Female crickets have an ovipositor egg-laying appendage that extends from their rear and smooth wings.
Male crickets have ridges on their wings and use these ridges to make a chirping sound when they are trying to mate. Breeding is not difficult with adult crickets.
Have a separate container for egg laying. One container should be exclusively for breeding. Place substrate e. The substrate gives the female crickets a place to burrow before they deposit their eggs. Remove the container once eggs have been laid. The nesting container should be inches deep so the eggs will not be disturbed.
Check the nesting material every 2 or 3 days to make sure that it has not become dry. You should see eggs in days. Allow eggs to incubate. Eggs are a whitish yellow color. Once they have been laid, move them to a different container that is between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If the substrate stays moist, the eggs should hatch in about 10 days. If the substrate dries out, your eggs will not hatch. Take care of the baby crickets. The rearing container should have small holes in the lid that are 1 inch apart.
Place a water dish in the container and spray it with water every two days. Watch this container more carefully than you watch the breeding container. Adult crickets only live for a few weeks, and you will miss out on the breeding period if you do not set them aside. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Place crickets in a container so that they don't disperse as quickly. Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0. For extra nutrition, dust the crickets with calcium powder right before you feed them to your reptile.
Related wikiHows How to. How to. More References 6. About This Article. Co-authored by:. Co-authors: Updated: September 16, Categories: Bugs. Article Summary X If you want to keep live crickets for your reptiles, keep them in a plastic storage container with holes poked in the top for ventilation. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read , times.
I found out so much on how to keep my crickets! I've been keeping them in their own cage with water, cat food mushed up, lettuce, and they've been good. More reader stories Hide reader stories.
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