What's the easiest way to breed crickets?

Question

I have a bearded dragon and crickets are costing too much.

Answer 1

Feed the crickets Viagra and alcohol.....?

Answer 2

I breed crickets for my toads. You should start with adults
I have them in a 30 gallon container. Give them water,
food, a cut raw potato works also fish food some grass and
egg cartons. the paper ones. Thats where they lay there
eggs. good luck before long-little crickets

Answer 3

placed 2 dozen women and 5-9 men in a medium length plastic field. position a shallow sized delicup packed with a blend of damp peat and/or coco fiber into the sector. ascertain you retain it moist not damp. after about 7-10 days, take replace the delicup with yet another one packed with peat and coco fiber. the delicup you in ordinary words pulled out contains round 2 hundred-800 eggs. position it in a shoebox or a small field. keep this field at 80-80 5 degrees so the eggs will hatch. back ascertain the sector is moist. after about a week to 2 weeks, the eggs will hatch into very small infant crickets stated as pinheads. once you spot the eggs hatch position a bottle cap or a delicup packed with cricket foodstuff or damp rabbit foodstuff. after most of the eggs hatch and are shifting round, position them in a more effective field with sand, a mountain climbing section, water dish, and foodstuff. from there on they'll develop very quickly into feeders. this cycle will dodge an excellent type of money and its very exciting to do. wish i helped!

Answer 4

RAISING CRICKETS

Introduction

The house cricket (Achetus domesticus) is a staple and nutritious food for many herp species. Obtaining a reliable supply of these insects can be a bother, especially if one requires a constant supply of newly hatched 'pinhead' crickets, to say nothing of the costs of feeding a large collection with pet-shop-bought crickets. The following is a method for cricket raising which I have read about and tried with luck.

There are several things to consider before you decide to raise crickets: The crickets will make a lot of noise. I myself like to hear them sing. Did you know it is good luck to have crickets around singing for you.

A Description of the Basic Setup

The breeding colony is housed in one of the deep (26" x 14" x 16" deep) plastic storage boxes with egg flats inserted vertically throughout except for about 6 inches at one end where the water dispenser is located. Other containers may be adapted for this use. No substrate of any kind is placed in the bottom of this container. Holes (4" x 4") are cut in opposite ends of the breeding container and covered with metal mosquito screening secured with duct tape, to provide ventilation. (Do not use fiberglass screening, the crickets will soon eat through it and escape! Catching 1000 crickets loose in your apartment is not a task I would recommend, although I have done it, once). The water dispenser is a commercial chick waterer which is essentially a plastic jar inverted over a circular trough which holds the water. Plastic scouring pads or Dacron quilt batting should be cut to fill the trough. They will soak up water, making it available to the crickets while preventing them from drowning. The egg flats should reach to within about 4" of the top of the container. On top of these are placed two plastic tubs, such as sour cream or yogurt is purchased in. One contains food and the other contains egg laying medium.(See specific sections for descriptions of each). A heat pad is placed on top of the lid of the storage box to provide adequate warmth. Crickets thrive at temperatures higher than the average house temperature. They prefer 80-90 degrees F (26-32 C). If you place them in a warm herp room this should provide them with enough heat. At lower temperatures they will survive and even breed, but yields will be much reduced. They also seem to live longer at lower temperatures, something to keep in mind if you find yourself with an excess which you want to keep alive as long as possible.

Feeding

Feeding the crickets the right diet is important for two reasons. Firstly the crickets need adequate nutrition to survive and breed. Secondly, the nutrition from the crickets will be passed on to your reptiles or amphibians and so it is important to keep them healthy. Crickets require a high-protein diet. Without, and often with, an adequate diet the crickets will prey on each other.

Tropical fish flakes have also been recommended as food. Along with this I add flake potatoes, crushed crackers, orange slices and apple slices and veg. scraps.

Breeding the Crickets

As long as the crickets have food, water and a high temperature they will breed profusely. Their natural nesting material is damp soil. The nesting material can be damp sand, peat moss. If you keep just a clean tank bottom with nothing on it except the small containers which contain nesting material, it will be full after 4-7 days. You should remove the container. Put it into a place for the incubation and hatching of the pinheads.

Incubation of the Eggs

To incubate the eggs, place on the heat pad on top of the breeding container. In about 7-10 days it will be swarming with pinhead crickets and should then be moved to a rearing container. At this time, the nesting container in with the breeding colony can be removed and replaced with a new one.

Rearing the Babies

Once the eggs begin to hatch. You can either move to another tank, or use as food for your pets. You should as always keep some water and food for them to eat on hand in the cage. Don't ever let the eggs or the baby crickets dry out or you will loose them. And keep them warm.

Once the eggs have all hatched, the nesting dish is removed, the nesting material is discarded and the container recycled. Recycling the nesting material can cause problems with mold and small, mite-like insects infesting it. Once the crickets have reached 1/4" , about 50-75 should be returned to the breeding container. This is extremely important. The adults live for only a few weeks and if the breeding colony is not replenished regularly it will die out or contain only small crickets, unable to breed yet.

Catching the crickets to feed to your pets
I have found that the easy way to catch them to move to your pets cage is the just lay a empty paper roll ( from paper towels) in the container and let them craw inside (and they will), then move the container to the pet cage and shake them into the pen. This is the easiest and most safe way to move them, so they don't get injured in the process. Also make sure to dust them a little with a calcium powder just before you feed to your pets. Your pets need the calcium to grow strong bones and stay healthy.

Answer 5

Just leave them alone....they'll do it all by themselves. Do you not notice how many of them are outside?

Answer 6

Breeding Crickets

Breeding and Raising the House Cricket The house cricket (Achetus domesticus) is a staple and nutritious food for many herp species. Obtaining a reliable supply of these insects can be a bother, especially if one requires a constant supply of newly hatched 'pinhead' crickets, to say nothing of the costs of feeding a large collection with pet-shop-bought crickets. The following article outlines a method for cricket raising which has been developed over the past two years in order to provide a collection of frogs (Mantellas, Discophus, and Dendrobates) with a constant supply of small and large crickets.

There are several things to consider before you decide to raise crickets:

1. The crickets will make a lot of noise. You must have an area to keep them where this is not a problem.

2. Escapes will be inevitable! Eventually you might find yourself falling asleep (or not falling asleep) to the trill of a cricket courting in the warmth beneath an appliance in your room. If you live in an apartment your neighbors may find new, unwanted, tenants in the hallways. Commercial insecticide pellets such as those used to kill earwigs can be placed in the room with your cricket colony to prevent escapees from taking over the house.

3. Crickets have a definite odor, but if the colony is well maintained and kept clean, most people do not find it offensive or even noticeable. A major source of odor is the cotton wool in the water dishes which can quickly collect droppings so it must be kept clean. In the method described here, the main colony is kept dry (no damp substrate) which reduces the smell dramatically.

One of the main problems encountered with most descriptions of cricket breeding is that the eggs hatch in the same container as the adult breeding colony, usually in a substrate placed on the bottom of the breeding enclosure. This requires one to sort the crickets before feeding to various sized animals. The breeding substrate also quickly becomes littered with dead crickets and droppings. It is also difficult to keep moist if egg cartons or other hiding material is placed on top of it.

The method described here provides a removable egg-laying container, separating the eggs and adults, thereby raising yields and providing crickets of various sizes. Depending on the number of crickets desired the system can be set up in the corner of a room or the bottom of a closet - space is not a major consideration.

Description of the Basic Setup

The cost to establish a basic system is about $30.00 plus the cost of the initial breeding colony of crickets. To start such a colony at least 200 crickets are required, and the colony should not be used for feeding until well established and your first babies are adult-sized. If you plan to use some of the crickets for feeding, a batch of 1000 can be purchased quite inexpensively from a cricket supplier. Materials Required for Basic Setup 1. 2 Large Plastic storage containers - 'Rubbermaid' or similar 2. 3 Medium sweater boxes 3. 6 - 250 ml plastic tubs 4. Egg 'flats' 5. Heat pad (optional) - medical types available at most drug stores work well 6. Water dispenser - small chick waterer available at feed shops or specialty pet shops 7. Several jar lids 8. Cotton wool or quilt batting 9. Aluminum mosquito screening

The breeding colony is housed in one of the deep (26" x 14" x 16" deep) storage boxes with egg flats inserted vertically throughout except for about 6 inches at one end where the water dispenser is located. Other containers may be adapted for this use. No substrate of any kind is placed in the bottom of this container. Holes (4" x 4") are cut in opposite ends of the breeding container and covered with metal mosquito screening secured with duct tape, to provide ventilation. (Do not use fiberglass screening, the crickets will soon eat through it and escape! Catching 200 crickets loose in your basement is not fun, as I have learned from experience).

The water dispenser is a commercial chick waterer which is essentially a plastic jar inverted over a circular trough which holds the water. Cotton wool or Dacron quilt batting is placed within the water dispensing area to prevent the crickets from drowning. Quilt batting is preferred for its durability. The egg flats should reach to within about 4" of the top of the container. On top of these are placed two 250ml plastic tubs, such as sour cream is purchased in. One contains food and the other contains egg laying medium. (See specific sections for descriptions of each). A heat pad is placed on top of this to provide adequate warmth. Crickets thrive at temperatures higher than the average house temperature. They prefer 80-90 degrees F. If you place them in a warm herp room this should provide them with enough heat. At lower temperatures they will survive and even breed, but yields will be drastically reduced. They also seem to live longer at lower temperatures, something to keep in mind if you find yourself with an excess which you want to keep alive as long as possible. Maintenance of the breeding colony comprises of filling the food, keeping the nesting material damp and filling the water when empty. A 1 litre waterer will last 3-4 weeks. Every 2 months or so the entire colony and fixtures should be moved to the second container. The cricket waste and ex-crickets can then be dumped out of the first container and it can be washed. It is best to do this outside, if possible, as escapes are inevitable. Over time, cricket droppings will accumulate on the egg cartons and the cartons will need replacing. The egg cartons are most easily handled if they are glued together in sets of 4 or 5 for easy removal from the container.

Feeding Feeding the Crickets

Feeding Feeding the crickets the right diet is important for two reasons. Firstly the crickets need adequate nutrition to survive and breed. Secondly, the nutrition from the crickets will be passed on to your reptiles or amphibians and so it is important to keep them healthy. Crickets require a high-protein diet. Without, and often with, an adequate diet the crickets will prey on each other. Commercial cricket foods are available in large and small quantities. The large sacks of cricket chow may not be available everywhere; check with a local feedshop. The smaller jars of cricket food sold at pet shops are very expensive and I have heard mixed results about some brand's quality and acceptability to the crickets. Tropical fish flakes have also been recommended as food but the expense is astronomical if you are raising a large number of crickets. As an alternative, I use the following recipe. It is inexpensive and several dollars worth will last several months or more, depending on the number of crickets you are producing. The same food is used for all sizes of crickets. The food is based on commercial dried cat food. In addition I provide a supplement of 10 parts skim milk powder (by volume) to 1 part of a good quality calcium supplement intended for reptiles and amphibians. The cat food is shaken in this mixture until coated and then given to the crickets. More supplement can be added as the crickets eat it. To provide a balanced diet this is supplemented with alfalfa pellets and, occasionally, vegetable scraps. Top up each as they are eaten. The food can be placed in a small plastic container on top of the egg cartons in the breeding container. Crickets can be removed and 'gut-loaded' with higher quality food several days prior to feeding them to your herps if desired. However, this diet has proved sufficient for a number of amphibians and several breeding groups of Dendrobatid frogs.

Breeding the Crickets

As long as the crickets have food, water and a high temperature they will breed profusely. Their natural nesting material is damp soil and so to duplicate this a 250ml plastic tub full of moist peat moss is placed on top of the egg cartons in the breeding container. When peat moss is purchased, it is often very dry and resists absorption of water. Place the peat moss in a large plastic tub, add some hot water, shake vigorously and wait for a few hours for the peat to become damp. Since the crickets have no other substrate in the cage, the crickets tend to burrow into this and disturb the eggs if it is not protected. A piece of metal mosquito screening, cut to the shape of the container and held in place with a small stone, on top of the peat moss, will keep the crickets out of the nesting material. The female crickets can easily be identified by the long thin ovipositor extending from their backside; the ovipositor can be placed through holes in the screen to allow the females to deposit their eggs in the soil below. The nesting material requires constant attention. It must be checked every 2 days and sprayed if dry. The nesting material can dry rapidly due to the heat pad above it. Once a batch of eggs is completely desiccated it is useless. After 4-7 days the nesting material will be positively packed with oblate white eggs positioned vertically about 1/4"-3/4" below the soil surface. The nesting dish should then be removed and incubated.

Incubation of the Eggs

To incubate the eggs, the nesting container is simply wrapped in a clear plastic bag and placed on the heat pad on top of the breeding container. In about 7-10 days it will be swarming with pinhead crickets and should then be moved to a rearing container. At this time, the nesting container in with the breeding colony can be removed and replaced with a new one.

Rearing the Babies

Once the eggs begin to hatch, the nesting container is moved to a small sweater box (16" x 8" x 4"). The lid of this should have holes drilled into it about 1" apart. There is little chance that the baby crickets will escape en masse through the holes, the boxes are usually too slippery for them to climb and they have little interest in leaving the food and warmth at the bottom of the container. If there is concern about escapees, a strip of wide cello-tape or packing tape can be fastened around the entire inside rim of the container. This is so slippery that the crickets will never climb it. A few small pieces of egg carton, a jar lid full of food and a jar lid with cotton wool and water are also placed in the container. The nesting material must be kept damp and warm while the batch of crickets hatches which can take up to a week. This can create problems, however as the evaporating water condenses on the inside of the container and drowns the baby crickets. To minimize this, the nesting material container should be placed at one end of the box and the food and water at the other end with the egg crates in between. The lid can also be snapped off the box and replaced over it so that there is a 1 inch gap or so at the end with the food and water. The whole box is placed so that the half containing the nesting material is over the heat pad on top of the breeding colony, while the other half hangs over the edge of the breeding box. Thus it is possible to heat the breeding colony, incubate several batches of eggs, and raise a batch of eggs, all on the same heating pad, within a small area. The rearing containers require more attention than the breeding colony, and the water dish must be kept damp with a spraying at least every two days. There is no doubt room for improvement in this stage of the described process. Once the eggs have all hatched, the nesting dish is removed, the nesting material is discarded and the container recycled. Recycling the nesting material can cause problems with small, mite-like insects infesting it. The batch of hatchling crickets can be raised in the sweater box until about 1/2" long. The end result is a batch of several hundred to possibly thousands of small crickets, all of similar size, and all contained within their individual rearing container. Successive batches of crickets, each of a different size are then available to feed to your collection. The number of batches will depend on the desired output and size. Additional heating pads can be used to warm stacks of growing crickets. Once the crickets have reached 1/4" , about 50-75 should be returned to the breeding container. This is extremely important. The adults live for only a few weeks and if the breeding colony is not replenished regularly it will die out or contain only small crickets, unable to breed yet.

Feeding the Crickets to Your Animals

The rearing containers will contain small pieces of egg crate, and the breeding container should also, if you plan to feed adult crickets to your herps. A 4 liter square water jug works well as a cricket collector. Remove the bottom from this, and keep the screw lid on to create a large funnel. (Cover any handle holes within the jug with duct tape to prevent the crickets from hiding in them ). Remove one of the small pieces of egg crate from the cricket containers and shake it within this funnel. Hold the whole apparatus over the colony as you do this to prevent escapes. Add calcium supplements and vitamins as required over the crickets, shake gently, and tip the funnel into the herp cage.

Comments

Although these instructions for breeding crickets may sound daunting and extensive, an established colony as described can be maintained with only a few minutes of attention daily. It must be stressed that constant care and attention is required. If you have only a few animals it may be better to purchase half-sized crickets in bulk and keep and feed them as outlined here. (Purchasing large numbers of mature crickets is not recommended unless you can use them in 3-4 weeks - their average lifespan). The set up as described has been found to be more than adequate to supply several hundred small (pinhead to 1/8") crickets and a few dozen adult crickets weekly. Larger outputs are possible and several breeding colonies can be set up if you have the space and the need.

Ian Hallett [e-mail] Permission is granted to use this information by not-for-profit organizations.

Copyright retained by Ian Hallett. 1995. Reprinted with permission.