Can crickets (the insect) be kept as pet ? All informations are welcome. Does it stays in a glass jar ?

Question

What does it feeds on, and does it chirps too loud ?

Answer 1

Getting Started
First you will need a container to keep them in...I recommend a large plastic container, usually 68 litre size is good enough.....you can get them at any department store. To make the cover just cut out the top of the container and glue in a screen with a glue gun. Next you will need something for them to hide in...egg crates are perfect for this..it increases the surface area giving them more room to run as well as places to hide in. You will also need a water source. I use an empty lid of a container of some kind, like a peanut butter lid...and cut out a sponge to fit inside the lid. The sponge soaks up the water and then the crickets can drink without fears of them drowning. You may also want a catch can of some kind, so that you don't have to handle them much if this bothers you.

Maintenance
Crickets like to be kept warm. The optimum temperature for crickets is about 80 degrees. They will live at room temperature but they grow and breed much better if they are kept warm. I use a regular light bulb for heat and light. Just hang a 100 watt bulb over their container for sufficient heat.

Feeding Crickets
Crickets eat a variety of grains and cereals. You may purchase commercially prepared feed or you may choose to feed them yourself from items around your home. You can feed crickets corn meal, barley, wheat, and a variety of vegetables. You can feed them dog food as well but it isn't recommended because of the lack of nutritional value for your reptile for which the cricket is intended. You may want to supplement their diet with vitamins so that your reptile is proper nourished.

Cleaning
Once a week or so you have to clean out the container that the crickets are in. All you need to do is wipe out the bottom of the container and replace the old egg crates. You may also want to rinse out the sponge with water to keep it clean as well. Every day you might want to check the sponge to make sure that it is moist and remove any damp food.


Breeding
Breeding crickets is fairly simple. Place both males and females in a container with some moist soil. 3 pairs of mature crickets will be sufficient to breed hundreds of crickets. (See picture below for identification of both male and female crickets) Make sure you keep the soil moist. The females deposit their eggs with their ovipositor into the soil. the eggs should hatch in about 2-4 wks. Care of the young is the same as the adults.


Interesting Cricket Facts!

Cricket Thermometer -- Surprising enough crickets are fairly accurate in determining the temperature. Apparently the warmer the temperature, the faster a cricket will chirp. In cooler weather, his chirps slow down. Get a watch with a second hand on it. Count the number of chirps the cricket makes for fifteen seconds. Add 40, and you will have the temperature in Fahrenheit!

If you go to the site below you can see what a male and female cricket look like. Good luck!

Answer 2

CRICKETS are popular pets and are considered good luck in Asia, especially China where they are kept in cages (Carrera 1991). It is also common to have them as caged pets in some European countries, particularly in the Iberian Peninsula. Cricket fighting as a gambling or sports betting pastime also occurs, particularly in Macao. In Barbados, a loud cricket means money is coming in; hence, a cricket must not be killed or evicted if it chirps inside a house. However, another type of cricket that is less noisy forebodes illness or death. (Forde 1988) In Zambia, the Gryllotalpa africanus cricket is held to bring good fortune to anyone who sees it (Mbata 1999).

The folklore and mythology surrounding crickets is extensive.

Crickets are known for their chirp (which only male crickets can do; male wings have ridges or "teeth" that act like a "comb and file" instrument). The left forewing has a thick rib (a modified vein) which bears 50 to 300 minute "teeth". The chirp is generated by raising their left forewing to a 45 degree angle and rubbing it against the upper hind edge of the right forewing, which has a thick scraper (Berenbaum 1995). This sound producing action is called "stridulation" and the song is species-specific. There are two types of cricket songs: a calling song and a courting song. The calling song attracts females and repels other males, and is fairly loud. The courting song is used when a female cricket is near, and is a very quiet song. Female crickets have a long needlelike egg-laying organ (ovipositor). They feed on an oily secretion produced by the ants and other insects.
The crickets can be kept in glass jars also but cages are preferred.

Answer 3

They will die in about 3-8 weeks. But they are okay pets. It is okay to leave it in a glass jar, but keep a cap on it. Perforate the cap. Put a green leaf in the jar.

Answer 4

Our crickets did very well in an aquarium with a screen lid and light. We had mulch in the aquarium that you get at pet stores for reptiles, it holds heat and moisture a lot. They ate pieces of potatoes, and we did have a reptile pond in the tank, but if they fall in and you don't get them out they die, you could just keep very little water in it so they can jump out. They were our lizard and frog's food, but they actually bred and the babies were adorable.

Answer 5

Hello..crickets need a wooden box, with a screened lid and a light bulb hangin over the top for warmth..paper egg cartons or shredded newspaper for bedding & fruits like oranges, or wet bread..NO water dishes, they just fall in & drown..they don't live long tho, so you'd need a few & they do get VERY stinky if you don't keep things cleaned..Take Care :)

Answer 6

Hello there, the Chinese usually have crickets in a special cage and are kept as pets, they are thought to be lucky as well. The last ruler (it was said) had a pet cricket near his throne.......unlike us these days our throne would be the loo.

Have fun

Answer 7

Sure you can!!! Just think if you were a cricket, would you want to be stuck in a jar?? go to a pet store!

Answer 8

most people buy crickets to feed to their other animals. i bet they would chirp loud & be annoying. and what happens if it gets out of the jar? cricket in the carpet.

Answer 9

When they open their gills and fins like that, its called flaring. Bettas do that a lot when they see other male bettas or even just their reflections in the tank. They do it as a threat of a fight.

Answer 10

Go to: http://www.amonline.net.au/insects/insects/pets.htm
Or Go to: http://web2.airmail.net/kboyle/Cencrick.htm