how can I take care of pet Crickets?

Question

I recently bought crickets in the store that I want to take care of as pets.How What do they eat? where do they live in? what toys do they like ?

Answer 1

I've raised crickets for food for my reptiles, and found the info on this website to be very useful in how to keep and breed them: http://skylab.org/~chugga/cricket/ It also has a "drown-proof" watering method you can use.

Crickets don't really need a lot - a 10 gallon tank with a lid, and something (preferably natural) they can climb on. I say natural, because crickets are born chewers, so anything plastic, foam, or fabric they may try to eat. They also like to hide from light, so some thin rocks propped up on one edge, paper towel and toilet paper tubes, a half coconut, overturned clay flowerpot, or half-log hide for reptiles should be added as a place where they can hide.

Cricket cages will need to be cleaned weekly (otherwise they start to smell), so I always just used newspaper or a paper towel on the bottom (I was trying to breed them, and this also encouraged them to use the breeding box to lay their eggs). You could cover the bottom with a layer of soil, peat moss, or shredded coconut (sold as Bed-A-Beast or Eco-Earth).

As far as feeding, I found they like the dry cat food and breakfast cereal (prefereably without marshmallows or stuff like that) mentioned in the link. They'll also eat vegetable and fruit slices (potato, carrot, apple, etc.) and leafy greens. They won't eat a lot each day, so don't put in too much - otherwise you'll attract other bugs you may not want.

Answer 2

Crickets as pets? That's the first I've ever heard of that. The crickets I use as food for the frog (sorry!) eat gutloading food which basically looks like crushed up cereal and a few pieces of oats. They drink from water pillows. However, I have had absolutely NO LUCK keeping them alive for more than a week. I've read they have a really short lifespan, anyway. Good luck with keeping them alive. Hope you have better luck than I do!

Answer 3

Take an egg carten and cut it.The cricket have to be fed or they will eat eachother (they are cannibals).They eat just about anything.I usaully put oatmeal at the bottom of their container.Im not sure why people do that .You can go to a pet store they sell cricket food.They also sell cricket water.Cricket water is like jello.

Answer 4

When I had crickets I would put a slice of apple in the cage so they have something to eat and can drink the liquid off the apple. Not sure how long you can keep crickets alive though.

Answer 5

Crickets need water but will drown if it's too deep. I saw on a web site that you can use a yogurt container, cut a hole in the side and put a piece of fabric as a wick. Here, it may be easier to just give you a link -
http://www.nyworms.com/ccare.htm

I also will cut up a raw potato and they will eat it. Also throw in an apple core, they will eat that too.

Answer 6

they eat grass thats it. oh and water