Breeding crickets for your centipedes

[J Morningstar]

Does anyone breed crickets to feed their bugs? If so does anyone have any tips for me? I have only gotten them to breed by accident where I don't want them!
(in my best Cartman voice," God I hate those guys!")

 

[Wolvie56X]

my best advice is to order some lobster roaches from this lady in NY, i got 450 for $20 and its a starter colony, she has a post http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=28524

pretty good prices, really nice lady and will work with you for what you need, they get a little bigger than crickets, no smell, dont jump and dont make any noise... and breed like crazy

 

[mantis332003]

it's waste of time to culture cricket unless you have alot insect to feed.

 

[J Morningstar]

Well I need over 40 crickets a week does that count? :?
Prices here aren't that cheap. I know it's only another 20 or so dollars a month but I can eat for 3 days with that money.

 

[Wolvie56X]

$20 and you will have a self sustaining colony that will never run out, unless you really really take alot out at one time, i personally hate crickets, with a passion, but these roaches kick ass and ive never bene happier, no more money for food each week, havnt been happier

i use about 90 or so a week, out of the 450 or so, that number, as long as i dont take the babies, will be rebounded into the colony 4 or so times over once the nymphs reach maturity, a couple weeks, then tis another baby boom

http://reptiles.thepsionguild.net/lobsterroach.html basic info

good luck, just crickets really suck to raise, takes some special attention to get the eggs to hatch and so forth, where te roaches do it all in a big enough tupperware bin

 

[8 leg wonder]

I strongly agree with Wolvie

 

[danread]

I definitely agree on the roach thing, crickets are a nightmare to keep alive and breed. I've got a colony of lobster roaches that is breeding like crazy. I haven't started harvesting them yet as i'm waitng for the colony to reach a certian size, but once they reach a critical mass of roaches, you'll have more than you know what to do with. One negative aspect of these roaches is that they can climb glass, which makes escapes much more likely. Another roach that is better to deal with is B. dubia, a similar sized roach that doesn't climb glass. The only downside with most non-climbing roaches is that they are usually a bit slower to breed, but once the colony reaches a critical mass, they will be easily self sustaining. Another roach i'm about to start a new colony of is Parcoblatta zebra, a non climbing roach that is another fast breeder.
Roaches don't smell as much as crickets, breed faster, hardier and i believe are better for your inverts. I read a nutrition anaylsis somewhere on the web that showed they are lower in fat and higher in protien than crickets.

Cheers,

 

[sschind]

If you want to breed crickets I suggest trying the banded crickets rather than the house crickets. They are much more hardy. The problem I've found with breeding crickets is not getting babies it is getting the babies to grow to a size where you can feed them off. If you need pinheads it is easy to get 1000s of them. I have several thousand now unfortunately nothing small enough to eat them. Hopefully I can get enough to grow to a size where I can use them.

 

[Lithobius]

Crickets are awful, roaches are way easier in every way. I've had a hard time keeping crickets alive generally, but roaches seem happy with minimal fuss and care and never make any noise haha.

 

[NYAN]

dang this thread was made in 2004..

 

[Bob Lee]

I know that I'm 14 years late.... But don't buy crickets , they are awful, just start a colony fo dubias or red runners. Or maybe even mealworms, madagascar hissing roach are also great ... (Jk)

 

[Galapoheros]

Zombie threads work sometimes, I use hissers often as feeders, young ones of course, they work great over here. I've been raising a cricket species over here for several years but yeah, roaches are easier, quieter and last longer.

 

[Scoly]

I have to respectfully disagree with all the cricket bashing. Yes they are a pain because they hop and they stink, but almost all animals benefit from a varied diet. You also never know when your roach colony will all of a sudden hit a problem and you have to stop using them (I only have dubias and they are fussy AF and frequently get grain mite infestations).

The trick with crickets is to keep them warm, and bone dry, but with something to drink (spraying the vege with water when its vege day works).

Banded crickets are utterly voracious in the amount of greens they eat, so are great for gut loading.

Pro tip (probably applies to all feeders): split your young into separate groups, and raise them at different temperatures so the hit usable size in waves instead of all at the same time

 

[Bob Lee]

but almost all animals benefit from a varied diet

I personally would go with something like mealworm for variation because I'm very very lazy and cleaning a tub every in a while is just too much for me XD... Crickets are pretty good for variation but I really wouldn't breed them just for this purpose.

 

[REEFSPIDER]

Crickets suck.
fight me.

 

[TreebeardGoddess]

I don't have a problem with crickets. Mine don't smell too bad and that's only when i take off the lid. My big issue with them is that they die off so quickly. Everyone seems to recommend roaches, but my boyfriend will not let me keep any in the house! So it's crickets for now (luckily I have a pet store that sells them right down the street from my work).
Anyone out there successful at breeding crickets? I like @Scoly's post, although I'm not sure if we have any banded crickets here...

 

[Scoly]

I don't have a problem with crickets. Mine don't smell too bad and that's only when i take off the lid. My big issue with them is that they die off so quickly. Everyone seems to recommend roaches, but my boyfriend will not let me keep any in the house! So it's crickets for now (luckily I have a pet store that sells them right down the street from my work).
Anyone out there successful at breeding crickets? I like @Scoly's post, although I'm not sure if we have any banded crickets here...

I don't know US market but off the top of my head Joshsfrogs sells them.