Breeding crickets

[Sannah]

I have researched how to breed crickets but im still not 100% sure. I know you need soil for them to lay eggs but what kind of soil can i use? Would normal gardening soil be ok? I know the eggs need to be kept warm but how long do they take to hatch? Also once they have hatched do you keep them seperate from the adults or can you put them in with them right away?

 

[antinous]

IMO, scratch the crickets and get Duboa roaches. Much easier to care for/breed, cleaner, quieter and they don’t easily die. Here’s a link that will be of some use if you do choose to: http://arachnoboards.com/threads/breeding-roaches.285382/#post-2502457

 

[Gaherp]

I have bred crickets in the past very easily, but as mentioned above roaches are the better option. Now to answer your questions on care. Topsoil from the store is fine just make sure no fertilizers were used. They hatch in 10 or so days at 89 degrees and do not leave the babies with adults.

You can slow down development by reducing temps a little. I keep the pinheads up to two week olds in a warm place or the incubator for faster growth. I they get fed shredded veggies like sweet potato, oranges, and apples. The harder veggies and fruits are run through a cheese grater to make eating easier. I also feed them moistened fish pellets and frog/tadpole bites. I use small amounts of any food items since they tend to go bad and mold up quickly.

Females will lay everyday and small batches so I use portion cups with a stretched out piece of hose or cheese cloth for the lid. They can pierce the soil to lay/deposit eggs without digging up the soil. Since it is something smaller it makes it convenient to move from adult tub to another container, and with a dozen or so you can keep them changed.

 

[Sannah]

I know this is not related to the topic but are these springtails? They keep getting in my tarantulas water bowl.

 

[AZCeptipede]

I know this is not related to the topic but are these springtails? They keep getting in my tarantulas water bowl.

Yes, they do that in my geckos bowl too. They generally float on water but if they can't get out they can drown .

 

[Aquarimax]

I have researched how to breed crickets but im still not 100% sure. I know you need soil for them to lay eggs but what kind of soil can i use? Would normal gardening soil be ok? I know the eggs need to be kept warm but how long do they take to hatch? Also once they have hatched do you keep them seperate from the adults or can you put them in with them right away?

I use coco fiber as a laying/hatching medium, but garden soil, as low mg as it is free of pesticides and pests, can work as well.
I use a method that allows you t keep the newly hatched crickets within a small nursery container within the adults’ enclosure, which helps save space and ELI inmates the need to heat two separate containers. Here is my video detailing the method:

 

[WildSpider]

I haven't kept them personally but when I was researching before these are a couple sources I saved that I thought might be helpful:

http://cricket-breeding.com/how-to-keep-crickets-alive-longer/

 

[Morgan Rodgers]

Thanks for the video reference.