# Super Crickets?



## Tremors (Apr 12, 2011)

There is a local cricket ranch in my area that has changed the type of crickets that they are breeding.  They call them Super Crickets.  Supposedly these crickets have more protein and grow faster.

I called the ranch and tried to get more information from them but they wouldn't get specific...

Has anyone heard anything about these "Super Crickets"?  I did a search but couldn't find anything on them.  Are they a new species or a morph?  They have a lot of black on them compared to the normal light brown cricket.


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## ZephAmp (Apr 12, 2011)

My guess is they're a different species of cricket. 
Most likely, in response to the recent cricket disease and roach boom, cricket breeders are trying to bolster their business with a new, possibly hardier species. Only time will tell what will happen from here.


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## Pssh (Apr 13, 2011)

They are probably black crickets. They are larger, meatier, darker, and more vicious! They WILL bite when they have the opportunity (and it hurts,) and they will randomly cannibalize. The only pro, IMO, is that they jump less and somewhat chirp less.


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## Bugs In Cyberspace (Apr 15, 2011)

Do they look like this:

[YOUTUBE]VRy_0p2LFVA[/YOUTUBE]


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## JC (Apr 15, 2011)

Bugs In Cyberspace said:


> Do they look like this:


What's that other bug species in with the crickets?


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## Bugs In Cyberspace (Apr 15, 2011)

That's a cricket holding tank, doubling as an orange isopod breeding tank, converted from a B. discoidalis holding tank, inhabited by fungus gnats. I'm probably missing a few, but hope that helps!


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## fartkowski (Apr 17, 2011)

The pet store I go to changed the type of crickets they use as well.
They told me they are a type from Jamaca if I remember correctly.
I noticed that they grow a bit bigger and are alot darker than the ones I used to buy.


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## Tleilaxu (Apr 17, 2011)

OK who in their right mind would import a cricket species from Jamaica? The last thing we need now is another invasive species on the loose due to the pet industry this time.


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## BobGrill (Apr 18, 2011)

I wonder if they could pose any harm to a T or Scorp?


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## jgod790 (Apr 18, 2011)

I don't know about buying crickets from a place that wont give you specific info on them. If they refuse to tell you what there feeding them, and refuse to show you there enclosure, I would stay away from them. But I would not worry about them being a harm to the pets, as long as the crickets are not bigger then the abdomen. Just NEVER put more then one in at a time.


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## spinningspider (Apr 18, 2011)

Guys,
I work at a reptile shop that sell these "super crickets". From what I understand these are a jamaican cricket and brown house cricket hybrid. They live a bit longer but mature sooner. I have fed them to many Ts and other inverts with no problems. This hybrid has been created because the jamaican crickets are supposedly less at risk of getting th cricket virus that all but wiped out brown crickets about a year ago.


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## ZephAmp (Apr 18, 2011)

Somehow I doubt these are hybrids. The Jamaican field cricket (I presume to be the species that gives these hybrids their name) is in the genus Gryllus. The house cricket is in the genus Acheta. True cross-genera hybrids are rare in the insect world and are usually sterile. I suspect this strain is either a hybrid with the black African field cricket (which, in this case, they would most likely have been initially illegally imported) or some as-of-yet unidentified native species.


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## H. laoticus (Apr 19, 2011)

oh wow, I thought I was going crazy after buying some crickets at my local pet store and seeing that they didn't look quite right lol
They are larger, darker, and they mature faster as well from my observations. One thing's for sure, they're definitely uglier. Looks to me like everyone is switching to these guys.


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## JC (Apr 19, 2011)

H. laoticus said:


> They are larger, darker, and they mature faster as well from my observations. One thing's for sure, they're definitely *uglier*.


Hmm... I dont know about that. I think they look pretty cool!


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## spinningspider (Apr 21, 2011)

ZephAmp said:


> Somehow I doubt these are hybrids. The Jamaican field cricket (I presume to be the species that gives these hybrids their name) is in the genus Gryllus. The house cricket is in the genus Acheta. True cross-genera hybrids are rare in the insect world and are usually sterile. I suspect this strain is either a hybrid with the black African field cricket (which, in this case, they would most likely have been initially illegally imported) or some as-of-yet unidentified native species.


The person who told me about the hybridization owned a bug growing business. but she may be wrong.


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## Pssh (Apr 22, 2011)

I have been told by a lot of breeders that they are black crickets. I never got a scientific name, but the native black crickets around my neck of the woods have a similar body shape but are much more black.


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## Nhanduchromatus (May 13, 2011)

Fartkowski,

What pet store in Mississauga sells Jamaican crickets?......If they are larger then I need some to feed my army of Lasiodora. I go to PJ's Pets @ Bramalea City Center Brampton where they have some large crickets but not darker like "super crickets". Are you getting these from Port Credit Pet Centre?


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## KelliH (Jun 17, 2011)

*Important info on these crickets*

There is some new information coming out about these crickets. You can read the thread at the link below even if you are not a member of GF. 

http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=76633


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## Introvertebrate (Jun 18, 2011)

Gryllus assimilis.  Some also refer to it as the "Silent Brown Cricket".  That thread says that the cricket virus has essentially made Acheta domesticus extinct.


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## Wadew (Jun 18, 2011)

I think this cricket is the same cricket that has been sold in Europe now for a few years. Seeing the cripavirus has been in EU for a bit longer then it has in USA.

                             Wade


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## Pssh (Jun 18, 2011)

I hate those things! I've watched them take down brothers when there was plenty of food (a variety too!) and water available. Take a set of needle nose pliers and crush their jaws.


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## Fuzzy (Jun 19, 2011)

Introvertebrate said:


> Gryllus assimilis.  Some also refer to it as the "Silent Brown Cricket".  That thread says that the cricket virus has essentially made Acheta domesticus extinct.


Extinct? Every pet store that I go to now still breeds them in large numbers. I'm thinking of starting my own farm in case they switch over though. I'm a bit worried about these super crickets (mainly, their powerful jaws) but I suppose that I can crush them with pliers or something if I end up having to use them as food, not taking the risk for any of my tarantulas.

---------- Post added at 03:36 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:00 AM ----------

By the way, does Cricket Paralysis virus affect tarantulas? I've been doing some research on google and have gotten mixed results.


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## Introvertebrate (Jun 19, 2011)

From what I've read, the virus only effects Acheta domesticus.  Ts are immune.

I guess if you've got your own Acheta domesticus colony, there's little risk of it getting infected by an outside source.  No one seems to know for sure what causes the virus.


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## wesker12 (Jul 16, 2011)

I believe your talking about Gryllus assimilis? The Jamiacan field cricket - I hate them! They terrorized my friends geckos and bit it several times. They not only have stronger, sharper mandibles but they are alot stronger than the normal feeder crickets and can mess up alot of pets. If you have to use them I suggest stunning them or my personal favorite - off with thier heads!


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## Introvertebrate (Jul 18, 2011)

BobGrill said:


> I wonder if they could pose any harm to a T or Scorp?


That would interest me too.  We know they terrorize geckos.


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## Bugs In Cyberspace (Jul 19, 2011)

That link to the gecko site was very informative, thanks!

Concerns over the powerful jaws of these Jamaican crickets are probably in reference to adult crickets only, or maybe late instars. Most pet stores sell two sizes of crickets. I assume 2 or 3 small crickets will safely substitute for one large. We never fed adult crickets to our few geckos anyway, so this won't affect us.

It seems a lot of people around the web are confusing their local black "field crickets" with these new ones in the pet stores. There are numerous species of native crickets in the US that are black in the earlier instars. Jamaicans are established in Southern Florida, according to the various literature referenced over at that site. Apparently, at least one business has already been given permission to ship these new ones around the country.

If I read any of the literature incorrectly, please correct me.

Adult crickets have always been capable of damaging molting tarantulas or mantises, etc. I wonder how much of the hype about the power of these new ones is a function of their novelty combined with a few high profile and synchronous cases of predation.


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## Nanotrev (Jul 28, 2011)

No way am I using these crickets. Acheta domesticus is what I'll continue to use until they really are in low numbers. It's either that or I'll find some of the soft crickets around my place and figure out how to breed them. Would anyone know a good way to get the parasites out of crickets? I imagine you'd get the parents and have them breed and then discard them. Would the resulting offspring be parasite free?


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## hedwigdan (Jul 28, 2011)

I see allot of people on this thread saying that they wont switch over to super crickets until acheta domesticus is in very low numbers.
Why not just switch to roaches? Roaches cant harm a molting T so I don't see the point in switching over to super crickets.....
And also I haven't seen any of these super crickets here in Ireland pet shops are still selling acheta domesticus.....


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## Nanotrev (Jul 28, 2011)

Nobody in my household will welcome roaches, so if I can't get any different feeders or keep mine from being contaminated by the virus I'm out of luck unless I want to feed pinky mice to my scorpions once every week.


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## Bugs In Cyberspace (Jul 28, 2011)

Nanotrev,

By parasites, are you referring to the cricket virus? Parasites and viruses are two totally different things. I don't recall any discussion of parasites in this lengthy multi-forum, multi-hobby discussion and I'm concerned your introduction of that concept in conjunction with the "hype" already growing against this cricket species will perpetuate a largely unfounded paranoia against them.

I've been using, and am now breeding for personal feeder use, these new crickets for months. I find them more attractive and hardier. Even though they "apparently" have a more powerful bite, that is a reference to adults and you don't have to feed adult crickets to your smaller animals. Adult crickets of the original species were always a danger to our smaller pet bugs, or especially molting ones.

I don't personally see much of a difference between the two cricket species. I can understand how some gecko keepers have had bad experiences, but I have to assume they would still be able to use this new cricket species if they were careful about not using ones that were too large. This whole situation represents change and is a result of a cricket virus, but this too will pass. Personally, I'd like to have the option of two cricket species as feeders in this hobby.


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## Vulgaris (Jul 28, 2011)

Wow I would love to get my hands on a couple of these "super crickets". I haven't seen any at the shops around my area


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## Nanotrev (Jul 29, 2011)

Bugs In Cyberspace said:


> Nanotrev,
> 
> By parasites, are you referring to the cricket virus? Parasites and viruses are two totally different things. I don't recall any discussion of parasites in this lengthy multi-forum, multi-hobby discussion and I'm concerned your introduction of that concept in conjunction with the "hype" already growing against this cricket species will perpetuate a largely unfounded paranoia against them.
> 
> ...


Oh! No no no...

What I mean is how I can make sure the crickets I collect from the wild are free of unwanted hitchhikers. I don't mean viruses. I know there are some critters that sometimes live in their guts and I'd rather not take wild caught feeders and introduce those same problems that they have to my scorpions. I'm not at all concerned about wild crickets carrying viruses. It's only parasites I want to make sure don't transfer with the young during reproduction. I suppose I'd better word my question in a different way.

Regarding parasites, would the young of wild-caught crickets be safe to use as feeders should I wish to establish a colony of them? Camel crickets are very appealing to me right now. When I encountered them (years back) I remember them being quite sluggish in the daytime hours and it would be very easy for a large scorpion to catch them. If I knew how to breed them, along with if it would be okay to feed the young to my scorpions, I'd 'hop' right on it. I just want to make sure I'm not introducing anything to my terrariums or to their inhabitants.

Now, on using multiple species, I'm all for it too! I'm just a very cautious kind of person and I like to know all of the risks before I do something. I do tend to be overly paranoid sometimes but I like to be sure most of the time.

Edit-
Also, on multiple species for feeders...

I may not trust the new crickets myself but I wouldn't mind seeing them be implemented. I think my fear of them harming my scorpions made it pretty foggy when speaking about my opinion of them. I distrust them for now (if I kept them alone - it would be worth it because they look so neat) although I'd like to see more variety of feeders entering the hobby. On a chameleon forum they have a rather large list of all these feeders people use for their chams and I really wish we could see commercially raised grasshoppers too, or perhaps other kinds of bugs. Scorpions and the rest of the invertebrates we keep certainly have a much more varied diet than we give them in our care.


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## Bugs In Cyberspace (Jul 29, 2011)

I read your previous post too quickly perhaps. Thanks for the thorough explanation. My wife was rushing me out of the room to start our next Netflix episode of Battlestar Galactica  so I may have read too hastily. [You can't keep a lady waiting when she's subjected herself to both science fiction TV and a house full of bugs!!!]

Back to hype, then. I have been feeding wild caught insects to my pet bugs for many years and have experienced no verifiable or even suspected death on account of wild feeder insects. I believe this common hobby fear is also a myth perpetuated mainly by two groups of hobbyists with philosophical imbalances. One group are well-meaning preservationists/conservationists that believe one less housefly in nature on account of a pet bug's mouth constitutes a quantifiable degradation to nature's perfection. The other group consists of people who have less than five pet bugs, each of which has a name and will, upon death, receive a proper funeral complete with planted flowers watered copiously with human tears.

I don't consider myself insensitive to either of these groups, but I feel their perspectives can skew their conceptions of reality.

In fact, my experience suggests that pet store crickets are much more likely to cause our pets to be sick than wild caught feeders. Mantis hobbyists are particularly familiar with this observation.

My scorpions are eating the new crickets (appropriately selected for size, of course), and so are my tarantulas and my mantises and my centipedes and my assassin bugs, and every other predatory bug I have. I've not actually seen domestic/house crickets for about six months since my local pet store (and source for cricket breeding stock) switched over. Perhaps the gecko folks just need to build a better gecko or switch to non-burrowing roaches (there are many).

And I love your point about how captive scorpions live in a totally different universe than wild scorpions.


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## Nanotrev (Jul 29, 2011)

Thank you! I really picked up on the idea of variety when I started keeping chameleons, having seen all of what people were feeding them. After that I then poked around with other creatures and what they might also eat besides a staple of crickets. I've always bought the largest variety of feeders for my animals and things just seem to turn out better that way. They all eat well and seem to be doing better than when I merely fed my reptiles and arthropods crickets alone. I don't think all nutritional components can be met by one gut-loaded species of insect. Perhaps they can, but the wild-caught additions to our hobby seem to be larger most of the time and I'm sure their diet probably had something to do with it. (I could go on and on about environment)

However, I am new to forums and communicating with people who enjoy the same hobby I do. It's been great to get personal feedback and not having to rely on text and such from books that are outdated. I modify my habits of care for my animals based on what's best for them. Having feedback such as yours is nice, and I agree on the points you've made.

As for the new crickets, would you agree that they're meatier than the Achea domesticus we've been used to? I've heard that they are through other sources. Speaking about their mandibles, isn't it generally suggested that you don't leave feeders with your animals unattended anyways? If you do toss a few crickets in and leave, it's obviously best to know how much your animals can eat in a sitting so that there won't be survivors chowing down on them. I leave food in the cages as it is anyways. It keeps the crickets gut-loaded and stops them from considering the other residents as lunch when it should be the opposite.

Thinking back to your video of the super crickets... do you breed them like that as well? I've considered the idea of keeping crickets in an environment with isopods to clean up after them and just let the crickets breed as they normally would and it seems you might have already done that. The concept of having a cricket enclosure that is self-sustaining in terms of having a clean-up crew to do the cleaning for me seems appealing, though I imagine you'd still have to clean it out every once in a while. Maybe not?


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## stewstew8282 (Jul 29, 2011)

Bugs In Cyberspace said:


> Back to hype, then. I have been feeding wild caught insects to my pet bugs for many years and have experienced no verifiable or even suspected death on account of wild feeder insects. I believe this common hobby fear is also a myth perpetuated mainly by two groups of hobbyists with philosophical imbalances. One group are well-meaning preservationists/conservationists that believe one less housefly in nature on account of a pet bug's mouth constitutes a quantifiable degradation to nature's perfection. The other group consists of people who have less than five pet bugs, each of which has a name and will, upon death, receive a proper funeral complete with planted flowers watered copiously with human tears.
> 
> I don't consider myself insensitive to either of these groups, but I feel their perspectives can skew their conceptions of reality.




I guess in all your big-worded wisdom you failed to take into account the reason some people might fear wild caught food for their pets is possible contamination by sprayed pesticides. I guess up in Or eee Gon if you're somewhat schooled and can properly use big words it gives you the right to become a snob who mocks other peoples' views, such as looking down on those who don't have a whole room full of inverts. Well my opinion of you is pretty low. But knowing the rules of this forum, I'll keep my gutter mouth out of this conversation. Instead I'll use the AB provided smileys to relay my message... ;P;P;P;P;P;P;P;P;P;P;P;P;P;P;P;P


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## Nanotrev (Jul 29, 2011)

I understand where you're coming from, but I don't think BugsInCyberspace really meant what he said to be seen as a mockery to anyone. I would be led to believe he provided both ends of the spectrum in a manner which points out the extremes. It's ultimately up to any one person to decide what they think are the correct practices of their hobby while it is possible you can go overboard on any one view. The piece of conversation being tossed back and forth was more about disease and the transfer of parasites between invertebrates than it was pesticides.

It doesn't go to say however, that I don't become nervous when thinking about feeding wild-caught insects to those I consider valuable in my collection. It happens to be the main reason I've never caught insects from outdoors and fed them to the scorpions I enjoy so much. I don't look down on those who do. I don't think BugsInCyberspace looks down on anyone either and he made that clear by stating he was not insensitive to people who do mourn the loss of their bugs nor those who have a strong view on how we should treat the environment. He may have access to more pristine land, and most of all it's what he chooses to do. I live in an area where my neighbors are quite heavy handed with their pesticides. Anyways...

 I personally didn't feel offended by what he said at all. He even complimented me because I'd pointed out the different lifestyles between captive invertebrates and those that are outside meandering around.

Getting the thread back on topic, has anyone else had experiences with the new crickets? The idea has began to sink in with me that with the addition to this new feeder, perhaps more will begin to make their way onto the market. It makes me curious to think about what else we could feed to our invertebrates that is easily bred and cared for.


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## AaronP (Aug 6, 2011)

*Circkets?*

People still use crickets? though most were using roaches by now.....


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## zonbonzovi (Aug 6, 2011)

stewstew8282 said:


> I guess in all your big-worded wisdom you failed to take into account the reason some people might fear wild caught food for their pets is possible contamination by sprayed pesticides. I guess up in Or eee Gon if you're somewhat schooled and can properly use big words it gives you the right to become a snob who mocks other peoples' views, such as looking down on those who don't have a whole room full of inverts. Well my opinion of you is pretty low. But knowing the rules of this forum, I'll keep my gutter mouth out of this conversation. Instead I'll use the AB provided smileys to relay my message... ;P;P;P;P;P;P;P;P;P;P;P;P;P;P;P;P


In case of big words, click link: http://www.merriam-webster.com

Literacy without comprehension and context is akin to feeding a gastric bypass patient a 72 oz. porterhouse steak.


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## Bugs In Cyberspace (Aug 6, 2011)

Thanks for being receptive to my opinions and generalized constructive criticisms, Nanotrev. As we all know, one can't have an opinion without pissing somebody off. It's fine.

It would also be insensitive for me to laugh at others' fears. Fears are often more real than reality, and so are the emotional connections some people have with their pet bugs, but it would be neglectful of me to miss the opportunity to share my "experiences" on the topic of parasites. I didn't mention pesticides previously, maybe, because it was not the topic of conversation. 

As for pesticides, here we go again. I've had a lot of pet bugs and have fed a lot of wild caught bugs to them. Through this, none have died from suspected pesticides. Further, in years of cruising these forums, I recall no confirmed or documented evidence of somebody's pet bug dying on account of feeding them pesticide-tainted, wild caught feeders. I'm not saying it can't happen. I'm just saying that raising fear levels over something with evidence to the contrary should at least be examined/discussed, and prevented. In fact, I "believe" that feeding wild caught bugs to our pets is healthy for them in a context limited not just to trace elements. Further, I agree that exclusive feeding of pet store crickets that survive in part on each others' feces (lest I offend a coprophagist), is not best practice. I have no documented evidence on the latter and pet bugs are clearly very tolerant.

On a related point, what are the chances of a wild caught feeder bug being exposed to a harmful degree of pesticide and not dying before it ends up in my pet bug's mouth? (Yes, I'm aware of the increase in levels as pesticides make their way up the foodchain, but still.)

More to topic, my local pet store has switched back to ordinary house crickets again. Is it just me or do they look a 1/3 smaller than before? I often have multiple bins of multiple feeder species being housed together. If enough food is provided, all will grow and reproduce together. They should, in theory, grow more quickly in separate cages, but we constantly weigh convenience against other factors.


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## BobGrill (Aug 6, 2011)

AaronP said:


> People still use crickets? though most were using roaches by now.....


You do realize that it's illegal for people in certain states to use roaches, right?


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## khil (Aug 7, 2011)

Bugs In Cyberspace said:


> Thanks for being receptive to my opinions and generalized constructive criticisms, Nanotrev. As we all know, one can't have an opinion without pissing somebody off. It's fine.
> 
> It would also be insensitive for me to laugh at others' fears. Fears are often more real than reality, and so are the emotional connections some people have with their pet bugs, but it would be neglectful of me to miss the opportunity to share my "experiences" on the topic of parasites. I didn't mention pesticides previously, maybe, because it was not the topic of conversation.
> 
> ...


Dude seriously wtf, the adult crickets I buy aren't as big as they used to be. I'm pretty sure their the same old housed cricket, but they aren't as large. Hmm.


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## Sukai94 (Aug 7, 2011)

AaronP said:


> People still use crickets? though most were using roaches by now.....


Even though more than 95% of my 1.5" an above T's will eat dubia, I have some picky eaters and need the awful, smelly, hopping creatures to feed them. I am sure I am not the only one. Roaches are illegal in some places where they ma become evasive so sadly those people don't have a choice.



Nanotrev said:


> No way am I using these crickets. Acheta domesticus is what I'll continue to use until they really are in low numbers. It's either that or I'll find some of the soft crickets around my place and figure out how to breed them. Would anyone know a good way to get the parasites out of crickets? I imagine you'd get the parents and have them breed and then discard them. Would the resulting offspring be parasite free?





wesker12 said:


> I believe your talking about Gryllus assimilis? The Jamiacan field cricket - I hate them! They terrorized my friends geckos and bit it several times. They not only have stronger, sharper mandibles but they are alot stronger than the normal feeder crickets and can mess up alot of pets. If you have to use them I suggest stunning them or my personal favorite - off with thier heads!


I don't understand the hostility towards the new cricket. The Jamaican crickets are bigger and meatier as adults. This is great for the bigger, meatier things that need to be fed. If they are too big as adults get younger/smaller crickets. When they are immature there is really no difference between them and Acheta domesticus. They are darker in color and they are more hardy. Acheta domesticus pinheads (and any size actually) always seemed to die off for me, many for no reason. I can more easily breed and raise this sp. They are more forgiving.


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## Introvertebrate (Aug 7, 2011)

Plus, their chirp is pretty quite, or so I've read.  Some refer to Gryllus assimilis as the Silent Cricket.


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## Nanotrev (Aug 9, 2011)

> More to topic, my local pet store has switched back to ordinary house crickets again. Is it just me or do they look a 1/3 smaller than before? I often have multiple bins of multiple feeder species being housed together. If enough food is provided, all will grow and reproduce together. They should, in theory, grow more quickly in separate cages, but we constantly weigh convenience against other factors.


I recently tested a few camel crickets as feeders with my scorpions. The giant desert hairy responded by aggressively attacking it. I hear these scorpions feed on "sand treadders" (sp?) in the wild. If anyone could send a few of those my way I'd happily attempt to culture those as well. Thank you to Double Ds for supplying me with the cave crickets, they're of great quality and are very lively.

The second session of feeder testing was to the Emperor scorpions, and the cricket meandered down into the scorpion's burrow where it was seized and eaten. The giant desert hairy scorpion got a medium-sized individual while the emperor scorpion got the largest of the bunch I received. I think the Hadrurus had such a good response perhaps because of two things.

A) They're merely more aggressive in their capture of food.
B) Camel crickets, being related to their natural prey, are more quickly recognized as food and are most happily pursued.

As for the emperor scorpion... I think the cave/camel cricket gave way to its habits and the scorpion happened to be hungry. If a vendor had jerusalem crickets I'd try those as well. In the future I'll be attempting to breed as many feeders as I can to vary the diet as much as possible. These feeders will also benefit the varied diet of my Jackson's chameleon. Eventually I'll attempt to collect locusts as well. I would really like to get my hands on some of those larger grasshoppers.

My cricket diet will consist of beans blended with reptile vitamins and minerals, excluding calcium except for romaine lettuce.



> On a related point, what are the chances of a wild caught feeder bug being exposed to a harmful degree of pesticide and not dying before it ends up in my pet bug's mouth?


A good point I've only thought fleetingly. I'd still like to breed wild insects and eventually culture them to be in control of what they have inside of them. Would you like to chime in on which trace minerals would be most beneficial? I also read a small article online that stated that the most nutritionally complete feeders were actually fed reptile food. Hopefully my "beans, vitamin and mineral powder" made for reptiles will prove worthy of helping produce the best feeders and largest scorpions.



> Plus, their chirp is pretty quite, or so I've read. Some refer to Gryllus assimilis as the Silent Cricket.


Camel/cave crickets don't chirp at all. It's not much a concern to me though, if they chirp or not. Which cricket breeds and matures the fastest? Meatier is good too. You're all making me a little more receptive to the new feeders proposed to the hobby. Would anyone be able to supply me with a few males and females of the Jamaican field cricket? What about the tropical house cricket? It's also known as the banded cricket, or so I've been led to believe. They're very good jumpers, though not as good as cave crickets.


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## Sukai94 (Aug 9, 2011)

Nanotrev said:


> Which cricket breeds and matures the fastest? Meatier is good too. You're all making me a little more receptive to the new feeders proposed to the hobby. Would anyone be able to supply me with a few males and females of the Jamaican field cricket?


I believe Rainbow Mealworms sells Jamaican crickets

-Jamie


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## Nanotrev (Aug 9, 2011)

Sukai94 said:


> I believe Rainbow Mealworms sells Jamaican crickets
> 
> -Jamie


My antivirus software goes crazy, saying the site is reported as malicous, and the website looks pretty messed up. Weird. Any others?

Edit-
On a second note, Ghann's says they'll be ready in a few months or so. I'll be sure to nab some then and test keeping my own colonies.


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## Introvertebrate (Oct 15, 2011)

*Interesting announcement...........*

..........on the Ghann's Cricket Farm website:



> 7/13/11 - We're happy to announce that we have just been granted permits by the USDA to LEGALLY produce the new VIRUS RESISTANT cricket that everyone is talking about, and TODAY we received our initial breeding stock - our "Adams & Eves"!  The species is Gryllus assimilis (commonly called the Jamaican Field Cricket), and it's VERY similar to the standard Acheta domesticus that we all know & love.  The adults get a little larger and are a little darker in color, but the MAJOR difference is... the deadly cricket virus that kills Achetas does NOT affect Gryllus assimilis!
> 
> UPDATED 9/14/11 - Our Gryllus assimilis are thriving just fine, but building up the colony to commercial sales numbers is a slow process.  We are now estimating that we will be able to begin shipping Gryllus assimilis sometime shortly after the first the year (maybe Feb 2012).  Watch closely - we will make an announcement when we have quantities ready to ship!



http://www.ghann.com/faq.cfm


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## spydrhunter1 (Oct 15, 2011)

A number of states are considering not allowing movement of this species into their areas:
1) potential to mate with and hybridize our native Gryllus spp.
2) there are defensive ( I hate the term aggressive for any animal)
3) unknown risk for crop damage


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## Galapoheros (Oct 15, 2011)

Well, they got them to central Texas recently and will see what happens from there.  So far I like them better.  I've got a batch of pinheads going, I was having trouble getting very many eggs of the common store feeder to hatch.  I haven't had a problem with them harming anything, but I take a cricket out right when I see that what was being fed isn't hungry.


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## zonbonzovi (Oct 16, 2011)

spydrhunter1 said:


> A number of states are considering not allowing movement of this species into their areas:
> 1) potential to mate with and hybridize our native Gryllus spp.
> 2) there are defensive ( I hate the term aggressive for any animal)
> 3) unknown risk for crop damage


I kinda wondered why Jamaican Gryllus are being imported as feeders.  Why not native Gryllus?  Is the growth rate not satisfactory in comparison with the Jamaicans?


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## Introvertebrate (Oct 16, 2011)

I looked up the genus, and some Gryllus species live in temperate regions.  We typically want tropical feeders because they don't require a diapause period in the winter.  Correct me if I'm wrong.


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## Crysta (Oct 16, 2011)

Jamaicans are now being sold at pet habitat..they look like tribal ganster version of the normal domestic criket.. lol


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## spydrhunter1 (Oct 16, 2011)

Ideally the cricket should be non-pestiferous and unable to hybridize with native species....I'm recommending Gryllodes.


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## Toirtis (Oct 16, 2011)

They are _Gryllus assimilus_ if they are the same one that have been showing up in Western Canada for the past few weeks (Illegally, I might add, as we are permitted to import {iAcheta domestica[/i] only).


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## zonbonzovi (Oct 16, 2011)

Introvertebrate said:


> I looked up the genus, and some Gryllus species live in temperate regions.  We typically want tropical feeders because they don't require a diapause period in the winter.  Correct me if I'm wrong.


No, that makes sense.  The common species on the E. side of the Cascades here live in areas that see a good layer of snow during the winter.  I think I read that they reproduce only once a year- would be interesting to culture, but not for feeding.


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## dtn1992 (Oct 20, 2011)

so, when i first saw this thread i was like hmm new crix? i was ordering new crix for the T's and scorps and when they arrived, i got a 1000 count of em,


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