# Crickets



## CRBP742 (Nov 14, 2012)

It would be nice if i could by some crickets and the would reproduce on there own... So ive been researching and i've learned that the females lay their eggs in the soil so i was wondering if I filled up a egg carton with soil if they would lay eggs in it?


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## MB623 (Nov 14, 2012)

CRBP742 said:


> It would be nice if i could by some crickets and the would reproduce on there own... So ive been researching and i've learned that the females lay their eggs in the soil so i was wondering if I filled up a egg carton with soil if they would lay eggs in it?


Eco Earth works well for the eggs to be layed and developed in. I used a butter tub and filled it about 1/4 of the way with moist, not wet, Eco Earth slighty compessed and placed 4 large female crickets in for a week then I removed the females. I maintained good moisture in the substrate itself and warm temps, around 80F, for about a month then I started seeing teeny tiny baby crickets just a little bigger then a grain of sand. That's when I stopped missting all of the substrate and started misting one spot that had the least crickets around to prevent drowning. Multiple babies can drown in one drop of water. They take quite a while to grow into large feeders, but are great as babies if you have lots of 1st or 2nd instar slings to feed. Then they just progress to feed all sizes of pets. Grain mites are a common issue if you use female crickets from your LPS, but aren't really an issue to the development of the baby crix IMO. The grain mites can also infest your t tanks, where they again aren't really an issue, but unsightly. Mold can be an issue if you keep it too moist, but can be picked off the substrate. You'll need an escape proof lid, just use a thumbtack to make your air holes and make a lot of them. Air circulation is kinda critical, popping the lid on and off a couple times a day should suffice along with your airholes. To feed babies, fill shallow bottle cap 1/3 full of ground up dog or cat food and nussle half way into the substrate away from the area you mist to prevent mold on their food. Break a couple tooth picks in half and lean against the inside of the food dish to act as a ramp for the babies to exit the food dish. You'll need multiple containers set up the same way to sort the sizes of your crickets, because the bigger crickets will eat the babies even if there is abundunt food available. They do start to really stink as they get older, but strong odor in the babies container is a sign of poor air circulation, the babies should be relatively odorless. Sorry for the long response, this way has worked really well for me, hope this helps you some.


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## CRBP742 (Nov 14, 2012)

Okay here's a pic of what I have at the moment. Tell me if i need to make changes


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## MB623 (Nov 14, 2012)

Remove everything from the container and wash it out. Fill your container 1/4 of the way with moist compacted Eco Earth. The more females you put in the container the more eggs that will be laid same and th longer you leave the females in there the more eggs that will be laid. 5-6 big females in for a week with a couple peices of Orang Cube should suffice in your container, and will minimize cannibalization. You may need to put tape over the air holes then repoke the hole with something smaller like a thumbtack to prevent escape, but it may be too smooth for them to climb, better safe than sorry. The babies can climb some pretty smooth surfaces. You'll need a lid as well, and if it has holes in it, it may need taped and holes repoked as well. Just mist it daily maybe every couple days to prevent getting to wet. After the eggs are laid, set the container ontop your fridge, cable box, or something that get's warm often or stays warm and this will help incubate the eggs better. Crickets don't like light so try to avoid setting them in direct sunlight, it may cook your babies. I've seen people raise their crickets similar to what you have here, so I'm not saying it wouldn't work. You do have the basics here, the adults would just need to be removed before the eggs hatch and the Orange Cube isn't necessary unless big crix are present. Baby crickets are like bite size Snickers for adult crickets. Orange Cube sliced really thin works good to feed tiny babies and typically just dries up instead of molding unless directly sprayed.





CRBP742 said:


> Okay here's a pic of what I have at the moment. Tell me if i need to make changes
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## CRBP742 (Nov 14, 2012)

Okay still need to fix the air holes, but here it is.


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## MB623 (Nov 14, 2012)

Hides won't be necessary for babies 1/4in. and smaller, because they will hide in the substrate. As for babies bigger than 1/4in., you can take milk lids and cut a peice of the side out like a door and set a few in the container like little hides or the foam egg crate you have would work as well multiples will hang out under one hide. If the lid isn't clear it'll provide a sense of being hidden for the crickets. Paper egg crate will mold in your babies container, so foam is recommended if you do use hides for the babies. Once the crickets reach 1/2in. they'll be able to survive in a bare container with no substrate and some egg crate to crawl on and will feed on Orange Cube and Cricket Quencher once a week. 25-30 1/2in. crickets will do just fine in a 16oz. deli cup filled half way with egg crate. Paper egg crate is recommended for 1/2 and bigger, because the foam is a little too smooth for the bigger crickets and they tend to eat on the foam, but not so much the paper.


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## CRBP742 (Nov 14, 2012)

Okay, and should there be a certain male/female ratio or does it not matter?


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## MB623 (Nov 14, 2012)

CRBP742 said:


> Okay, and should there be a certain male/female ratio or does it not matter?


Mating the crickets is actually unecessary. If you buy say a dozen large crickets chances are you'll have several females ready to lay eggs. Females have what looks like a "stinger" on them which is their ovipositor (egg layer). Since the crickets were most likely kept in a colony nearly all the sexually mature females will already be pregnant, so mating is unecessary unless your interested in the actual mating process. When you place you few females in the container they'll take a couple minutes to get settled in, but will almost immeadiatly start laying eggs. You'll see the female stick her ovipositor in the substrate and lay an egg. The egg won't be visible, because of being buried and so tiny, but will develop and become bigger and resemble a mini grain of rice. She'll keep doing this in her spair time, which she'll have plenty of. No males will be needed in your container, just a few females for about a week (depending on how many babies you want). 5-6 females for a week will result in hundreds of babies. You must be patient when waiting on the eggs to develop, it could take some time maybe a month or longer. The warmer the temps the quicker the eggs develop, 75-80F is perfect. Since it's getting colder it could take slightly longer. Always smell the babies container and be sure no strong unpleasent odors develop, if odor does develop, increase air circulation and mist slightly less.

---------- Post added 11-14-2012 at 05:20 PM ----------

You'll want to remove the paper egg crate and food and lightly evenly mist all the substrate. The egg crate will mold and the food won't be needed until babies are visible. The exact set up you have in you updated pic is perfect when the babies are present, because you'll just be misting one spot in the container away from you food and egg crate.

---------- Post added 11-14-2012 at 05:24 PM ----------

The water dish won't be needed for babies they tend to just drown in it. The babies will drink from the moist spot in the substrate. Cricket Quencher is perfect in a tiny dish fo the babies as they don't drown in it.


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## Osmo (Nov 15, 2012)

Not to thread jack and judge you, but did you ever consider Dubai Roaches instead? They are easier to breed, dont smell, are meatier,  and live longer.


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## SamuraiSid (Dec 1, 2012)

I set up my cricket tubs with left over egg cartons and TP tubes. I offer them a varied diet and, oranges/potato/carrot for moisture need, and I offer it on a discardeable plastic plate incase I dont toss the produce before it molds.

Ive got a lid that is approx. 5" diameter and 1.5" deep. I fill it with substrate and then tape some window mesh over the top to prevent the crickets from digging. I give it a light misting every few days (always give it a misting outside the cricket tub so as not to accidentally mist the food and create mold in the adult tub) and leave it in with my adult crickets for X # of days. After that, I cut the tape, remove the window mesh and place it in an empty cricket bin, continuing to mist every few days until I notice pinheads. When I see the pinheads sprout, I offer them food and water, and  continue to mist the substrate for another week to ensure proper moisture for any straggling eggs in the lid.

From there, remove the dish and youve got another tub of crickets. No need for a breeding specific tub.

I have had mold issues, but I go at it with a spoon whenever I mist. I do lose a few eggs this way, but I still end up with several hundred pinheads.

---------- Post added 11-30-2012 at 11:20 PM ----------




Osmo said:


> Not to thread jack and judge you, but did you ever consider Dubai Roaches instead? They are easier to breed, dont smell, are meatier,  and live longer.


As a Canadian, Im jealous of your <enter_favorite_expletive_here> roaches!!!!!!!


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