# Wild caught crickets? ️️Tarantula feed



## Tankerwww (Jul 24, 2015)

Well I've been breeding and a question came to my head.
Wild caught crickets

If I were to catch crickets and feed them and breed them in a different container over time, will these be worthy to also feed my Ts? I was curious because I happened to stumble across cricket traps! Please need some advice !


----------



## ARACHNO-SMACK48 (Jul 24, 2015)

Why risk disease and or poisoning your collection when you could just go and buy some CB crickets and use those for a breeding project?


----------



## Chris LXXIX (Jul 24, 2015)

Don't do that, trust me.


----------



## windscorpions1 (Jul 24, 2015)

ARACHNO-SMACK48 said:


> Why risk disease and or poisoning your collection when you could just go and buy some CB crickets and use those for a breeding project?


I think the point is more saving money on them instead of just buying them....

Honestly I'm interested in this too. Nearest pet stores about 45 minutes away so not a trip that's gonna be made every week and their feeders their are a tad expensive....then there's the fact that about half the feeders die before they make it home. Id like to think maybe after a few generations most of the ill effects if there were any would be breed out of them but that could be a long shot.


----------



## Pokie Master (Jul 24, 2015)

windscorpions1 said:


> I think the point is more saving money on them instead of just buying them....
> 
> Honestly I'm interested in this too. Nearest pet stores about 45 minutes away so not a trip that's gonna be made every week and their feeders their are a tad expensive....then there's the fact that about half the feeders die before they make it home. Id like to think maybe after a few generations most of the ill effects if there were any would be breed out of them but that could be a long shot.


Then order roaches. There was just a guy on here selling 1000 shipped for $27. And then you can easily breed those. If your going to take the "cheap" route and risk diseases and and pesticides that could be on wild crickets to your T then you need to ask yourself if your T's life is worth the risk or worth the extra money. Wild caught cricket are also more predacious than those store bought... Is it worth a few dollars really?

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## FireSpider (Jul 24, 2015)

I always raise an eyebrow when I see people talking about the cost of feeding a T collection. I can feed my whole collection for a month for the price of one coffee. If you don't want to hassle with going to the pet store for food, then order a starter colony of feeder roaches. There are 50 places selling them online and they're easy to raise, not to mention you know they're safe to feed your Ts.

Having said that, while I would never INTENTIONALLY feed my Ts wild prey, I did catch my E. Parvulus happily munching on one of the beetles that has invaded my house last week (no idea what kind of beetle--they're small and have white spots). Didn't hurt her any. In fact, she's crawling around right now, probably looking for more beetles.


----------



## Hisserdude (Jul 24, 2015)

Well if he bred them through a generation or two then any diseases or chemicals that the original crickets had will be long gone. Sure he'd have to wait a while but then he'll have free crickets! However roaches are much easier to breed so I would still just start a colony of roaches.


----------



## Tankerwww (Jul 24, 2015)

I was just asking and thinking because the thought crossed my head as to why people didn't do this. but my biggest thanks for the information regarding this !


----------



## sr20det510 (Jul 25, 2015)

If you decide to breed roaches make sure the type you order are legal in your state, Florida
Dubia, the most popular roach to use as a feeder, is illegal there.


I've fed my  tarantulas and mantis wild caught crickets, and I've never had a problem.
Although, I prefer to spend 2-3 dollars twice a month to feed my pets.


----------



## Chris LXXIX (Jul 25, 2015)

Tankerwww said:


> I was just asking and thinking because the thought crossed my head as to why people didn't do this. but my biggest thanks for the information regarding this !


Because we are living in a very polluted, messed up enviroment. T's are more hardy than people think, but they can't stand poisoning, and crickets (at least here) are all contaminated, in the wild.
This would not harm a bit, of course, local WC true spiders. I ended up trying to breed crickets because here crickets are very cheap (200 medium size crickets 3 Euro)


----------



## FireSpider (Jul 25, 2015)

My understanding is that the native wildlife has developed resistance to pollution and pesticides in the environment. Since they come from much purer environments, tarantulas have none of that resistance.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Sam_Peanuts (Jul 29, 2015)

It's much easier to buy some once at the pet store and breed those in my opinion, that's what I do(I keep having to buy more though since I was trying to not have too many, but always end up needing more) and it's pretty cheap.
I make sure to go the day they receive them to minimize the death and then they do perfectly fine once kept in a better environment than the pet shop has.

To answer your question, it should be fine after 2 or 3 generation, but that's a lot of trouble and not as safe as starting with store bought.


----------



## Introvertebrate (Jan 31, 2016)

Tankerwww said:


> I was just asking and thinking because the thought crossed my head as to why people didn't do this. but my biggest thanks for the information regarding this !


Not that many folks in the US breed crickets because they're a little more high-maintenance than roaches.  However, crickets illicit a feeding response in all Ts.  Some Ts refuse roaches.  Pet store crickets are tropical and don't require a hibernation period in the winter.  Any cricket you find in the Northern US will require a winter hibernation at some stage in its life cycle.  That makes breeding a little more complicated, and it means you will be without feeders for a few months a year.


----------



## wizentrop (Jan 31, 2016)

I feed with WC crickets and grasshoppers whenever I get a chance. Rather than saving money, the reason is that some feeders lack essential vitamins and minerals no matter how much you gutload them. So, you can say I supplement my animals' diet with WC feeders.
That being said, caution must be exercised when doing this. Be aware of the risks. Many insects in the wild carry a range of pathogens (fungi, bacteria) and pests (mites, horsehair worms) that can harm your precious pets. They must be carefully inspected prior and *during* feeding to ensure nothing suspicious happens. Horsehair worms are of special concern as they do attack large spiders in the wild, and they are frequently found living inside the bellies of field crickets.


----------



## Introvertebrate (Jan 31, 2016)

As Hisserdude mentioned, Tankerwww could establish a cricket colony, and not feed any off until about 2 generations down the road.  Those surviving offspring would be disease and pesticide free.

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## Trypoxylus dichotomus (Apr 21, 2016)

Tankerwww said:


> Well I've been breeding and a question came to my head.
> Wild caught crickets
> 
> If I were to catch crickets and feed them and breed them in a different container over time, will these be worthy to also feed my Ts? I was curious because I happened to stumble across cricket traps! Please need some advice !


What we do, is catch a ton of these huge crickets (compared to feeder crickets). Then we put them in a big box with dirt and let them live a good life. After 2-3 generations have passed, that's when we start feeding the crickets to our tarantulas and scorpions. There bigger, and let our bugs hunt more (feeder crickets just sit there. Field crickets will jump around a bit). But if you live close to a big field with no pesticide/herbicide usage there, I would say do it, if you have to, but wash the crickets first (put them in a small container with water and shake them gently). But if a cricket looks sick even after 2-3 generations, I would suggest wait on feeding them.


----------



## Tenevanica (Apr 22, 2016)

Feeding my tarantulas is literally free. I breed my own roaches. I don't spend anything on T maintenance unless you count my water bill.


----------

