Anyone keep Jerusalem Crickets (Potato Bugs)?

gzophia

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jan 15, 2024
Messages
180
Hello everyone,

I was wondering if anyone here kept Jerusalem Crickets (genera Ammopelmatus/Stenopelmatus). I know that there are some people here who have kept them in the past, but I don't know anyone who still keeps them. These insects seem to have become much more popular in the hobby lately; I now see them regularly sold online and at expos/shows.

Where I live, pretty much everyone has seen one of these monsters at some point-- Jerusalem Crickets are the biggest insects in my area. They have a pretty bad reputation here; many consider them pure nightmare fuel. I used to have a horrific phobia of them too!

I have been keeping Jerusalem Crickets since 2017 or so; that year, I found a small juvenile in my yard and decided to try my hand at husbandry. Over the years, I have kept 10 or so individuals at various stages of life, with many of the adults being sick "rescues" who wandered into my garage during rainstorms. They all seem to be of the same species and live pretty much anywhere with dirt that they can burrow in.

Here are some notes from my own personal experience:
  • I keep these insects in 0.5 to 5 gallon enclosures depending on size. I would say 2.5 gallons is the minimum for a full grown adult.
  • Jerusalem Crickets need at least 4" of stable substrate to burrow in as they are obligate fossorials. I use a mix of coco fiber and sand, but excavator clay would work too.
  • Temperatures are kept between 68F and 75F, but lower is fine. Back in 2018, I was overseas for a few weeks and my house dropped to around 55F; my adult female was in a state of hibernation when I returned but woke up fine when the temperature warmed up.
  • I don't check humidity, but I try to keep the substrate slightly moist at all times.
  • These crickets seem to be scavengers with a preference for meat; I raised one individual from 0.5" to 2.5" on a diet of 80% prekilled dubias and supplementation (fish food, carrots, etc.) with no issues. However, I never feed my Jerusalem Crickets any orthopterans (crickets, grasshoppers, etc.) as they can spread diseases.
  • For hydration, shallow water dishes have worked best; I had some specimens in 2018 who loved to bathe in them on hot days. Water gel seems to be a good option too.
  • These insects go through several molts and eat their discarded exoskeletons. Prior to a molt, they will dig a molting chamber underground and flip over before beginning the process. After a molt, their body is larger but their abdomen is noticeably thinner-- they will have a voracious appetite and should be fed after they emerge.
  • Total lifespan seems to be around 1 to 2 years but might be a bit longer; I will need to take more careful notes though to confirm this though.
  • Despite their reputation as vicious animals, I have found that these guys aren't inclined to bite unless you do something extremely stupid. They prefer to run and kick instead of biting, but will do the latter if treated roughly. They also occasionally release a nasty fluid from their mouths, but this seems to be something ill individuals do rather than a defensive norm.
  • Handling is definitely not recommended, but with one exception: I have noticed that specimens raised from immatures are extremely docile and tame compared to older WC ones. I do handle these "raised" ones occasionally and have never had any problems.
Overall, the care for Jerusalem Crickets seems to be quite similar to that of vinegaroons (Mastigoproctus sp.)-- extremely easy with an emphasis on their fossorial nature. There are many other species different from the ones I have though; care would probably be very different for them (like desert species).

I'm interested to see if anyone else has kept these amazing orthopterans and to hear what their experiences were like!

Thanks.

image1.JPEG
Old specimen from 2018 or so.
IMG_0150.JPEG
I believe this was the first adult specimen I obtained; the dent in her head was like that when I rescued her in my garage. She was dying, but I baked her under a growlight and she survived to live another 8 months or so.
IMG_1952.JPEG
Another one.
IMG_1994.JPEG
This photo was a while ago; I didn't have coco fiber back then and used garden soil with fertilizer in it... ugh. I guess it didn't matter though because these buggers would live in our garden beds which were full of that chemical stuff.
IMG_1852.jpg
Jerry, my most recent Jerusalem Cricket.
IMG_3275.jpg
Jerry's first or second molt in captivity.

IMG_4947.jpg
Jerry after what I believe was his final molt into a mature male.
 

HOITrance

Arachnosquire
Joined
May 10, 2022
Messages
116
I honestly didn’t even know these were a thing until a few months ago when I saw a post on Facebook lol. Neat little insects
 

gzophia

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jan 15, 2024
Messages
180
I honestly didn’t even know these were a thing until a few months ago when I saw a post on Facebook lol. Neat little insects
Oh wow, interesting! They're all over California haha, but for some reason they don't get too much clout outside of local legends.
 

MorbidArachnid

Arachnoknight
Active Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2018
Messages
169

I used to have one, she was adorable and I was taken at how active and exciting she was to keep. I ended up upgrading her enclosure pretty quickly as I was expecting her to be more of a pet hole and just make a burrow and sit in it, but she wandered around a lot and made a ton of tunnels and stuff, it was really cool to watch. Unfortunately I didn't have very long, I wasn't thinking about it and threw in some leftover crickets I had from feeding my scorpions. Next day she was dead, I beat myself up about it a bit, I had even known they could spread disease but it just wasn't something I was paying attention to at the time. I might get another one, would definitely get a much bigger enclosure though as that was also something I wasn't really prepared for. They're fascinating creatures, wish I had more time with mine. If I was going to get them again though I think I would want a smaller baby, watching them grow seems like a really rewarding experience.
 

gzophia

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jan 15, 2024
Messages
180

I used to have one, she was adorable and I was taken at how active and exciting she was to keep. I ended up upgrading her enclosure pretty quickly as I was expecting her to be more of a pet hole and just make a burrow and sit in it, but she wandered around a lot and made a ton of tunnels and stuff, it was really cool to watch. Unfortunately I didn't have very long, I wasn't thinking about it and threw in some leftover crickets I had from feeding my scorpions. Next day she was dead, I beat myself up about it a bit, I had even known they could spread disease but it just wasn't something I was paying attention to at the time. I might get another one, would definitely get a much bigger enclosure though as that was also something I wasn't really prepared for. They're fascinating creatures, wish I had more time with mine. If I was going to get them again though I think I would want a smaller baby, watching them grow seems like a really rewarding experience.
What a beautiful little girl! They are really adorable once you get to know them, and yeah, mature adults are much more active than juveniles, which spend a lot of time underground because of the molting process.

I'm sorry to hear about how you lost her; crickets can transmit some horrific stuff. Hopefully you can get another one soon; they're dirt cheap now and lots of retailers in my area carry them.

And yes, watching a baby grow is SO rewarding; just be prepared to nurture a box of dirt until your cricket finally grows up.

Hopefully someone figures out how to breed them one day; doing so is extremely hard and has never been completed successfully. Pairs often mortally injure each other, and the eggs tend to go bad really easily.
 

Ultum4Spiderz

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 13, 2011
Messages
6,001
Oh wow, interesting! They're all over California haha, but for some reason they don't get too much clout outside of local legends.
Wer
What a beautiful little girl! They are really adorable once you get to know them, and yeah, mature adults are much more active than juveniles, which spend a lot of time underground because of the molting process.

I'm sorry to hear about how you lost her; crickets can transmit some horrific stuff. Hopefully you can get another one soon; they're dirt cheap now and lots of retailers in my area carry them.

And yes, watching a baby grow is SO rewarding; just be prepared to nurture a box of dirt until your cricket finally grows up.

Hopefully someone figures out how to breed them one day; doing so is extremely hard and has never been completed successfully. Pairs often mortally injure each other, and the eggs tend to go bad really easily.
wish they weren’t so hard to care for . Imo roaches make easier pets and feeders . Basically can only feed a small amount off so rest are pets .
Oh wow, interesting! They're all over California haha, but for some reason they don't get too much clout outside of local legends.
i heard about the huge population explosion 💥 at some point in the year.
 

gzophia

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jan 15, 2024
Messages
180
Where? They're pretty much all over the Bay Area-- gardens, redwoods, parks, grasslands, vineyards... they're just a bit hard to find since they are fossorial. I believe winter/spring are the best times to look for them underneath rocks and logs, but I do think I have found one in every season. SoCal has them too; I'm almost certain that they are distributed all over the western US.
wish they weren’t so hard to care for . Imo roaches make easier pets and feeders . Basically can only feed a small amount off so rest are pets .
Yeah, Jerusalem Crickets are incredibly easy to raise (near zero effort) but feeder crickets are ridiculously hard to keep alive. I gave up on them a while ago.
i heard about the huge population explosion 💥 at some point in the year.
Oh interesting; I actually haven't heard of that! It's always been the same in my area and the surrounding cities-- these guys are everywhere. A constant presence in an ever-changing world. 🌆🥔🦗
 

gzophia

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jan 15, 2024
Messages
180
Seems like my current Jerusalem Cricket, Jerry, is now a confirmed mature male!
3.jpg
4.jpg
The lack of an ovipositor on a specimen this size as well as the dark hooks highlighted indicate a MM.
1.jpg
October 22, 2023 (about 6 months ago)
2.jpg
May 4, 2024

Note that the last two images are roughly to scale as I positioned my hand the same way.
 

catboyeuthanasia

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 10, 2023
Messages
137
Really cool! Looks as if an insect decided to be a solifugid! I hope captive breeding works so we can get some up in my neck of the woods as pets.
 
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