Black field crickets eggs / nymphs

[Introvertebrate]

I was thinking of getting into mantises, which seem to require fruit flies early in life. Maybe I can substitute pinheads, since I'm already breeding them. Do I really need yet another feeder?

 

[SpookySpooder]

I was thinking of getting into mantises, which seem to require fruit flies early in life. Maybe I can substitute pinheads, since I'm already breeding them. Do I really need yet another feeder?

The only time I'd use fruit flies ever again are for PDFs. They're just not worth the hassle otherwise IMO.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Aye, me and the boys down at the pub are always joshing about their boss and customers, so if I just want 1 fatty mama cricket to lay eggs they'll throw one in the bag for me. Depending on who's manning the register, they also might just dump a bunch of pinheads into the same bag and charge me $0.15 for the one cricket.

Otherwise, I wouldn't even buy them. $0.15 per cricket x a collection of 44 = $6.6/week x 4 = $26/mo on crickets and I'd rather spend that money on slings... and when I'm maxed on slings I'd rather buy somebody else a T, than give it to the pet shop owner, LOL.

For anybody else interested in pinheads but not the adults or the hassle of rearing them... I just plop the mama cricket in a deli cup with moist old substrate, she lays whether there are uricating hairs and webs or not, often within the hour of being set in there, it's an interesting process to observe. After a few days I throw her to a larger T or the scorpion garbage disposal I just got. Repeat this in a new deli cup next week... and after a couple weeks, you will have a different cup with pinheads emerging every week. Just dump them into a colony bin and grow them out or feed them off from there. All without the hassle of rearing noisy and smelly adult crickets, or the males.

Now you just have to learn how to keep then alive. But uh, when you do, you'll end up with thousands and thousands of pinheads.. so when they grow too big, I donate them back for store cricket credits. I don't even care if it's at a 1000:1 ratio, as I'll have that many pinheads and I just need a female cricket to refresh the cycle.

As for raising crickets to adulthood and breeding the whole colony... it's too much work, too many tradeoffs compared to the other feeder types.... so IMO not worth it.

Mine doesn’t carry large or small and would charge per pin Head if they did, your store is an top notch seller. Mine wouldn’t even combine two 50 pack of mealworms because 100 pack were mostly dead.

The only time I'd use fruit flies ever again are for PDFs. They're just not worth the hassle otherwise IMO.

I bought fruit flies once and no slings of mine would eat them.

 

[SpookySpooder]

Mine doesn’t carry large or small and would charge per pin Head if they did, your store is an top notch seller. Mine wouldn’t even combine two 50 pack of mealworms because 100 pack were mostly dead.

I bought fruit flies once and no slings of mine would eat them.

Wow, definitely not top for sure lolol. Yeah, my pet store is the same. They want $0.15 a cricket regardless of size, so I just grab the big mama and rear out pinheads myself, instead of spending the money on pinheads. I understand it's how they make most of their money, selling feeders at a 10,000% mark up... but I just can't justify it. That's the cost of a new T every month.

My frugality is what allows me to spread the love of slings.

 

[Dry Desert]

Wow, definitely not top for sure lolol. Yeah, my pet store is the same. They want $0.15 a cricket regardless of size, so I just grab the big mama and rear out pinheads myself, instead of spending the money on pinheads. I understand it's how they make most of their money, selling feeders at a 10,000% mark up... but I just can't justify it. That's the cost of a new T every month.

My frugality is what allows me to spread the love of slings.

Well here in the jolly old UK crickets are sold by the tub.
Tub size is about 6 x3 X3 inches.
All tubs are same price £2.50 GBP.
Pin head tub contains 1,000+. Then right up to mixed adult tub that contains around 60/70 . All same price £2.50.

 

[SpookySpooder]

Well here in the jolly old UK crickets are sold by the tub.
Tub size is about 6 x3 X3 inches.
All tubs are same price £2.50 GBP.
Pin head tub contains 1,000+. Then right up to mixed adult tub that contains around 60/70 . All same price £2.50.

... yeah if it were that cheap here I wouldn't bother with this

Once my red runner pinheads start producing again I'm done with crickets once more. Just managed to get my first ootheca to hatch in 5 months.

 

[fcat]

Kinda related but I finally splurged and tried out Repashy Bug Burger. It's supposed to boost hydration and replace food. This is a few minutes after dropping it in. They love it!!



These are silent crickets though

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Well here in the jolly old UK crickets are sold by the tub.
Tub size is about 6 x3 X3 inches.
All tubs are same price £2.50 GBP.
Pin head tub contains 1,000+. Then right up to mixed adult tub that contains around 60/70 . All same price £2.50.

That’s rediculous how do they even profit selling them so cheap? I paid $22 for 1,000+ Pin heads once but lag wasn’t offered none survived shipping. They’re even more expensive today.

 

[Dry Desert]

That’s rediculous how do they even profit selling them so cheap? I paid $22 for 1,000+ Pin heads once but lag wasn’t offered none survived shipping. They’re even more expensive today.

We also have Locust of all different sizes for the same prices, an excellent feeder.

Something else you loose out on due to legislation.

Just checked prices of a very good online supplier that I have used in the past, and if you have repeat orders on the subscription system you can purchase tubs of silent crickets for --

£2.06 or

Mix and match 3 tubs for £6.00..

Won't spoil your day anymore.

 

[Kada]

"Silent crickets"? does that mean immature?

 

[Introvertebrate]

"Silent crickets"? does that mean immature?

Supposedly, Gryllodes sigillatus is quieter.

 

[Dry Desert]

"Silent crickets"? does that mean immature?

No - bred to eliminate the chirping, the odd adult gets through though but generally a tub full of non chirping smelly feeders - Horrible things.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Well these look just like mine and I’ve got 2 adult males serenading me right now. Those in your pic are juveniles.

 

[SpookySpooder]

There is no such thing as a silent cricket. Y'all fell for the marketing scam. Those "quieter" crickets marketed as "silent" still chirp, just not as frequently or as loudly.

Search online. Plenty of people complaining about it.