Cricket breeding help

[poppaJT]

Hi every one, I need some tips on breeding crickets, the downside of crickets is that the smell is just :barf::barf:. Well anyway, I want to start a cricket colony for tarantula feeding, so I'm wondering how big the container has to be to keep em in, what substrate to keep them on or if they even need substrate, etc.

Thanks!!

 

[Redneck]

Hi every one, I need some tips on breeding crickets, the downside of crickets is that the smell is just :barf::barf:. Well anyway, I want to start a cricket colony for tarantula feeding, so I'm wondering how big the container has to be to keep em in, what substrate to keep them on or if they even need substrate, etc.

Thanks!!

I would go with roaches.. They are cleaner.. Less of a stink.. Offer more nutrition for the T's... Easeir to care for.. Less die off..

I had a whole tub full of pinhead crickets a week ago.. My sister was breeding them.. But for some reason unknown.. They all just died.. No chemicals in the air or nothing.. Just.. Poof & they are all dead..

If you dont care for them just right.. Thats what happens.. The roaches on the other hand are very hardy...

But.. Here is my best answer to your question..

Put them in a container.. Offer them a egg crates or something to hide on.. Offer the females a big bowl of substrate.. They then do the rest.. Keep them warm & the cricket eggs will hatch to pinheads in a 3 weeks or a month..

As for feeding.. Just offer them cat/dog food, oatmeal, or whatever.. Dont put a water bowl they WILL drown.. Use water gels.. If they are for tarantulas.. Dont offer them the gels that have calcium.. Rumor has it calcium is no good for T's.. Just incase you didnt know...

Always remember.. What your feeders eat it what your T's eat...

Best of luck with the smelly little boogers..

 

[hassman789]

I want to start breeding them myself But I don't know if the pet store just has one gender. Alot of them have the long things girls have and some of them have half (eaten off I guess?) and some of them look like they have none. But I usualy put them in a container with eco earth, egg carton and a potatoe. I never see any babies or eggs what so ever so thats why I think that. I want a roach colony but my collection isn't really big enough. And boy do the crickets smell!:barf: And another scary thing. I let one of my cricket container go for a like a week after they all died off. When I was emptying it there were little worms in one of the crickets!:barf::barf: Thats a little scary. So yeah I havn't had much luck getting them to reproduce. I have to go to the petstore every week

 

[Vespula]

I don't have much luck with crickets either. For some reason, all of mine just die off suddenly. I don't use or allow any chemicals near my room, but poof. dead crickets.

 

[Redneck]

The females have the stem on the rump.. (Sorry I have no clue what its called..) The males do not have anything on the rump... The ones that have what looks to be a half a stem.. That looks like it was chewed off.. Are not adult crickets..

If you want to breed them.. You HAVE to put a bowl of substrate in with them.. That way the females can deposit their eggs in the substrate..

Also.. If you want to keep a quiet cricket colony... Feed off all the males.. From what I have read (cant remember where) only the adult male crickets make the chirping sound.. I think I found a link when searching on google.. SO I dont know how reliable that is..

Of course then.. If you feed your males off the females wont have no one to breed with.. But leave them together for a few days.. I can garuntee you the females are going to deposit eggs.. Lots of eggs.. In one small little bowl..

When you see there is very little activity in a bowl pull it out & place it in a different tub.. Once the eggs hatch.. All of the little pinheads will come straight out.. I believe the adult crickets will eat the pinheads.. So.. Seperation is needed..

 

[Fran]

Correct
Males are the ones that chirp, generally a bit smaller than females.
Females have the "ovopositor" (spelling) which is the large tube they use to lay the eggs.

 

[Redneck]

Correct
Males are the ones that chirp, generally a bit smaller than females.
Females have the "ovopositor" (spelling) which is the large tube they use to lay the eggs.

I cant say if that is the right spelling.. But thank you for adding that in there.. I couldnt for the life of me remember what it was called..

 

[possumburg]

ovipositor

 

[sja69]

I kept mine in a cricket keeper and fed them bug grub, apple slices and water gel crystals.
I was led to believe that they would only survive for 3-4 weeks when in fact I had them for 3 months, during which time they just got bigger and bigger.
The reason I no longer have them is because I let them loose just before I went away on holiday.
Also, I never had a problem with smell.

 

[Lumberguy]

I kept mine in a cricket keeper and fed them bug grub, apple slices and water gel crystals.
I was led to believe that they would only survive for 3-4 weeks when in fact I had them for 3 months, during which time they just got bigger and bigger.
The reason I no longer have them is because I let them loose just before I went away on holiday.
Also, I never had a problem with smell.

I imagine that if you're vigilant with your care of them, and miraculously none die off, the smell will be negligible - I believe the awful smell associated with crickets is from dead and rotting ones left in the bottom where you don't see or don't clean them.