Cricket Breeding

[Wheezy]

So I recently decided to breed crickets to feed to my Tarantulas, and possibly sell, seeing as breeding roaches here in Florida is illegal.. I just wanted to make sure I have somewhat of an idea of what i'm doing. I already bought a big storage bin to house them in.
Can I use sand as a substrate for the entire bin, and then place little containers inside the bin filled with soil, or sand as well, for the crickets to lay their eggs?
I also have a shallow water dish, than I'm going to fill with pebbles, for a water supply.
And I've been feeding my crickets cat food and fruits/vegetables whenever I have them.
If i'm missing anything, please let me know, and i'd like to see pictures of your cricket breeding setups.
Also, do you think they'd be fine in a garage? I will be cutting holes into the storage bin and gluing vent/screen over the holes for air flow.
Feel free to give any advice you may have.
I'd also like any incubation ideas, because i've never actually used one before, is a small container with no, or little airholes fine, as it is with tarantulas?

 

[Offkillter]

I have to words for you "think stink!".I hate crickets for so many reasons most of all the smell.

 

[Wheezy]

Yeah, I know lol.. I would definitely rather have Dubia roaches, unfortunately I live in Florida, and it's illegal i'm pretty sure.. So i'm stuck with crickets unless someone would like to try sending me some dubias haha.

 

[Alejandro45]

contact the FDA and ask for Dr. Gregory Hodges. Its only the Madagascar Hisser that cannot be kept in FL. Already established ssp are not illegal to keep in a controlled enviroment.

 

[Wheezy]

So I could get dubias?

 

[ZephAmp]

There are plenty of species you can have in Florida.
Blaberus discoidalis, a tried-and-true dubia substitute, is a native species and works great as a feeder.
Blaberus craniifer and Hemiblabera tenebricosa are also natives but don't reproduce as prolifically.
In the wild, you can also catch Panchlora nivea, Pycnoscelus surinamensis, Periplaneta australasiae, Blatta orientalis, and possibly Nauphoeta cinerea, all of which are excellent small to mid-sized feeders.
**Note- P. australasiae and P. surinamensis are tropical nuisance species, meaning they often wander into houses but don't breed there. B. orientalis and N. cinerea are considered tropical pests, meaning there is a potential for them to breed in a "messy" house, however, B. orientalis is VERY easily contained (they cannot fly or climb, unlike their close cousin and comparable commonly used feeder counterpart, Blatta lateralis) and N. cinerea can be stopped from climbing with the use of a Vaseline or other slick barrier. You could also use Periplaneta americana, but I didn't suggest this at first since many people frown on using them as feeders due to their reputation.

 

[Wheezy]

I went on the FDA website and tried to find his email/phone number, which area of concern would I go under to find Dr. Gregory Hodges, and ask him about whether I can keep Dubia's?

 

[Alejandro45]

Florida Department of Agriculture.

Look in Permits, Licensing Registration.

there will be a catagory for insects

there is a list pertaining to restricted ssp

Just understand that roach breeders from out of states dont know the specifics of FL laws. Just email whom your interested in buying roaches from and send them information and they will understand that your not irresponsible or anything of that matter.

http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/onestop/plt/entnempath.html

 

[Offkillter]

I hope this works out for you.I wouldnt wish cricket breeding on anyone.:barf::barf::barf:

 

[Wheezy]

So does that mean I need a permit to breed them?