Cricket Pens

[Urzeitmensch]

I just bought an Exo Terra cricket pen, since I don't have that much Ts and the crickets need to last some time so I figured it would be better for them to have something bigger than the box they come in. Besides, the feeding tubes might come in handy.

Now my question: How do I setup the box? It comes with a feeding dish and a water dish with a sponge. My first impulse was to put a thin layer of substrate on the floor, remove the sponge and add a piece of egg-packaging (I couldn't figure out the English word for this).

I don't need them to breed (yet), just to to satisfy their basic needs.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

No need for substrate unless you plan to breed IIRC.

I never used those enclosures but when I kept crickets I basically just kept them in a large well-ventilated tub with egg crates to hide in, oatmeal/fish food to eat and water crystals/bug gel for hydration, that's it.

 

[Gnarled Gnome]

This is what I do. I use a thin layer of coco substrate to make cleaning easier. The droppings stick to everything so with the substrate it's easier to dump and wipe. Helps control the smell too. I have a dish of bug chow and a dish where I put either cricket-quencher or water crystals. The feeder tubes make it so easy. You dont need egg crates. The crickets are meant to hide in the tubes so you can just pull them out to feed your pet predator. Mine didnt come with a sponge, but you can throw that out. They come with little trap doors that close when you pull the tube out, but they arent really necessary.