how long, if kept in a little container, will crickets stay alive. i just got a new pinktoe spiderling. so, was told to get pinheads. but, i really dont wana store them. and, i live next door to a petco. so will run over there when i have to. but, just wanted to know if i bought a few. how long would they stay alive for. so, maybe i can store a few of them stinkers.
crickets
- Thread starter JNG
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I think if you give them food and water they will survive no problem. just gotta make sure you dont give them a water dish, they will probably drown 
so would a few survive a few days till i give them to my T w/o feeding the crickets. i'd really rather not have an investment in crickets, you know. I mean, i dont wana raise crickets, or have a farm. i'll go to petco as much as i have to. just to get enuff to feed my T a couple times, at least.
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We have had a dozen or so pinheads in the house for about 4 days now. They came from PetCo, and I just left them in the original plastic bag they came in. We put a little oatmeal in the bag & will sprinkle a couple drops of water in it every other day or so, otherwise they dry out. So far they're all still alive, at least until they meet the fate of their brethren with a batch of OBT slings & a B. smithi.
ok cool. i pretty much live next door to a petco. so, that'll work. i just got a pinktoe sling. i just want them to last a few days. dont really wana frequent petco that much. just will if i had to.
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Freeze 'em!
I usually freeze my pinheads (and actually my 'smalls' too). I get a couple dozen and put the bag in the freezer, then dump the frozen crix into a mini tupperware in the freezer for storage. When I want to feed I just take out however many I need. They thaw almost instantly, and my 3 A. versicolor slings have never had any issues eating them in the 6 or so months I've had them and fed them this way. I just drop them into their web. Same with the smalls that they have moved up to that I handle the same way). My B. bohemi, B. smithi, G. aureostriata, B. vagans, C. elegans, H. Lividum, OBT, GBB, P. Rufilata, and L. para slings all seem to readily eat the frozen thawed crickets too. I can usually just drop them in front of them and they'll grab them, but if they are hiding I leave them outside their burrow/hide entrance and the get them when they come out. And I don't have to worry about trying to keep the crickets alive, the crickets getting bigger than I want, them hurting the Ts, etc.
Not that I don't give some of the bigger guys live crickets occasionally, but usually only once a month or so when I pick up new crix - I give each of them a live (supervised) meal and freeze the rest of the months crickets. Works well, and I only have to buy at most once per month.
So that's my suggestion, you can try it with a couple of the pinheads to see if it works for you.
I usually freeze my pinheads (and actually my 'smalls' too). I get a couple dozen and put the bag in the freezer, then dump the frozen crix into a mini tupperware in the freezer for storage. When I want to feed I just take out however many I need. They thaw almost instantly, and my 3 A. versicolor slings have never had any issues eating them in the 6 or so months I've had them and fed them this way. I just drop them into their web. Same with the smalls that they have moved up to that I handle the same way). My B. bohemi, B. smithi, G. aureostriata, B. vagans, C. elegans, H. Lividum, OBT, GBB, P. Rufilata, and L. para slings all seem to readily eat the frozen thawed crickets too. I can usually just drop them in front of them and they'll grab them, but if they are hiding I leave them outside their burrow/hide entrance and the get them when they come out. And I don't have to worry about trying to keep the crickets alive, the crickets getting bigger than I want, them hurting the Ts, etc.
Not that I don't give some of the bigger guys live crickets occasionally, but usually only once a month or so when I pick up new crix - I give each of them a live (supervised) meal and freeze the rest of the months crickets. Works well, and I only have to buy at most once per month.
So that's my suggestion, you can try it with a couple of the pinheads to see if it works for you.
Freeze them? You can do that? It doesnt make them bad, or anything?
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buy a kritter keeper and put them in there. Give them some oatmeal or buy some cricket chow and throw in a piece of potato for them to get moisture from and they will live out their life cycle. I was actually breeding crickets in my garage over the summer. They will keep fairly easy especially since you are only going to be buying a dozen or so. Hope this helps you out
I have never heard of freezing crickets but if it works for them so be it.
I have never heard of freezing crickets but if it works for them so be it.
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Freezing crickets seems to work fine without making them bad. I got the idea originally from reading posts by other people on this forum, including Mushroom Spore who suggested freezing pinheads to several people. I've never had any issue with the crickets going bad, unless I were to leave the dead cricket in a cage for several days - but that has nothing to do with the freezing and everything to do with the dead part.
I haven't tried keeping a huge supply of frozen ones for many months, usually only about 1 month supply at a time at most, but they might last longer. Freezer burn and other universal freezer related problems are certainly possible.
I usually put them in in the evening and leave them overnight, most slings are willing scavengers and the night time encourages them to come out and find food.
I do realize its not necessary for some of my Ts, like my 2+ inch OBT, or my 2+ inch P. Rufilata, etc. They easily take down live crickets of adult or near adult size, no problem. But the freezing of the crickets reduces how often I need to go buy live crickets, and I don't have to fight to keep the stupid crickets alive.
I can NOT get the things to survive more than a week or so. I've bought the specialized enclosures, I've used just kritter keepers, I've used the plastic boxes you can get them in, I've tried cricket food, veggies, cat food, etc, I have water crystals, plastic cricket hiding tubes, egg crates, more humidity, less humidity, more ventilation, less ventilation, etc. Crickets just WON'T survive for me (except for the couple times I've had those plastic boxes they come in, thought I had gotten all the live ones out, and found a couple lives ones in there a few months later when sorting through containers, still alive and happy with no care....sadly it only works when I don't try.
Roaches are MUCH easier to take care of! My colony is almost at the point where I won't have to worry about crickets much anymore, except for pinheads for the smallest slings (fruit flies work well too though).
I haven't tried keeping a huge supply of frozen ones for many months, usually only about 1 month supply at a time at most, but they might last longer. Freezer burn and other universal freezer related problems are certainly possible.
I usually put them in in the evening and leave them overnight, most slings are willing scavengers and the night time encourages them to come out and find food.
I do realize its not necessary for some of my Ts, like my 2+ inch OBT, or my 2+ inch P. Rufilata, etc. They easily take down live crickets of adult or near adult size, no problem. But the freezing of the crickets reduces how often I need to go buy live crickets, and I don't have to fight to keep the stupid crickets alive.
I can NOT get the things to survive more than a week or so. I've bought the specialized enclosures, I've used just kritter keepers, I've used the plastic boxes you can get them in, I've tried cricket food, veggies, cat food, etc, I have water crystals, plastic cricket hiding tubes, egg crates, more humidity, less humidity, more ventilation, less ventilation, etc. Crickets just WON'T survive for me (except for the couple times I've had those plastic boxes they come in, thought I had gotten all the live ones out, and found a couple lives ones in there a few months later when sorting through containers, still alive and happy with no care....sadly it only works when I don't try.
Roaches are MUCH easier to take care of! My colony is almost at the point where I won't have to worry about crickets much anymore, except for pinheads for the smallest slings (fruit flies work well too though).
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that must be handy living so close to pet store i live 40 miles from closest one i have to keep them alive, at petco they sell them in little box of 24 by the meal worms, they cost more than the ones you get at counter in a bag but come with every thing to keep them alive for about month or more.
ps try learning the scientific names pink toe is A. avic for short
went to petco today. and found out they sell in any amount u want. so now aint gota store none. just kinda embarrassing goin in and buying 2 pinheads and using your debit card for 12 cents. but being practically next door, can just go there on feeding days a buy what i want. im 2 minutes from petco, and about 10 minutes from petsmart. and 15 minutes from another petco. that one sucks tho.
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Even though these crickets have been alive no our house in the original plastic bag for ~5 days now, I think it might be a good idea to freeze them. I just heard that pet store crickets tend to come with passengers (mites)! Freezing would get rid of anything like that. I'm going to take these dozen or so and stick them in there right now. I'm glad you mentioned freezing, betuana!
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After their Final Molt Crickets live about 15 to 17 days.
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wow I have never seen pinheads at a petco. how odd well except most of the people there that are telling the customers how to care for their critters lol they seem to be pinheads alright lol my Ts wont eat them though my OBT would like to try lol
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freezing
I usually feed roaches, but occasionally use crix for slings if I don't have enough roach nymphs. I always throw them in the freezer for an hour or so, makes it much easier to feed a bunch of t's without having the stupid things jumping all over. Half the time they thaw and wake up though, so to be really sure they're dead it's a good idea to head crush. I like to feed slings dead prey as there's a lot less chance of an injury or crix going uneaten and messing up an unpredicted molt. Same with mealworms, a good freeze and/or headcrush does the trick. btw, mealworms are much easier to keep alive for extended periods of time by keeping the container in the frig, but many people on here don't recommend them as the sole diet for slings or larger t's. I don't think it's a bad idea to feed different things occasionally, but there's really not much known on T nutrition, so hard to say if it's necessary or not.
I usually feed roaches, but occasionally use crix for slings if I don't have enough roach nymphs. I always throw them in the freezer for an hour or so, makes it much easier to feed a bunch of t's without having the stupid things jumping all over. Half the time they thaw and wake up though, so to be really sure they're dead it's a good idea to head crush. I like to feed slings dead prey as there's a lot less chance of an injury or crix going uneaten and messing up an unpredicted molt. Same with mealworms, a good freeze and/or headcrush does the trick. btw, mealworms are much easier to keep alive for extended periods of time by keeping the container in the frig, but many people on here don't recommend them as the sole diet for slings or larger t's. I don't think it's a bad idea to feed different things occasionally, but there's really not much known on T nutrition, so hard to say if it's necessary or not.
So, would it be a good idea to feed it mealworms, and occasionally get crix? i just dont like havin a lot of crix. cuz of the smell. i just got 6 pinheads today, and by the time i got home, it already stunk.
I just asked the person at petco if they had any pinhead crickets. they said what are they? so, i just asked... ok, how small are ur smallest? they showed me, they had pinheads. You can buy them in any amount you want. Since i live appx 2 minutes from petco. i just bought 2. a whole 12 cents. i'd rather go back and forth every few days, than store them stinky things in my apartment.
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At our local PetCo the crickets are kept in the back. When I buy them I have to ask a salesperson to get me the number & size that I need. They're usually pretty good about it. Sometimes they'll give me a lot more than I ask for, but not usually.
pinheads are so little they're hard to count. and the employees with their "i really dont wana be here" attitude usually wont take the time to actually count them. i want 6, and left with 9. its only 18 cents. but. it was more than i what i wanted. the little pig ate 3 today. little oinker. but if i can keep them alive for a while. just guna start gettin 2 every few days, and pay the 12 cents with my debit card, to piss people off.