Crix breeding; What went wrong???

[Bloodletting]

OK, I have three attachments here, I have been trying to raise crickets for my slings and I just can't get any. I feel I am doing everything the right way, what can I do different. What could have done wrong?

picture 1; baby tank, kept moist, not soaked. temp constant, over 70 degrees.

picture 2; another view of adult tank.

picture 3; my adult tank for breeding/egg laying. They laid many, many eggs over a two week time span. soil damp but not soaked, food and water supplied, male/female crickets in tank.


I placed the soil in the container into the baby tank filled with eggs. 3-4 weeks later, no babies.....I am sure I should have some by now.

Ideas, suggestions??

Thanks,

Scott

 

[Spaceman_Spiff]

When I tried breeding crickets (now I have roaches, they don't stink and are silent) it took 5 to 6 weeks till the pinheads hatched!

greetings
Bernhard

 

[Bloodletting]

When I tried breeding crickets (now I have roaches, they don't stink and are silent) it took 5 to 6 weeks till the pinheads hatched!

greetings
Bernhard

interesting, everywhere I have read, it says about two weeks. that is good to know. how moist was the substrate you had the eggs in???

thanks,

scott

Also, what is a good roach to breed for feeders, and how small are the babies, small enough for slings.


scott again...

 

[Spaceman_Spiff]

Not dripping wet, but pretty moist. But I had some problems with mould.
I gave up on breeding them after my first crickets hatched because I thought it was not worth the efford, so I don't have special tips for you.
But I think two weeks is to short, wait and I bet you'll have pinheads soon!

greetings
Bernhard

 

[Spaceman_Spiff]

As feeder roaches I have Blaptica dubia, they breed good and fresh nymphs are ideal for slings.
The only trouble I have with them is that they don't climb, so you have to handfeed arboreals!

 

[Bloodletting]

not a problem, i don't want climbers. i have all my stuff in my classroom and the last thing i need is a bunch of roaches getting out. i now have giant cave roaches. they are not climbers.

thanks,

scott

 

[TroyMcClureOG82]

I am getting pinheads in almost all of my T enclosures I swear I don't leave crickets in there for more than a couple of hours at the most either. Usually it's a manner of minutes before they all get eaten. I guess I just have the perfect environment for them in my T enclosures, because they lay eggs the second they get in there.

 

[Bloodletting]

I have never had pins in my tanks, scorp tanks I did but never my t tanks. How wet is your substrate in the t tanks?

scott

 

[Spaceman_Spiff]

@TroyMcClureOG82: you could try letting the infested enclosures dry out once in a while, the pinheads die off rather quickly without water or they drown in the waterdish, shouldn't hurt your spiders even when they are from moist climates.

Another thing you could try is keeping house spiders like Pholcus phalangioides in your T's enclosures, I got rid of some small flies that turned up once in a while that way!

greetings
Bernhard

 

[TroyMcClureOG82]

Yea they are dying in the water dish and I have let a few tanks dry out. Funny thing is I have even found them in my B smithi enclosure which shouldn't make too good of an incubator for cricket eggs

 

[JohnxII]

Mold kills the eggs. Flooding probably drown the eggs. Mites eat the eggs. How deep is the substrate in the incubator? Try to keep the bottom moister and the top drier... might have a better yield. Mine hatch in 1.5-2 week's time at about 80'F. Oh, I keep the incubator shaded too, if that's a factor... :?

P.S. That's quite some overkill setups you have there! Your crix are so spoiled

 

[D4RK-3L3M3NT]

So you're trying to breed them and I'm trying to kill them. :?

 

[JohnxII]

So you're trying to breed them and I'm trying to kill them. :?

LOL try to keep your T's substrate drier. Or give your cricket nymphs to Bloodletting!

 

[Spaceman_Spiff]

@Bloodletting: What kind of crickets do you breed!
Here in Germany the petstores hardly ever sell Acheta domesticus, because there seems to be a problem with a virus.
The breeders switched mostly to Gryllus assimilis, these have higher demands in temperature (I think at about 85 degrees is the optimum).
Maybe that's why yours don't hatch?

greetings
Bernhard

 

[Kaos]

My cricks seems to hatch after 2-4 weeks depending on the temps. I think i have around 5000 pinheads now

 

[Bloodletting]

My cricks seems to hatch after 2-4 weeks depending on the temps. I think i have around 5000 pinheads now

5,000--my god. that is a lot. it has been over 4 weeks and zero in my egg container. I have now transferred two containers filled with eggs. I know they are laying them. I have males and females. I have seen the females laying all day long. Maybe the temp isn't high enough. it is above 70 but not above 80. the substrate is moist, not dried out. I would think at least a few would hatch regardless of the conditions. Maybe I need to wait longer. Maybe the temp is too low and it will happen later on.....

scott

 

[Kaos]

My egg containers are kept at about 30degrees celsius at daytime and 20 at nighttime. A little mold on the top of the soil is no problem, as long as the eggs don't mold.

 

[Bloodletting]

LOL try to keep your T's substrate drier. Or give your cricket nymphs to Bloodletting!

Yes please. I'd love 'em.

 

[Bloodletting]

My egg containers are kept at about 30degrees celsius at daytime and 20 at nighttime. A little mold on the top of the soil is no problem, as long as the eggs don't mold.

Well, I have upped the temp. I am going to start container number 4.. This time I am going to simply place the crickets directly into a separate container without a smaller one to take out. The substrated they will be on will be where they lay the eggs and I will heat that one up to about 80 at my house and see what happens.

thanks for ideas.

Scott

 

[TroyMcClureOG82]

Have you tried keeping a constant temp that doesn't drop at night? My T cabinet is a constant 80-84 depending where in the cabinet you measure temp at and I get lots of pinheads in every enclosure. My temp never varies