Feeder Crickets for First Time T Owner

catsettos

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 1, 2020
Messages
1
Hello,
I am planning on purchasing an Avicularia avicularia, and while i have the enclosure/heating sorted out, I wanted to know the best way to obtain feeder crickets. My parents want me to breed them so we don't have to buy more, but with only one tarantula I've heard that creates a large excess. I was wondering what the best way to have a lasting (e.g. only need to buy more every couple of months) situation would be. Additionally, I was wondering if this small cricket pen (https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/exo-terra-cricket-pen) would be enough for storage, and if carrots, greens, etc would be nutritious feed for the crickets, and eventually my T.
Noise/smell is a non-issue.
 

darkness975

Latrodectus
Arachnosupporter +
Joined
Aug 31, 2012
Messages
5,610
Depending on the size you will probably only feed it one or two crickets a month. Maybe less if it's particularly chunky.

For $0.15 each it's not a huge financial setback every month.

I don't have a super huge collection at the moment so I buy 20 or 30 crickets at a time and keep them in a 2.5 gallon tank. I feed fish food and plain water to minimize the potential for it getting too undesirable in there. They tend to last quite some time, especially if you buy small ones and let them live and grow.

Whatever you decide to do, I would not feed the crickets carrots. I have heard stories of something in the chemical composition of carrots causing health problems. I do not know if that is scientifically confirmed or not but I just avoid it to be safe.
 

SquidStina

Arachnopeon
Joined
Dec 11, 2017
Messages
48
The link didn't work for me, but based on the title, is it this? Depending on the size of the crickets you're getting, I personally don't recommend it. I bought it and kept wondering why crickets were getting out. There's several gaps in the top that they can squeeze through. If anything, I would take a very good look at the top and tape over all of the areas near the handle.

My suggestion is to go with mealworms or superworms, depending on the size of your T. Mealworms are super easy to care for, and superworms are great for a big meal for larger Ts. Both are very hardy, vs crickets which to me seem very fragile. I still buy them once every 4-6 weeks, feed them out, and then switch back over to worms for a bit.
 

fried rice

Arachnoknight
Joined
May 25, 2019
Messages
286
You should get mealworms. One container could last for months. I also encourage all tarantula owners to stop using house crickets as feeders. Banded crickets are so much better.

 
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