Help! My crickets are EATING each other!

[SkittlesTheJumpingSpider]

Last night, I was observing my feeder crickets, and I saw one EATING the other one! I don't think they're hungry, because I feed them veggies, fish flakes, and water gel, and I give them plenty of space, with quite a few egg crates, and they STLL eat each other? They have probably about two feet of space or so, and there's only about 30 crickets in there.


How do I stop them from eating each other? They seem healthy otherwise.
Thanks,

-SkittlesTheJumpingSpider

 

[viper69]

You can’t control them

crix will eat anything

 

[SkittlesTheJumpingSpider]

You can’t control them

crix will eat anything

Alright, thanks for the reply.

 

[Jumbie Spider]

I found these:

How do i stop crickets eating eachother?

I bought crickets from the pet store to feed my 2 Ts and they just end up eating eachother, is there a way to prevent this?

arachnoboards.com

Why Are My Crickets Eating Each Other? (5 Possible Reasons)

Many people like to breed crickets for various reasons. Some people do so because they use crickets as a source of food for other exotic pets that they keep in the house. People often refer

furwingsandscalythings.com

 

[SkittlesTheJumpingSpider]

I found these:

How do i stop crickets eating eachother?

I bought crickets from the pet store to feed my 2 Ts and they just end up eating eachother, is there a way to prevent this?

arachnoboards.com

Why Are My Crickets Eating Each Other? (5 Possible Reasons)

Many people like to breed crickets for various reasons. Some people do so because they use crickets as a source of food for other exotic pets that they keep in the house. People often refer

furwingsandscalythings.com

Thank you very much, I'll be sure to check those out!

 

[chanda]

What?!? I'm appalled! How dare your crickets eat each other - rather than waiting for something else to eat them!

It sounds like you haven't done a very good job of teaching them their place in the food chain. You need to remind them that they are at the bottom. The best way to do that is to pick out those cannibalistic troublemakers and "re-educate" them, before they can spread their revolutionary ideas to their cage-mates. Otherwise, you might end up with a full-scale cricket rebellion on your hands! I recommend feeding the troublemakers to one of your spiders post-haste. That'll teach 'em!

Seriously, though - crickets will eat pretty much anything. Not only will they eat each other, they can also eat (or at least nibble on) your tarantulas if you leave them in the cage while the spiders are vulnerable during a molt. The cannibalism is not always a bad thing, though. Crickets will eat dead cagemates, shed skins, and other debris, helping to keep the cage a bit cleaner.

One possibility is that they may want a little more protein in their diet, depending on what kind of fish flake you are feeding them. You could try tossing in a little dry cat or dog kibble as a supplement.

 

[SkittlesTheJumpingSpider]

What?!? I'm appalled! How dare your crickets eat each other - rather than waiting for something else to eat them!

It sounds like you haven't done a very good job of teaching them their place in the food chain. You need to remind them that they are at the bottom. The best way to do that is to pick out those cannibalistic troublemakers and "re-educate" them, before they can spread their revolutionary ideas to their cage-mates. Otherwise, you might end up with a full-scale cricket rebellion on your hands! I recommend feeding the troublemakers to one of your spiders post-haste. That'll teach 'em!

Seriously, though - crickets will eat pretty much anything. Not only will they eat each other, they can also eat (or at least nibble on) your tarantulas if you leave them in the cage while the spiders are vulnerable during a molt. The cannibalism is not always a bad thing, though. Crickets will eat dead cagemates, shed skins, and other debris, helping to keep the cage a bit cleaner.

One possibility is that they may want a little more protein in their diet, depending on what kind of fish flake you are feeding them. You could try tossing in a little dry cat or dog kibble as a supplement.

Thank you very much for the response! It made my day!
Yes, I'll definitely get some more protein for them. Thank you!

 

[darkness975]

Last night, I was observing my feeder crickets, and I saw one EATING the other one! I don't think they're hungry, because I feed them veggies, fish flakes, and water gel, and I give them plenty of space, with quite a few egg crates, and they STLL eat each other? They have probably about two feet of space or so, and there's only about 30 crickets in there.


How do I stop them from eating each other? They seem healthy otherwise.
Thanks,

-SkittlesTheJumpingSpider

I have enough of them that casualties are not a huge detriment to the population.

Also, it seems to happen more with Acheta domesticus than with Gryllodes sigillatus.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

Crickets are little bastards, basically.

 

[SkittlesTheJumpingSpider]

Crickets are little bastards, basically.

Agreed.

 

[chibicricket]

I was just explaining to my husband as to why I hate crickets as feeders. They are so gross and no matter what you do, they will eat each other. The best thing I've found is to get a giant rubbermaid tub, put air holes in it, and get a ton of egg crates. Then add a food and water dish. Doesn't matter if you provide enough food though, they still will snack on their neighbors.

 

[SkittlesTheJumpingSpider]

I was just explaining to my husband as to why I hate crickets as feeders. They are so gross and no matter what you do, they will eat each other. The best thing I've found is to get a giant rubbermaid tub, put air holes in it, and get a ton of egg crates. Then add a food and water dish. Doesn't matter if you provide enough food though, they still will snack on their neighbors.

Thank you for the response! I agree, they're not the best feeders.