how many crickets do you buy/cricket keeping

[JungleGuts]

well i was woundering how many crickets you guy usuallys buy at at time, what are your methods of keeping them alive and stuff, is it better to use the gel then real water to prevent drowning? I will soon have 1 emp scorp so how many should i buy at once do you think? i think i will keep them in a critter keeper, should i feed one at a time? how would i go about geting one out and not freeing all the others(will they jump?)? i heard you could feed them food fish, would a goldfish food work or should i just use dog or cat food? does anyone have pics of how they keep crickets to give me some ideas mayb, or any other suggestions? thanks

dan

 

[Aquanut]

I only use feeder roaches, they are far superior. At least check them out.

 

[JungleGuts]

ive seen on many threads that T's will take frozen then thawed crickets, do you think an empire scorpion would?

 

[bananaman]

I have 16 Ts and 6 scorpions... i buy 50 crickets every two weeks... i use real water, they do suck though, i think probably a third of them dies... ive been looking into breeding roaches but its hard for me to get a starter colony... i just give them food, a little cap of water and leave them be...

 

[John J Starr Jr]

T's

I have 16 Ts and 6 scorpions... i buy 50 crickets every two weeks... i use real water, they do suck though, i think probably a third of them dies... ive been looking into breeding roaches but its hard for me to get a starter colony... i just give them food, a little cap of water and leave them be...

What Genus/species of T's do you have?

Do you breed them?

John J Starr Jr

 

[xelda]

You'll have better success keeping crickets alive by NOT providing them with a constant source of water. Just offer fresh vegetables 1-2 times a week, or 2-3 times a week for crickets that are 1/2" or smaller. That will suffice as a water source.

 

[bananaman]

What Genus/species of T's do you have?

Do you breed them?

John J Starr Jr

I have:
5 B.smithi slings
2 B.auratum
2 B.vagans
1 G.rosea
1 H.lividum
1 A.avic
1 A.seemani
1 A.chalcodes
1 C.fasciatum
1 A.francki (not a T, but a large spider)

6 P.imperator

I do not breed neither my Ts (yet) nor the crickets (didnt know what you refered to)...

But I'd soon like to start breeding roaches as I said... as soon as I get some sort of starter colony or something...

I hate crickets really, but I dont really have a choice... There are superworms too but some Ts wont take them and they burrow so I hate them too haha... laters

 

[Ganoderma]

i always used sponge for the water dishes.

a time came i was buying a ton every week so i started breeding them and roaches....roaches can really really save a LOTof money!

 

[BugToxin]

I buy about 50 small or medium crickes every two weeks. I feed my big T's roaches or pinkies instead of crickets, although I do sometimes toss in a big mamma cricket if I have a bunch. I buy the small/medium becuase they live a lot longer. When I bought large in the past they would often die within the week, however sometimes what they call large is really medium so take a look into the container before you buy to know what you are getting. I do use the water crystals/Fluker's Cricket Quencher Blue, for no reason other than convenience. I feed goldfish food and oats. The oats line the entire bottom of the enclosure and help keep the smell to a minimum. In fact, as long as I have oats in there, and pick out the dead ones once a week, the smell really isn't that bad. You can get a jumbo can of oats at the grocery store for a couple of bucks. Underneath the oats is a layer of sand, although as cheap as oats are you could just use that as substrate if you wanted too as long as you swapped it out every few months. If I get a bunch of big gravid females, I will put in a dish of moist peat or soil with the crickets so that they they can lay eggs in it instead of my T's enclosures. I keep all sizes together in the same cricket enclousre.

I hope that helps.

Oh yea, and I have eight T's, with six being adult/sub-adult. I powerfeed the small ones.

 

[Ganoderma]

yes i agree, i always bought 4 week unless i needed tiny ones. gives a good mix. Bu ti prefer no substrate for alrger amounts. easier to take out and hose down.

 

[JungleGuts]

now, are crickets prone to geting mites easily? whats some tips to prevent this?

 

[Alakdan]

I have never ecncountered any mite problems with crickets. Probably because I don't have a substrate in their enclosure.

I usually buy 100 pcs mixed sizes at a time this would last me 3 weeks. I put them in 3 different 1 gallon containers depending on the cricket size. I also provided hides similar to the roach motel in B. dubia set-up. This prevents overcrowding and cannibalism. I feed them carrots, cabbage and crushed dog pelllets.

I feed off the adults first since they don't live long. Usually 10 out of 100 would die unexpectedly. As soon as I discover them dead, I feed it to my centipedes.

BTW, I keep 3 pedes, 1 T, 1 whipscorp, 1 mantid, and 40+ scorps juvs and adults. All well fed with crickets, except for the maculatus slings, I feed them termites.

 

[Normski2020uk]

Hi, I breed my own crickets as feeders, just buy a cricket keeper or a bug house, put an inch or 2 of soil/sand at the bottom. Offer both dry (bug grub) and fresh fruit. I do give bug gell, but if you give fresh fruit they hardly touch it. if you keep the soil moist and warm the femails will begin laying eggs, and they will take about 2 weeks to hatch. They do however take a long time to mature, but once you have a cycle going you will have an endless supply.
The males are generaly agressive, i feed them first, the less males the less fighting and canabalisum. I've never had problems with mites, they can smell a little but if they start stinkin just dry them out and change the sub. Provideing lots of hiding and baskin spots will also prevent figts. Also if they escape they cant live for long outside, and die off quiet quick. To start with buy a tub of crickets from a store or online to start your population off, every 6 months or so i throw a few new ones in to add new blood to the jeen pool.

 

[Mister Internet]

Try some feeder roaches... you'll never think about crickets again, I guarantee it.

 

[Ganoderma]

ya, roachs are way nicer....


Keeping the crickets on a substrate for breeding will give lots of babies but you will have to keep up maintenance to make sure the dead ones don't mold. Guess it depends whether you are buying thousands or tens. i found it too much work personally.

i hav enever noticed mites either....the only things that i ever had come in with mine were dermestid beetles, and thats just cause of all teh dead crickets from the stores. take out the dead guys and they go away.

 

[Normski2020uk]

I would change to roaches, but the problems should they escape!!! They breed fast and are tough little things. On the other hand crickets that escape die off very quick, they need a lot of water, and soil to lay eggs. So your less likely to get a house invasion of crickets.

 

[Ganoderma]

illinois gets cold, he could easily avoid infestations with not shoosing pest species. hissers are slow and i hate them for it, but they wont spread much. I guess depending on your home conditions, but i doubt if lobsters could make a very lasting impact on you.

 

[Randolph XX()]

none
roaches are way better

 

[Hedorah99]

Yea. I started a dubia colony and have not gone back. the only crickets i really need now are for a few very small slings so I am only buying 6 pinheads a week. The other 50 guys get roaches all the way. A much better feeder.

 

[Mister Internet]

I would change to roaches, but the problems should they escape!!! They breed fast and are tough little things. On the other hand crickets that escape die off very quick, they need a lot of water, and soil to lay eggs. So your less likely to get a house invasion of crickets.

This is a valid concern with Lobsters and Hissers, as they can climb, but anyone who has an escape form a non-climbing species DESERVES to have their house infested...