Jerusalem Cricket Proper Setup

IsabeauBleue

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 4, 2013
Messages
19
I've had my little cricket since January. I think he's (she?) is just an amazing little critter but I never see the thing. About once a week I dig him out to make sure he's still alive and to check the moisture of the coco fiber. I've been trying to figure out the best moisture for this species but I haven't been able to find information saying how wet to keep them. I assume we don't want him to be swimming in mud, but that's about it. What is the proper set up for these silly things?

My current setup is a 6qt plastic tub with two inches of coco fiber (I'll be adding another inch today). I keep this just barely moist; enough to hold together but not so much that it's dripping. There is a thin cover of leaf litter. There are also a few isopods in the tank. I had hoped these would be seen as a food source but I haven't noticed if any are missing or not. I'll be counting them today.

What else should I be providing for this silly critter besides carrots and potatoes every so often? I'd really like to see him once in a while but as far as I can tell, he just picks a spot and hides. Then he moves to another spot and hides.
 

Jesse James

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 3, 2016
Messages
93
What is the proper set up for these silly things?
That's something you should of known before purchasing the cricket. But If it's been alive since January I would say the setup you have is fine, keep doing what your doing.
What else should I be providing for this silly critter besides carrots and potatoes every so often?
They're predators, so I would feed it other crickets lol.
I'd really like to see him once in a while but as far as I can tell, he just picks a spot and hides. Then he moves to another spot and hides.
Situate the enclosure in a way where you can see it more, for example, make the substrate shallow so it can't dig. Or make your own hide the way you like it, be creative.
 

IsabeauBleue

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 4, 2013
Messages
19
There isn't much information about setup for these. That is the problem. I've looked. The only information I've found is 3 inch substrate and being careful of ventilation holes because they can chew plastic and escape. I haven't found any information about humidity levels.

As for feeding crickets, I'm trying to minimize the possibility of parasite transfer so prefer not to feed similar species to it.
 

WeightedAbyss75

Arachnoangel
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Messages
921
Could try to feed roaches or other small inverts. Never cared for these, but I'd say keep doing what you're doing. I hear they don't have long lifespans, so keeping one alive for months probably means that it's alright ;)
 

IsabeauBleue

Arachnopeon
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Oct 4, 2013
Messages
19
Thanks. I just worry that because I have no care sheet to follow, I could be doing something better for the silly thing. It's nice having something that says "hey, you should totally be doing this". Then again, it's also nice knowing that I have something that not many people keep. Lol
 

Hisserdude

Arachnoking
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Apr 18, 2015
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2,453
I've kept a group of these and even got eggs from a couple females, never got those eggs to hatch though...

They like it moist, moist enough so they can create somewhat stable burrows, coconut fiber works great as a substrate, they don't like peat moss since it really sticks to their feet, and sand will kill species that aren't psammophiles.

They are omnivores, with highly carnivorous tendencies, if you try feeding them just veggies they will eventually die after a few months. They will eat dog food for protein, in fact they can survive and grow on just dog food alone, that's basically all I fed mine, as they never really liked any of the veggies I gave them. They'll also eat live prey, roaches, crickets, mealworms, etc.
 

Smokehound714

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Mar 23, 2013
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they actually have a decent lifespan, i have three that have been juveniles since early last year and still arent adults yet
 

Smokehound714

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Sand is ideal substrate for stenopelmatus with a few exceptions being oak woodland species like mahogany jerusalem crickets.

Coco fiber alone is fine. Most dont need to be moist at all. Just give em a slice of fruit occasionally and a spray the side every now and then
 

Hisserdude

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Apr 18, 2015
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they actually have a decent lifespan, i have three that have been juveniles since early last year and still arent adults yet
Yeah, they can take 1-2 years to mature, and the adukt females can live for about 4-6 months, maybe longer. Quite long lived for an orthopteran.

Sand is ideal substrate for stenopelmatus with a few exceptions being oak woodland species like mahogany jerusalem crickets.

Coco fiber alone is fine. Most dont need to be moist at all. Just give em a slice of fruit occasionally and a spray the side every now and then
There are lots of dune inhabiting Stenopelmatus that like sand, there are also quite a few that don't though, the ones I got were definitely the latter, kept one on sand because it's original substrate was peat, which it did not like one bit, and it did horrible and ended up dying in the sand, meanwhile all 7 others were kept on coconut fiber and did fine.

I just like to keep mine moist so that if they molt underground, (which they like to do), the substrate doesn't collapse on them.
 

Hisserdude

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Apr 18, 2015
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Man, these were really fun to keep, wish I could have gotten my eggs to hatch, seems like they were all infertile though, I think my females scraped their spermatophores off too early to absorb the sperm, should have isolated them and kept them in a cage without substrate or something to make sure they really soaked it in. :(

I got 50+ eggs from one of my females in three clutches, every last one molded over. If I had mated her properly, I would have had a TON of offspring, so many baby crickets... sadly it was not so. Oh well, I'll try again one day I'm sure! :)
 

chanda

Arachnoking
Old Timer
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Jun 27, 2010
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2,229
I've kept these a few times. They don't seem to live terribly long - maybe 5-6 months - but then, they've all been adults when I caught them, so who knows how old they really were. I keep them in a mix of sand/dirt (from the area where I caught them) and coconut fiber. I feed them dog and cat kibble, pre-killed feeder crickets, and assorted bits of fruits or veggies. (They seem to prefer zucchini and sweet potato over lettuce and carrots or apples.) I keep the substrate pretty dry, with a light misting every couple of days. The substrate is 2-3 inches deep, allowing them to burrow. I didn't often see them during the day - but when I'd come in at night, they were frequently out and about. I'm currently keeping my eye out for some new ones. While they aren't just all over the place, I do find them sometimes when I go hiking at night - and they are fun to keep.
 

Hisserdude

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They don't seem to live terribly long - maybe 5-6 months - but then, they've all been adults when I caught them, so who knows how old they really were.
That's about the normal adult lifespan, they don't live terribly long as adults, the nymphs live much longer.
 

IsabeauBleue

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 4, 2013
Messages
19
Sorry it took so long to reply back. The two seem to be doing okay. I still never actually see them but I guess that's okay. Thank you everyone for tidbits on how you've kept them.
 
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