Locusts vs Crickets

[Tim Benzedrine]

No, I don't need to know which would win in a fight. That would be the locusts, because seemingly all one has to do to kill a cricket is look at it, as often as not.
Nope, for once I'm posting a RELEVANT thread.

Because I am curious. It appears that across the ocean from the U.S., mainly the UK, I see more mention of locusts as feeders than I do crickets. This may be a misconception on my part of course. But I can recall few if any references to locusts (or "grasshoppers" in these parts) as feeders here in the U.S. If they are more popular there, I'm wondering why they haven't caught on here as much.
I pondered a few ideas. More difficult to breed? if that were the case, where do they get them over there?
And...hmm. Guess I only pondered one idea.

I was bitten by a grasshopper once...

Darn. that was kind of irrelevant.

 

[carterxwr]

I think that a big part of why they aren't so readily available here in the states is that in order to house locusts for a long period of time they require much higher temperatures than crickets. Crickets can be kept at room temperature whereas locusts require 90-95 degree temperatures. Seems like it would be a bigger hassle for suppliers. I would also note that locusts have a MUCH higher protein value in comparison to crickets, not entirely sure how relevant that would be for feeding T's but I know that's a big reason for using them over crickets when keeping reptiles.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

Keeping them 90-95 degrees would be a hassle for me as well! Not so much in the summer, but in the winter...I have a hard enough time keeping temps comfortable for the pets, let alone feeders.

 

[Ryunss]

Locusts are mainly used for reptiles due to, as @carterxwr said, their higher protein levels. I have in the past used them to feed adult tarantulas in order to give them a more hearty meal, although I am a little apprehensive using them for tarantulas due to their much larger mandibles and sharp spines on their rear legs which could pretty easily tear a tarantulas abdomen were it to thrash about. Here in the UK they are very readily available in many sizes, and many times when I go to pet stores for bits and bobs the supply is equal or greater than crickets.

 

[Bipolar Spider]

Always use locusts as they're easier to catch, you get far less in a pack so not much wastage and as said protein. iirc I read on here once they were illegal/banned some places over there. This was maybe 10 years ago though

 

[Ryunss]

Always use locusts as they're easier to catch

THIS! the amount of ball ache crickets that hide in the smallest crevices...... Really gets on my neves!

 

[basin79]

I get locust as a "treat" maybe once every few month. Adults (which what I get) make a large meal but their expense doesn't equal that. An adult locust will perhaps equal 5 adult female crickets at most.

Now of course I'm not putting a price on my pets but if they're not necessarily offering something vital I don't think they are.

I also find crickets, morio worms and roaches easier to gut load. It's not that locust won't take fresh veg it just seems they're not mad keen on eating.

 

[Daesu]

I am in the UK and don't use crickets anymore as a dodgy one killed the first mantis i owned within 24 hours. Locusts are readily available at exotic shops in my town and i now buy mini locusts to feed my slings and the love to munch them.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Yes, that's true... here in Europe, UK especially, there's a lot of locusts in the arachnid trade.

Personally I buy adults of those by the hundreds but only for let those buggers literally munch and destroy people I despise fields, vegetable gardens etc

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

Locusts are mainly used for reptiles due to, as @carterxwr said, their higher protein levels. I have in the past used them to feed adult tarantulas in order to give them a more hearty meal, although I am a little apprehensive using them for tarantulas due to their much larger mandibles and sharp spines on their rear legs which could pretty easily tear a tarantulas abdomen were it to thrash about. Here in the UK they are very readily available in many sizes, and many times when I go to pet stores for bits and bobs the supply is equal or greater than crickets.

Yeah, those spined legs would concern me a bit as well. I'd probably remove those. Not a lot to be done bout the mandibles unless you beheaded them, of course. I was more curious than anything else . I have pretty ready access to crickets, so it isn't too big an issue.

Interesting replies, folks.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I prefer crickets to locusts, IME most of the complaints that people have of crickets I find are actually more true of locusts (e.g. dying easily/stinking), they tend to need cleaning out far more often than crickets due to the sheer amount of sopping wet faecal matter they produce and they don't have much trouble escaping as they can climb plastic and jump much higher than crickets.

I'd only use them for my larger specimens if I couldn't get supers or dubia and I didn't have enough adult lats to feed off and sustain my colony.