I'm a new parent of a 2 year old male named Bebe. We've had him now for about a week. The main problem i have is keeping the crickets alive for more than a day or two. I have a cage for them with water dishes and ground dog food and I only get about 50 at a time, but the day after i get them, many of them have died. Am I doing something wrong?
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Crickets
- Thread starter bebemama
- Start date
- Messages
- 10
I have found this info. on another forum which I am a part of. I personally followed this guide and it seems to work pretty well as far as keeping crickets go. I know it's been a while since this question was posted, but it's good info. for any and all of us now to know.
~*Liss*~
CRICKET CARE AND KEEPING
Housing Tips:
1. House crickets in a 10-15 gallon glass aquarium with a full screen top.
2. No substrate on the tank bottom. Simply keep it clean and dry.
3. On one end of the tank, stack clean egg carton pieces. Placement should allow for gaps in between so that the crickets have room to hide.
4. Be sure to position a spot light directly above the egg cartons so that the temperatures beneath are 95-100F. Crickets are cold blooded and need to "warm up" so they desire to eat and metabolize their food properly. If not kept warm, die offs will occur quickly. Lights should be on, 24/7.
5. On the opposite end of the tank, place a clean paper plate with cricket food. Since crickets will eat "around the clock" be sure to have food available at all times. We gutload with Nature Zone Total Bites.
6. CLEAN the tank bottom at least every other day (daily if you have many crickets you are housing). Crickets eat and produce waste nonstop. Regular cleaning deters the opportunity for bacteria and disease.
Cleaning Tips:
1. Remove the paper plate and egg carton pieces (tapping the pieces against the tank glass to loosen any debris). Now you should just have crickets and waste on the aquarium bottom.
2. Use a wide "paint scrapper tool" to scrape everything to one end of the tank. As you are doing this, if there are any live crickets, they will run back over to the cleaned end. Use the flat edge of the scrapper (as you would a spatula) to lift out the waste and/or dead crickets that have accumulated.
3. Once the tank bottom is clean, add back clean egg carton pieces and cricket food.
4. Once every 2-4 weeks when you've fed out all your crickets, wash the tank thoroughly with antibacterial soap and water. Rinse well.
~*Liss*~
CRICKET CARE AND KEEPING
Housing Tips:
1. House crickets in a 10-15 gallon glass aquarium with a full screen top.
2. No substrate on the tank bottom. Simply keep it clean and dry.
3. On one end of the tank, stack clean egg carton pieces. Placement should allow for gaps in between so that the crickets have room to hide.
4. Be sure to position a spot light directly above the egg cartons so that the temperatures beneath are 95-100F. Crickets are cold blooded and need to "warm up" so they desire to eat and metabolize their food properly. If not kept warm, die offs will occur quickly. Lights should be on, 24/7.
5. On the opposite end of the tank, place a clean paper plate with cricket food. Since crickets will eat "around the clock" be sure to have food available at all times. We gutload with Nature Zone Total Bites.
6. CLEAN the tank bottom at least every other day (daily if you have many crickets you are housing). Crickets eat and produce waste nonstop. Regular cleaning deters the opportunity for bacteria and disease.
Cleaning Tips:
1. Remove the paper plate and egg carton pieces (tapping the pieces against the tank glass to loosen any debris). Now you should just have crickets and waste on the aquarium bottom.
2. Use a wide "paint scrapper tool" to scrape everything to one end of the tank. As you are doing this, if there are any live crickets, they will run back over to the cleaned end. Use the flat edge of the scrapper (as you would a spatula) to lift out the waste and/or dead crickets that have accumulated.
3. Once the tank bottom is clean, add back clean egg carton pieces and cricket food.
4. Once every 2-4 weeks when you've fed out all your crickets, wash the tank thoroughly with antibacterial soap and water. Rinse well.
Maddie
Juvenile Dragon
- Messages
- 143
Instead of dog food, use fresh veggies such as collard greens and squash to gut load. What your crickets eat is what your dragon eats. I have a friend who had dubia roaches feeding on cat food. This led to huge complications in her dragon and is going on a month so far trying to get him back to full health. I also recommend not using water as they tend to drown. Instead use "cricket water" I believe it is made by Faulkers. That company also makes cricket food if you want to incorporate that with the veggies.
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RaeAnn
Bearded Dragon Veteran
- Messages
- 859
Yup^ I agree completely. Dog and cat food is just too much protein and I do believe insects are capable of converting large amounts of protein into a substance that is toxic to beardies. The fresh greens, veggies, and fruit will also serve as a water source since they are loaded with moisture. So there will be no need to put any actual water in the cricket cage. Just remember to clean their tank out often since veggies and fruit can mold quickly.
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RaeAnn
Bearded Dragon Veteran
- Messages
- 859
Hahaha! Tapatalk app is awful. It constantly shows "new stories" on your feed that aren't new. And than it doesn't show half of the things that actually are fresh. @Maddie we both have to remember to look at dates before commenting hunny
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Eavlynn
Bearded Dragon Veteran
- Messages
- 978
Gotta love revived posts. Good tips on cricket care though! Haha
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Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
RaeAnn
Bearded Dragon Veteran
- Messages
- 859