Help with cricket keeping?

[valkryja]

Hey everyone! I just bought a new baby and I'm assuming he'll want to eat some crickets once I actually pick him up. ;D

When I had Wrex, I kept the crickets in sand, which was probably a really bad idea. I had the leftover 10 gallon baby tank with the calcium sand at the bottom, and figured that the calcium sand was rather expensive and I wanted to put it to good use somehow. I just dumped the sand, and now I want to know what to keep them in.

10 gallons is pretty much all I have to spare right now, and I have plenty of cardboard paper towel tubes and egg cartons for use. How many crickets could I keep at one time with this setup without them all dying and eating each other? What should I feed them? I bought gutload at the pet store, but I was wondering if I should give them anything else. Oh, and I gave them a sponge and wet paper towel to drink out of, to try to prevent the idiots from drowning themselves.

Any help with cricket keeping is appreciated.

 

[li]

I used an old 20 gallon, but a 10 is okay as long as you don't get too many at one time. I always kept the screen cover on the top so that the crix had plenty of ventilation and they didn't get all soggy. I used paper towels on the bottom of the tank and kept a couple of paper towel tubes in there. Also feed them the same greens that I fed Spryo.

 

[valkryja]

How many would you consider to be too many?

 

[zebraflavencs]

ten thousand.
janie

 

[valkryja]

Haha, yes, that would be too much. So maybe... I dunno, is 500 too much for that tank? I'd like to buy online. Anyone have a link to a cheap cricket vendor online?

 

[northface75]

the best set up for crickets is just a cheap 20 gallon sterilite tote. they cost five dollars. you dont need ANY substrate. They live and reproduce perfectly on ANY cheap dry cat food. just put a couple egg cartons in there, a pile of cat food in the corner, some type of water. (I use water crystals because its the cleanest and easiest but for awhile I used cotton balls on a sour cream lid for their water). Also, put in a small dish of regular dirt. any type will do. they females will burrow in it and lay their eggs in it.

breeding crickets is pretty easy. make sure you keep the soil moist as well, or the eggs will die.

In a 20 gallon tote I'd say 1000 crix is about good. they start to REALLY stink if you get too many.

 

[li]

The rubbermaid barrels and totes are a good thing to use. Just make sure that you keep them well ventilated. The next best thing is an old tank with the mesh top.

For a 20 gallon tank I would say no more than 300-500 tops.

 

[beardie_love]

I would say a tank is better than a tote. They can climb up the tote, and when you open the lid.. POW! CRICKET ESCAPES! I just switched from a tote to a tank today, and I'm loving it already.

I had the tote for almost a week, and my mom keeps finding so many crickets around the apartment. I rarely have escapees. So, today, I found out why they're were so many. Well, the lid is the correct size for the tote, but it does not totally seal it all the way around.

Since I put them in the 20 gallon aquarium I have, well, the don't try to climb. Crickets CAN climb up the silicone of the tank though. It can be prevented by putting packing tape around the inside of the tank. It's slippery so they can't climb up. But also, just a screen top will do. ;D

To feed them, I don't buy that commercial cricket food. I just use what I feed my dragons - greens and butternut squash. But you can use other veggies. I think it's better to use what you have laying around for a good gutload! Just make sure you remove the uneaten, yucky food items when you notice they are getting gross.

All the cardboard tubes and stuff that you use, GOOD! Make sure you have plenty of it, or you will be seeing some cannibalism! Also, make sure you keep their home clean - they can get REEEEALLY smelly!

So, what I have, is a 20 gal with paper towel bottom, some egg crates, a paper towel tube, 3 little bowls of squash, 1 good sized tupperware lid of greens, and 2 cricket pillows (water). I also put the packing tape all around the inside, and I have a mesh net thingy covering the top. Oh, and I have about 500 crix in there, and still looks pretty roomy!

Hope this helped!

 

[northface75]

I put masking tape around the inside of the tote to prevent escapees as well, two levels of it

 

[srabeardie]

I think I'm gonna try that tape thing :