# Keeping tons o' baby Crickets - HELP



## cloud jaguar (Jan 30, 2009)

Ok so my wife and I are temporarily fed up with flies and will graduate most of our mantids to young crickets. We have on the way 1000 1/4 inch crickets from Mulberryfarms.com

We need some advice about how best to keep them alive. Not necessarily create a breeding group - just simply keep them alive. In the past it seems the crickets really enjoy feasting on each other and drying out like shrinki dinks.

What is the ideal setup to keep them alive?

SUBSTRATE: The word is that OATS are the best - is that right? How thick is this substrate and do they eat it or just poop in it? How often should we change it?

ENCLOSURE - what is best - 10 gal aquarium or critter keeper or what?

WATER - i expect a jar lid with sponge or gravel and water is fine?

F00D - dog food, leafy greens

LIGHT - in the past the light has just evaporated the water and dried out their enclosure beyond belief - is this necessary? Also we have been keepint them in garage where it gets cold - what is ideal place for them?

Basically, we just want to make sure they stay alive long enough to be worth the money they cost - nothing fancy - thanks for your help!

~Roland


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## hibiscusmile (Jan 30, 2009)

I keep mine in a rubbermaid container, one that is about 20" x 16" x 18" high, or something like that, with the center cut out and wire screen hot glued onto the lid, they need good room temp warmth. Not in garage if it is cold, they wont live out there, they should live almost 5 to 6 weeks or however long it takes them to be adult if took care of. They need ground up food, I grind all my own and they thrive on it. It is my cricket chop on my site, but u can make your own too. It takes a while to hand grind it, but worth the trouble if u ask me! They need water in one form or another, fresh potatoes every day, or carrots, or I use a humidity foam and give them water on it and supplement it with the fresh vegies! Every other day, check for dead and remove them or they will rot and smell, does this help? also use wire screen or they will chew thru others.


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## Zephyr (Jan 30, 2009)

Hmm... All I can recommend is to give them a good moisture source.

I can never keep the little buggers alive...

Hence why I switched to roaches.


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## hibiscusmile (Jan 31, 2009)

Oh yea, I forgot to say, I use sand as a substrate, and u can just strain the dead and nasties away, I use the no see um screen on a hand made strainer I used from the grandbabies toys, it was a small batmitten or ping pong paddle, i cliped the inside out and hot glue screen to it and use one of their shovels to shovel up the sand,,,, poor grandbabies, granny using all their toys!  Someone on here gave me the idea to use sand, I think it was Skberko!


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## revmdn (Jan 31, 2009)

I just use paper towel.


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## Rick (Jan 31, 2009)

Here is what I do and I hope you take my advice. Get yourself a rubbermaid tub. Make it a fairly good size because most of these will mature before you use them up. Cover the bottom with about a half inch of dry oatmeal. Put in some egg crates for them to hide in/on. Get a small shallow dish and put some gravel in it to prevent drowning and make sure they can get in and out of it. Might have to arrange your egg crates to help with this.

Have this set up before you get them. Once you get them dump them in and feed them. Most shipments I get come with egg crates so you can reuse those. I feed mine things like fish food, green leafy veggies (not iceberg lettuce but stuff like spring mix), dry dog food, etc. I feed them every couple days. Remove any uneaten food. I also cut the middle from the lid for the tub and glue in some mesh. This way you get airflow.

That is it. It is very simple regardless of what some people may tell you. Get a long pair of tweezers so you can grab them out. Don't listen to those who say crickets are going to kill your mantids. Feed the crickets well and take care of them and they are just fine. Any questions just ask me.


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## kamakiri (Jan 31, 2009)

The most maintenance-free program for me is just oat bran and carrots in deli tubs with egg crate or cardboard. Occasionally use Flukers' for the watering...usually in a dish of some sort.

While they do eat the oats, I use it mainly to keep things relatively dry. Wet enclosures smell more and are probably less sanitary. I use a thin/sparse layer unless it gets wet. If it does, I add more oats. Replace egg crate when it is soiled or stays wet.

I also use the small and large Kricket Keepers that come with black tubes for the housing. Works well, but I hate cleaning them between batches. In those, I water with paper towels folded in a dish. Fluker's when I'm too lazy to do that.

Agreed with Rick about the CricketFear being rediculoso ...I'm sure you wouldn't have bought 1,000 if you believed any of that!


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## cloud jaguar (Jan 31, 2009)

Thanks everyone for your help - i am confident we will not kill all of them  I really don't think i believe the cricket scare - except the part about needing to gut load them first before feeding if from Petsmart or Petco! Our limbatas are real piglets and do seem to prefer crickets for now - of course some mantids are strict fly eaters, but until our Ghosts hatch or we get some Gongys, these young meaty treats should do just fine!

*Oddly, i have discovered a strange invader to the last cricket cage i prepared in a large critter keeper with dirt from our garden. You know how sometimes you find a box in storage with these odd little shed skins that look like ice-cream cones? Well they belong to these weird worm like bugs that have legs and are white bellied like maggots but have dark plates on their backs - they are shaped almost like ladybird larvae but with plates on their back and covered with dark hairs. They move pretty fast. Anyways, we discovered them eating the dead cickets and they actually grew pretty large in there - about 1/2 an inch! I tried to feed them to the mantids and they were definitely left alone until after a couple of days i removed them and fed with crix which the mantids voraciously consumed. Not sure what those creepy bugs are - does anyone know? My brother and i always called them Museum Bugs!

~Arkanis


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## kamakiri (Jan 31, 2009)

I'm thinking it's larder beetle larvae

Did it look like this?:


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## cloud jaguar (Jan 31, 2009)

kamakiri said:


> I'm thinking it's larder beetle larvaeDid it look like this?:


Exactly! thanks Kamakiri. Are those poisonous or anything? They must taste bad or something because the mantids left those well alone.


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## revmdn (Jan 31, 2009)

What's the ideal temperature for keeping crickets?


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## robelgado (Jan 31, 2009)

Rubbermade container

Paper towel rolls/toilet paper rolls

oats =

happy crickets


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## Emile.Wilson (Jan 31, 2009)

When i had crickets for my Chinese water dragon i would just feed the crickets lettuce and other food scraps that are healthy also had special cricket food


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## PhilinYuma (Feb 1, 2009)

revmdn said:


> What's the ideal temperature for keeping crickets?


It depends on what you want to do with them. I buy about six dozen pinheads a week, and want them to remain that size until they are eaten, so I don't push large amounts of food or high temperatures. Mine do nicely at about 80F to 85F (room temperature) summer and winter, but when I was in Casa Grande, AZ, in the early part of January, young crickets were thriving (they invade the warm concrete patios after sunset) at nighttime temperatures of around 37F.


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## kamakiri (Feb 1, 2009)

Arkanis said:


> Exactly! thanks Kamakiri. Are those poisonous or anything? They must taste bad or something because the mantids left those well alone.


No idea if they are poisonous, but I doubt it. Most poisonous fauna evolve to be brightly colored or obviously patterned. I'd suspect the hairs, bad taste, maybe even 'undesireable' movement/motion.


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## Rick (Feb 1, 2009)

revmdn said:


> What's the ideal temperature for keeping crickets?


I did nothing special. Just put the tub in the same room as my mantids.


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## PhilinYuma (Feb 1, 2009)

Since we're on this cricket thing, and since Arkanis is ordering them en masse and Kamakiri just posted a nice note about getting crix from Mulberry Farms, I'd like to say a good word for local pet stores, or at least the ones that I use. I occasionally see comments on this forum about store-bought crix causing a whole bunch of mantis problems that I would have ascribed to other husbandry issues or inadequate feeding, and it would be a pity if this caused new members of the forum to avoid this most obvious and convenient source of supply without at least checking them out.

If a store doesn't maintain its cricket supply properly, the crix will die and they will make a loss, so most of them are pretty careful. Like Rick, I belong to the "toss 'em in and scoop 'em out" school of cricket keeping, and I usually lose under 5%/week (3-4) in the container, which is more to the credit of the producer (often the same guy that we order from by mail, of course) and the store, than it is to me.

Besides, some of the staff at my local store are pretty cute.....


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## revmdn (Feb 1, 2009)

I've never had a problem with the pet store crickets, but I never really gave them much of a chance. I always order them from suppliers. I think I'm going to try roaches soon though. Yeah, I miss them pet shop girls myself.


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## Rick (Feb 1, 2009)

Main reason I avoid pet store crickets is the price. Around here they want like $.12 apiece for them. I can get 1K online for something like $20 and they are a much better quality.


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## nasty bugger (Feb 4, 2009)

Local pet store here orders them for $20 for 500, and says they come with 10%-20% over.

I had one of those fuzzy worms in my last batch, and threw it into my most ferocious mantis' enclosure, and haven't seen it since. He eats anything, so I keep my fingers clear...  

The Pets Inc, the store I usually use around here, puts orange slices, and cricket chow into their enclosure. She said that they can't eat through the segments so make sure to cut across the orange so the segment material doesn't block the food part. We have orange trees all over the place here, so it's free food.

She said any veg material, and protein dog food will do.

I put sliced grapes and carrots in with mine when I get them home.

The mortality rate seemed to drop when I started adding the grapes.

I read that the reason crickets hide under washers and driers and fridges is to get the heat from the motors, compressors, so I put mine in the garden under the grow light now. The seem to love it, and can hide in the egg crate when they don't want light, but still get the heat.


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## kamakiri (Feb 9, 2009)

Back to the larder beetle larva...fed one to one of my _limbata_ males just to see. It did take him a little while to get through the hair/spines, but seemed to go just fine after that.

And I suppose I need to credit pet shop girls for suggesting both carrots and oats for cricket feed...


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## cloud jaguar (Feb 9, 2009)

kamakiri said:


> And I suppose I need to credit pet shop girls for suggesting both carrots and oats for cricket feed...


ah, i see. all this time i didnt realize they ate those oats! I have our 1000 on a bed of oats with a water sponge, dog kibble, carrots and celery and egg cartons. they seem to like it.


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## Kaddock (Feb 14, 2009)

this thread answered all of my questions about housing!!! thanks. now i just have to successfully breed! I'm using this guide for that:

http://littlebrownfrogs.kero-kero.net/pinheads.html

thanks again!!! B)


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## kamakiri (Feb 14, 2009)

Kaddock said:


> this thread answered all of my questions about housing!!! thanks. now i just have to successfully breed! I'm using this guide for that:http://littlebrownfrogs.kero-kero.net/pinheads.html
> 
> thanks again!!! B)


Found that link a while back too...and I've been thinking of breeding 'em myself. That link makes it look easy enough.


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## robelgado (Feb 14, 2009)

Im going to have to start breeding them soon as well, they arent very expensive, but the price adds up!


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## nasty bugger (Feb 15, 2009)

I bought a thousand two weekers today at the reptile show, for $11, and now I need to set up to breed them.

Not sure if they guy selling them was just being secretive, but I've always heard that they only live about 6-8 weeks, but he said they should live around 12 weeks, and that he's had them last 14 weeks when he cooled them down. I wasn't going to argue with a guy that had 50,000 crickets with him, but I've heard that they die if they aren't up in temp and he said nope, they can survive in cooler temps with just the right type of food.

He was being secretive about his own "custom made food".

He did say that dog food and his special made food and just plain water is all it takes to raise them and keep them alive. Said the citrus and carrots and tettuce and stuff is all BS, and that's why those people's die so early.

This guy was at a booth tittled "cricketsdirect.com

He had boxes of tubes with 500 and 1,000 crickets from 1-6 weeks old.

same for mealworms, which I got 1k of, and super worms, and some other worm.

No mantis' at the show, and there was only about 20 vendors or less.


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## Rick (Feb 15, 2009)

nasty bugger said:


> I bought a thousand two weekers today at the reptile show, for $11, and now I need to set up to breed them.Not sure if they guy selling them was just being secretive, but I've always heard that they only live about 6-8 weeks, but he said they should live around 12 weeks, and that he's had them last 14 weeks when he cooled them down. I wasn't going to argue with a guy that had 50,000 crickets with him, but I've heard that they die if they aren't up in temp and he said nope, they can survive in cooler temps with just the right type of food.
> 
> He was being secretive about his own "custom made food".
> 
> ...


I outlined in my first post how to keep crickets. There is nothing hard about it. They do live a long time. I just feed them leafy greens with occasional dog food, carrots, apples, etc. You will have to wait unitl yours are adult to breed them but honestly since you can get them so cheap why even bother breeding your own?


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## kamakiri (Feb 15, 2009)

nasty bugger said:


> Said the citrus and carrots and tettuce and stuff is all BS, and that's why those people's die so early.


 :huh: Uh, Okay. I have crickets from mid-December kept alive on oats and carrots. So you can guess where the BS is.  

Keeping crickets alive is not rocket science.


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## PhilinYuma (Feb 15, 2009)

kamakiri said:


> :huh: Uh, Okay. I have crickets from mid-December kept alive on oats and carrots. So you can guess where the BS is.  Keeping crickets alive is not rocket science.


Yeah. Ever noticed that a lot pf people who raise living things in captivity, are often less concerned with housing, etc than with food, our national obsession? Out in the real world (the empty lot where I'm headed after this) crickets never see oats, carrots, citrus, kibble or anyone's "special formula". If we do our best to provide food that will keep the critters alive and well and that suits our own circumstances, that's fine, but to say, "I have the ideal feeding program and everybody else's is useless" is not very helpful for anyone starting out.


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## nasty bugger (Feb 18, 2009)

I've been in captivity before, not bred there though, and have noted that the way you are fed does make a large difference, an amazing difference, in how people act toward each other, and I'd assume the same would go for other creatures.

A good diet should reduce fighting and canabalism. That's what I'd think as far as breeding goes.

The nutritional value would be the other factor, and those in the wild would seem to eat alot more diverse diet than those in captivity, plus they don't live in their own feces, I don't think....I could be wrong on that on though

I'm going to do this in my storage room outside, so no sweat, unless they get out and invade all my stuff and deficate all over everything. If they do that I'll have to try to make this the fashion of the day. That's it, I'll be rich. Cricket crud fashion, along with my mantis manure business I'll be a zillionaire...   I'll be the biggest in all the southwest......I'll be the scarface of cricket crud... "i want you to meet my lil' friend..."

I ended up with 1k of 6 weekers, 1k of 3 weekers, and 500 pinheads. Hopefully by the time my next ooths pop I'll have pinheads from the 6 weekers, then the 3 weekers, then......

Sorry if I hajacked the thread, but I'm too lazy to start my own, and who wants to read my crud


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## PhilinYuma (Feb 19, 2009)

nasty bugger said:


> I've been in captivity before, not bred there though, and have noted that the way you are fed does make a large difference, an amazing difference, in how people act toward each other, and I'd assume the same would go for other creatures.


And don't you hate it when you are in a holding enclosure with 12 other, er, specimens, and they only have 12 sandwiches for lunch? Survival of the fittest! :lol:


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## revmdn (Feb 19, 2009)

Well, thats better than isolation. There is always cannibalism.


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## nasty bugger (Feb 19, 2009)

PhilinYuma said:


> And don't you hate it when you are in a holding enclosure with 12 other, er, specimens, and they only have 12 sandwiches for lunch? Survival of the fittest! :lol:


Well, if they follow 'rules', then the other 'white specimens' will look out for their own and give up a bit of theirs to one that has none, so, naw. But if they're idiots and have no sense of brotherhood, then ya got problems, but I'm not that small, and was raised by a guy that was raised by a special unit marine, in the poor part of town, so... I am nice, till it's time to not be nice... I survive pretty much anywhere just fine  I am getting older, so I don't have the umph and stamina I used to, but I still have the fight in me, when it's called out to play.

I'll say it again later, what really sucks is when you're there for something you didn't do, or was actually a victim of, but didn't tell the truth as well as the doer lied, and I hesitate to put a smiley on it, but it's so ironic that it's funny as heck   I'll never trust the gov't to get it right again !

I suppose that it would be good grounds for a law suit if this were the case, and some would actually hope they didn't feed them for such purposes, but the 'keepers' would lie about it and the court would assume that the 'keeper' was telling the truth.

Been in isolation too.

It's not so bad, if you have books and stuff to do.

Wouldn't want to live my life that way though.

What really sucks is when you're there for something you didn't do.

I could say more, but this isn't the forum for it, or maybe it is. It does go toward basic animal psychology, and how food affects the behavior in captivity of such  

The jail here in Phoenix is run by 'America's toughest Sheriff' and he feeds ###### to the inmates.

Says it's not a camp or club, and if they're in jail they shouldn't enjoy yourselfs.

My issue with his philosophy here is, not everyone in his jail has been convicted, yet they get to enjoy all the ammenities of a convicted criminal, and pay for it ! Yes, if someone has money when they go into jail here, they pay for their meals, whether they are guilty or innocent, convicted or not.

My issue at hand is that even the unconvicted, and some of them innocent as all get out, are exposed to the people, convicts or not, that are angry and psychologically affected by the treatment and chemical response their bodies have to the less than usual food they are given.

He says that the meals are 'adequate', but that doesn't mean that the body feels right, and it creates a hostile environment for not just the convicts, but the innocent/unconvicted people in there, and that includes the jailers.

His own people are more likely to be shanked or beaten or strangled or have various body fluids flung on them in a atmosphere like he has created, but Ol' Joe wants the drama and conflict to boost his visibility, and has no concern with those in there that don't belong there, cause his guys can't be wrong........ yeah, right. His guys do relish violence, some of them, and some more than the violent criminals, because they are exposed to the bad attitude that the food problem has created, and they don't even associate the attitude with what their boss has done to create it, alot of the time.

Mantis', well, they just want to eat, even if it's each other.

If they don't have enough to eat, well, some other mantis on the menu, unless it eat them.

Some humans know better, and have attorneys.

The one's that can't afford an attorney can't afford justice.

Humans aren't all that much different than mantis'. They just have a louder way of communication, and are more deceitful.

My mantis' arent' charged for their meals ....  The feeders, on the other hand... well... the ultimate price.

It didn't really come as much of a surprise to me when Chuck, at spider pharm, told me that a diet with good protein in it reduced canabalism way down to next to nothing. Now that wouldn't look right going into court if someone were wanting a conviction, would it...?

The law of the mantis is just eat, or be eaten, if nutrition isn't adequate. Kinda like the political system, but the politicians are never satisfied, are they

I used to get crazy when I was younger, Phil, and now I'm way more mellow, so I get along with everyone pretty well, plus I know how to deal with life there, for the most part. I didn't believe that I couldn't achieve my objectives, but I was never violent, unless as a defensive mechanism. I am slow to anger, so I have time to think things over before I act or react, except in certain circumstances.

You were military or associated with, or so I've gathered from your statements on here, and it's not a whole lot different. It's all institutional lifestyle. I don't think mantis' understand instututions though...  Not sure all humans do either


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## Dinora (Feb 19, 2009)

Rick said:


> Don't listen to those who say crickets are going to kill your mantids.


Newb question in 3...

2...

1...

Ok, I feed my little guys crickets, but I read that you are not to leave the crickets in their habitat overnight because the crickets could nibble at their bodies. ( Having a Hymenopus Coronatus this is a real fear for me!  )

Is this true or can I leave a couple extra in there?

I'm curious because I'll be going on a camping trip for 4 days next month and want to know if I can leave a few extra or if I need to find a babysitter.

-Dinora

PS: Thanks, Rick, for all the good advice you give!


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## nasty bugger (Feb 20, 2009)

I've put multiple crickets in with my mantis' and not had any problems. The only thing I'd hesitate doing it putting them in when the molt is forthcoming. I'd hate to have a stupid cricket knock down my mantis and cripple it during a molt, but I've seen no damage done be a cricket. I do have limited experience however.

I've found that if you get some fly pupae that you can pull some out of the fridge a couple days before leaving, and some more a day before leaving, and then put them in the enclosure and let them hatch out and do a time release feeding for the mantis'. You may even want to warm some up 3 days before leaving, but I'm sure the mantis' will do fine without for for a couple, if not all four days, provided they're housed one to a container...

humidity would be my concern, and for that I have a humidifier that has a built in timer, and one that I could put on a 7 day wall timer, for timed intervals. I imagine yours would do fine, cause mine have no problems going a couple days between misting, occasionally, and it's dry here. The molt, again, is about the only time I'd be concerned.

For vacation and crickets, what little experience I have there is I just put some veggies in and let them do what they do. There are some losses, but there always are anyway. I'd reduce heat while I was gone, or just prior, to slow their metabolism.


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