Cricket Enclosures?

[December Mourning]

I'm feeding two adult mantids (1 very pregnant euro and 1 chinese) so I don't need to house hundreds of crickets at time - usually I just buy about 2-3 dozen at a time.

I am currently housing my crickets in a medium size tupperware type container with plastic wrap tied around the top with a rubber band with holes punched in it with a toothpick. I try to clean the dung out every other day but, in doing so, I have to remove all of the crickets (I usually just slide them into a big ziplock bag), wash the container then put them back in. Is there an easier way to do this?

What do you guys use for cricket enclosures that minimize the urine stink and makes for easy removal of all the dung without having to relocate the crickets when cleaning? This wouldn't be so bad if they didn't defecate so much

 

[Rick]

I use a rubbermaid tub. I have about 1,000 at a time. I cut the middle out of the lid and glued mesh over the hole. I use a small shallow dish filled with gravel to put water in. The bottom of the tub is covered in a layer of plain dry oatmeal. Of course the tub is filled with egg cartons. When the crickets are running low in a couple months then I clean it out before the new batch arrives. I clean the water dish weekly and remove any uneaten food. It doesn't stink.