getting pinheads past the pinhead stage.

[sschind]

I have no problems getting thousands, probably tens of thousands pinhead banded  crickets every month from my purchase of 500 adults but my problem is getting them past the first couple of molts.  I lose probably 75% or more within the first 2 or 3 molts.  I know they need higher humidity and I have tweaked my setups and thought i may have it figured out but now I am fighting mold on my egg cartons.  It's possible I have them too crowded but if I get more containers or larger ones I will run out of room.  

My setup currently consists of Sterelite containers 14x11x12 with holes drilled in the top.  This keeps the humidity up nicely and since they are on a top shelf in my reptile room they seem to stay nice and warm as well.  I layer egg carton with plenty of room between layers (I alternate direction so they don't nest) and at top I take one section of egg carton and soak it in water.  I noticed that as the water soaks down to lower layers the crickets tend to avoid the wetter ones near the top so even though they need higher humidity they don't seem to like being on wet cardboard.  My next move will be to separate the soaked carton from the others with a layer of plastic to keep the lower layers drier but even though they are damp they still attract the crickets.  Tonight when I went in to clean i noticed lots of dead bodies in each layer.  I am thinking placing the cartons upright rather than flat may help.  It will give the sheds room to fall and maybe increase air circulation.

Once I get them through the 3rd molt they seem to be pretty bulletproof so If anyone has any tips or secrets they are willing to share to get past this delicate stage I would appreciate it. 

 

[hibiscusmile]

Wish I could help. I never attempted them as it looked to hard. 

 

[Krissim Klaw]

I used to have a breeder tank of crickets. I know some people separate the eggs but I never did, having pinheads-adults in the same enclosure. I used a 20 gallon long with substrate on the bottom. I kept one side moist and kept the other side (where the egg crate was) dry. I even propped it up so it didn't contact the soil much to help prevent moisture. Nice thing about soil is you can also add springtails which will help control mold growth.

 

[sschind]

I used to have a breeder tank of crickets. I know some people separate the eggs but I never did, having pinheads-adults in the same enclosure. I used a 20 gallon long with substrate on the bottom. I kept one side moist and kept the other side (where the egg crate was) dry. I even propped it up so it didn't contact the soil much to help prevent moisture. Nice thing about soil is you can also add springtails which will help control mold growth.

Thanks for the info. I've tried a tub with substrate but I always got mold but I didn't' use springtails so maybe that is an option.

 

[Introvertebrate]

Have you ever tried a bone dry setup?  I’m not convinced they require any humidity.

 

[sschind]

Have you ever tried a bone dry setup?  I’m not convinced they require any humidity.

most of my setups prior to this new experiment have tended toward the dry side.  Pretty much everything I have read says pinheads need higher humidity.  I've watched dozens of you tube videos and they all stop at hatching.  No one goes into details about what is needed to get past that.

I certainly get enough pinheads that I can try a side by side comparison.  I wish it were so (dry) because the higher humidity sure raises heck with the food by making it mold much faster.  

 

[Introvertebrate]

I heard that ideally, they should have some humidity, but the simplicity of a dry environment might be worth some additional die-offs.

 

[mantisfan101]

Off topic but I suggest trying red runner roaches. They're smaller and the pinheads stay around the same size as the crickets, but they have a smaller die-off, don't smell as bad, and are a lot less noisy

 

[Introvertebrate]

That’s what all the tarantula guys say.  Do red runners elicit the same feeding response as crickets?

 

[MrGhostMantis]

Better responses actually.

 

[Introvertebrate]

Awesome.  I was poking around on YouTube, and came across this cricket breeding video.  It doesn't offer an specifics in terms of care requirements, but I was impressed with how scientifically the guys handle the process.  They even us UV light to help facilitate molting.  Who knew?

 

[mantisfan101]

That’s what all the tarantula guys say.  Do red runners elicit the same feeding response as crickets?

Even better actually, they run around a lot and never really pause or sit still. Also they live a whole lot longer too. Once you establish a colony of red runners, you’ll never have to buy feeders again

 

[sschind]

Even better actually, they run around a lot and never really pause or sit still. Also they live a whole lot longer too. Once you establish a colony of red runners, you’ll never have to buy feeders again

Tiny, fast, flying, climbing, substrate requiring, possible infesting roaches are not for me.  I'll stick with my dubia and orange heads unless I decide to add discoids.

edit:  so I did a little more research and found out they can't really climb or fly but when I had them years ago I did find escapees.  They were getting loose somehow and in my room I'm pretty sure they could breed, at least during the summer months.  Heck, my hissers breed (although slowly) at room temp.

 

[mantisfan101]

Red runners can’t climb or require substrate. Lobster roaches are also always an option although they can climb. 

 

[Introvertebrate]

Some Mantis keepers get dicey results with crickets anyway, although I suspect that has a lot to do with how the crickets were raised.

 

[sschind]

Some Mantis keepers get dicey results with crickets anyway, although I suspect that has a lot to do with how the crickets were raised.

I have heard that.  I'm raising them mainly for my tailless whip scorpions (another batch hatched today)  and assassin bugs. 

 

[mantisfan101]

I have heard that.  I'm raising them mainly for my tailless whip scorpions (another batch hatched today)  and assassin bugs. 

What species?

 

[sschind]

What species?

Damon diadema and Phrynus marginemaculatus for the whips and Psytalla horrida for the Assassins.  The diadema just hatched.  One female marginemaculatus is about to go and the horrida started hatching mid February.  Pinheads are fine for the baby marginemaculatus  but they are too small for the baby diadema and the horrida that's why I need to get them past the first couple of molts.  If I really stay on top of it I can get a fair amount to the right size but any laziness on my part and they crash.  I didn't get my usual 500 adults last month because i had so many pinheads I thought I might be able to skip a bit plus with Tinley Park coming up next weekend I thought I'd wait so my "system" has had a bit of a hiccup.  I wish they would go for mealworms I have tons of them. 

You said the red runners don't necessarily need a substrate.  I might try a small group just to see if I can contain them.  My biggest problem is that I am easily distracted or maybe I am just forgetful... nah let's go with easily distracted, anyway, I have a tendency to leave my roach bins unattended with their tops off some times.  Not a problem with the dubia or orange heads but if the male red runners can fly even a little it might be a problem.

picture 1: Mom D diadema with new brood

picture 2: Soon to be new mom P. marginemaculatus 

picture 3: Newly hatched P. horrida nymphs. They hatch out solid red and the front half darkens over a few hours or so.

 

[mantisfan101]

Absolutely amazing, let me know if you ever decide to let go of some of the diadema slings, I've been looking for whipspiders for a while now. Hoping to find my medius a male sometime soon.