How To Breed Crickets??

[Black*Fox]

Hey, douse anyone know how to breed krickets? I have several large krickets that I'm sure would love to breed, and my mantids wouldn't mind if they did either. But how do you go about setting things up?

 

[Rick]

It's very easy. Just put a dish of moist soil into their enclosure. They will go into it and lay eggs. I then put the dish under a 50 watt red lamp and. Keep the dirt moist and they should hatch in a week or less.

 

[Black*Fox]

Wow! That is easy! Do I have to use the ligtbulb though, or do you think a warm spot in the house will do?

 

[Rick]

A warm spot will do the same.

 

[Black*Fox]

Here's my set up.

 

[OGIGA]

But where are the crickets??

 

[hibiscusmile]

Blackfox, here is what i made for mine, yours looks better though. But I read they do not like light so I used 3 layers of screen and that way they still get air and some light but not a lot, oh :!: the 3 layers, the first two, (duh, silly me) were fiberglass, so I had to put a metal one on too. Otherwise there would of just been two. :lol:

Notice mine has crickets Ogiga! LOL

 

[OGIGA]

Heh, I see the crickets now. Do you have crickets taking a swim and drowning in there too?

 

[hibiscusmile]

No, that is Flukers cricket quencher, which I must say is a waste of money, as long as you have potatoes and other fresh veggies in there, they typically do not touch the quincher. :wink:

 

[Rick]

Put a half inch or so of oatmael in the bottom of your cricket enclosure hibiscusmile. They eat it too and they can crawl around on it easier than just a bare bottom.

 

[Black*Fox]

I think your set up is a lot fancier actually. Mine is an old fish tank I got for $3 at a yard sale. (The back panels are actually mirrors so it looks a lot biger than it realy is.) And the reason you cant see the crickets is because there were only a few when I took the pict. and they were mostly hidding in the toilet paper roles I have for them. (They love those; nice and dark to hide in.)

 

[infinity]

One thing you have to watch out for though (more than anything I've found) is mould... carboard, oatmeal, vegetables on moist soil without much ventillation easily leads to mould

Just make sure you change it regularly

 

[hibiscusmile]

Thanks for the tip Rick and infinity, Maybe it will help keep the smell down too. I just cleaned it the other day, I mean taking everything out and rinsing it down and re oiling it, and the next day it smells again. And why do so many of them die, everyday there are dead ones in there. Do they just have heart attacks or what, I just don't get it. They have nice home and plenty to eat. :roll: :evil:

 

[infinity]

Crickets always die... not much you can do about it... Just make sure they have enough space, enough fresh veg (as crickets, like superworms/ morios) will eat their friends just to get a bit of moisture

Also, one thing i've found (particularly with locusts, but also applies here) - don't have roofing sides... if you can, have them slightly slanting outwards (like a 'v') - that way when they jump, they don't knock themselves out on the sides...