Keeping tons o' baby Crickets - HELP

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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.

 
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...

 
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.

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

 
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.

 
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.
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?

 
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.

 
: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.

 
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... :D :p 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 :rolleyes:

 
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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:

 
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 :rolleyes: :D 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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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! :unsure: )

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!

 
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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