Cricket Question

[Pittylova]

Alright so I'm planning out construction of a vivarium that will end up being 3ft high, 3ft long, and 2.5ft wide. I got a lot of help from these forums and many people offered helpful advice. I'm picking up the plexiglass tomorrow and who knows what else :-). It's going to be a tropical environment to house a trio of anoles. I plan on putting in a large water feature with waterfall to house a couple of small hardy fish, maybe snail or crab....I haven't looked TOO much into that aspect yet. I want to keep it as natural as possible and create an ecosystem within it. I'm just starting research on what to include as far as plants and animals however.

Now to my point (I babble a lot lol)...I just got set up to try my hand at breeding some crickets. I noticed that there are various insects people allow to live within their vivariums that are food sources for their reptiles/amphibians. Would attempting to breed crickets within the vivarium be a bad idea? I know they would require their own food source as well just as if they were in their own enclosure. Any ideas?

[JohnEDove]

I have had the same thoughts with my new Anole Terrarium.
I do have 3 cricket breeding colonys going with animals in them. One has a Buffo Woodhousi, one has a Eumeces obsoletus, and the third has a Coleonyx brevis. The first two are the last of those I bred and hatched of each species and the Coleonyx I traded a horse for. (Bad horse long story)
The cricket production is greatly reduced in each colony due to the animals eating some of the production, in the Buffo and Eumeces I actually have to add some crickets about every 6 months.
I will be adding some Tropical Springtails to the Anole enclosure to boost the natural cycling and provide another food source for the hatchling Anoles.

[Pittylova]

Yea I figured that the colonies would be reduced, but I also figured with the size of the enclosure I'm making (3ftx3ftx2.5ft) and the extensive amount of hiding spots that will be available that they'd have a decent chance to go on and breed. Adding every 6 months or so isn't too bad. I think it would be nice to be able to have it as natural as possible, and that way I know they have plenty of food in case one gets a bit pushy about it. I also feed moths a few times a week (my family calls me the mighty moth hunter lol). I plan on adding a small circular door at the top end of the enclosure to release the moths through so they don't fly out of it when trying to close the door after them. I usually put them in one of those cricket bags (and catch them in them).

Where would I get springtails? I'm new at all of this and never even heard of them until yesterday. Are they easy to keep in an enclosure?

[JohnEDove]

I contacted Josh's Frogs about them the other day after reading some good reports about him on the Fauna site. He is who I will be purchasing them from.
Josh's Frogs

[Pittylova]

Awesome, thank you! I'll order from him when I have the vivarium all finished. I'll definitely want to add these little guys in there. Anything to help break down waste!

[JohnEDove]

Pick up some Armadillidium sp (Woodlice, Sowbugs, Pillbugs, Rollypollys) as well. They are great for removing waste, like dead crickets etc.
Not sure where you live but they are generally gray little things (actually crustaceans) that live under boards and stuff on the ground.

[Pittylova]

Yea we do have them in the area. I haven't seen any on my property, but I've never really looked. I know at the school I work at there are tons of them in the rock wall we take the science class to investigate it, along with salamanders and a gazillion worms. I think I'm gonna go there when the viv is done and go bug hunting. Are the woodlice easy to keep/breed or do they constantly need catching?

[JohnEDove]

LOL, I keep woodlice iin all my cricket, Tarantula, and Hissing Roach enclosures. The reproduce without any help, require no special care beyond a damp (not wet) substrate. They require damp/humidity to breath since they have modified gills that allow them live on land. They feed on decaying matter.

[froggsong]

Make sure you add some worms to the substrate too. As for plants (I know it was just a brief mention by you up there) I don't know where you live, or if it is an area where the anoles are native, but if it is, you can use plants you see outside (just make sure, if you collect plants, to do it in an area that is not too close to a street, and that there are no pesticides. If there is a chance there are pesticides, bring them in, rinse them daily, and let them grow for a couple of weeks before adding them to the enclosure. That's how I came across most of the plants I used to use for my anole tank). If you don't live in an area where they are native, research plants from SC or GA (I think FL too). That will give you an idea of plants that they would be in naturally. Also, keep in mind that these guys do not live in shady areas like forests or whatever (maybe on the fringes, but I've never seen them in the woods), but in bright sunshiny areas. They like to live in bushes actually. A good one that I have seen whole colonies living in is Nandina, it is very beautiful, and easy to keep pruned back. I don't know if it is NATIVE to SC or not, but I have seen wild one living in them. Mine loved the Dieffenbachia that I kept in the cage. Make sure too that you mist the plants regularly because Anoles drink water droplets off of leaves.

I know this was a little off topic, but I thought it would be helpful.

[JohnEDove]

WORMS!!!!! Thank you, I had not thought about adding worms. I know half of my terra would be to wet for worms but the other half would be ideal for them.
I've got the water on my garden tonight and it should be simple enough to gather some in the morning.