Cricket Breeding

[alex1976]

I know I'm posting in the "Beetles" section but I couldn't really think of another more appropriete place for this thread since the info here could be potentially useful to many people. Maybe we could have a "Crickets" section under insects for this thread to be moved to later?

Anyway, I'm about to make yet another attempt at breeding crickets and was wondering if anyone out there has had any success with this. I've read various sites but I was really hoping someone here, whom I could pick their brain, has done this successfully.

Here's what I got so far, and please jump in if I get any of this wrong...

• Two Large totes (one for rearing and one for adults)
• small containers with moist soil (for egg laying)
• egg crate for hiding area
• water source (gelled water, sponge, vegetables, bowl of water with pebbles, etc)
• proper food source (high calcium food sources: powdered milk, dog food, cat food, I've read even oatmeal?)

Most of my questions are in regards to the small containers for egglaying.

1. What type of soil do I use and how moist should it be kept?

When I attempted it the first time I used peatmoss. I got eggs but none hatched.

2. What's the best method for allowing the females to lay eggs? Screened lids or a hole cut in the top?

I tried it with screened lids to allow the females to lay through the netting but wouldn't allow them to dig in the soil.

3. Should I, or shouldn't I, use some sort of heat source for the rearing tote (heating blanket, light bulb, etc.)?

I've read some folks not using them and others who highly recommend but didn't state why. I live in Crosby, TX and it gets HOT out here so I would think I don't need a heat source if I keep them in my garage with no air conditioning?

4. What's the difference between the black crickets and the ones I get from Petco and are they bred any different?

I've never seen the black crickets at the pet stores I frequent so I don't even know if there's a size difference.

5. What's your cricket food recipe?

I've been using crushed cat food mixed with powdered milk. Should I be mixing other supplements in there too? They seem to do good on this but I'm always open to recommendations and advice.

As always, any help is always appreciated.

[Josephsmama]

What a coincidence. I just set up a cricket rearing tank today. I don't know if it'll work yet, but here's what I did.
I used an aquarium I had that leaks, but that doesn't matter for this. I put it on a heating pad and turned it on low (I live in Wisconsin). I threw in an egg crate for hiding. I put a tray of prepared cricket food in pellets and some gel water. And, finally I put in two shallow dishes of moist sterile soil. It's the kind that you buy dry in blocks. It's cocoa fiber. They seem very happy in there. So, we'll see.
I plan on misting the soil everyday. I understand it's very important to keep the soil moist and warm (therefore, the heating pad). Once the eggs are laid, I'll move the soil containers to another aquarium with the same heating pad set up as the breeder. In fact, I'll take the heating pad from the breeder, they won't need it anymore. And, then I'll wait for them to hatch. I'll probably buy a finer prepared food for them because they'll be so small.
I'll keep you posted.

[froggsong]

I posted my cricket food recipe on another thread, but I'll post it here too, I'll add it to the bottom of this post.

I haven't actually started breeding yet, but I apparently have EXCELLENT breeding conditions in my CWD tank. I'm going to mimic the conditions in my CWD tank when I get my breeding stock in a couple of weeks.

I use peat moss for the substrate in my CWD tank, and the crickets that he doesn't eat and I don't remove (I leave cricket food in the tank so there is no danger to the dragon) lay eggs in the peat. The temp stays around 78-80 degrees at ground level, and the humidity at 75-85%. I mist the tank once or twice daily, depending on the humidity level.

The reason that people say to heat the cricket tank is because they need higher temps before they will breed, if they are outside in your garage and it is hot, that should be fine (make sure it doesn't get too hot, it might kill them), just make sure you keep it humid, if it helps, get a thermometer/hygrometer combo to keep in there. You only need to measure the ambients, so the acurite one that doesn't have a probe is fine (it's white and about 6 bucks).

IMO, I think you should keep four small bins for the baby crickets. Leave one in for a week, take it out and put in the next one (that way you have a monthly rotation). Leave the lid OFF the breeding bins, then when you take it out, put the lid back on. Open it a couple of times a day to let in fresh air (pinheads can get through the tiniest holes, but if you can make some small enough so they wont escape, that's good.). When it's time to put the first bin back again, you can just add the crickets back to the large bin, or keep some out for feeders (that way they wont be hard to pick out of the larger crickets) in a separate bin.

As for prepared foods, you can make a batter one in larger quantities for less (or free if you have everything you need already). Here is the recipe I used, and I actually remembered some other stuff I put in it.

Everything goes into a blender, food processor, or magic bullet:

High protien dry dog food

pre-ground veggy noodles (the ones that are different colors)

potato flakes (instant mashed potatoes, don't use too much)

Fish food

pre-ground Rice Crispies

Dried parsley

Powdered Milk

Calcium powder (I used what I have to dust the crickets before feeding, but you can just buy some calcium powder from your grocery store in bulk if they have it, or leave it out since you are going to add powdered milk)

powdered or pre-ground (if using centrum) Multivitamin supplement

oatmeal

I also used the rest of the jar of flukers cricket feed that I had left, but if you don't have any, don't worry about it.

I may have put some other stuff in there, but that's all I can remember. I used a magic bullet, so I had to ground it all up in small portions and then mix it together, then I put it in a jar and put it in the fridge (you need to do that if you use dog food because once it is open it only has a shelf life of one month unless refridgerated).

What you end up with is PLENTY of cricket feed that is going to last you, and be really good for your herp.

I also feed them pieces of potato (also for moisture, it has little nutritional value), carrot, lettuce (water again), different fruits, dried apricots (the crickets LOVE them), raisins. Anything your dragon can eat, you should feed to the crickets. You can make up some of the "iguana salad" to feed to them too (it goes bad fast though, that's why I make a powdered feed and supplement with other things). Anything you can get that is good for the dragon that is dried, you can ground up and add to the dry feed. Cranberries would probably be a good addition, I'll have to look into it, they are very good for the urinary tract (and general health) of most mammals, I wonder if that applies to herps as well? The more nutritious the feed for the crickets, the longer they will live (and the better they will be for your herp). Crickets by themselves are basically an empty shell nutrition wise, that's why we stuff them full of stuff that our pets need.

I put fruit in the cricket cage for them to drink, that way no drowning, and I don't have to spend so much for the cricket water (if you get it, try to get the orange one that flukers makes, but the blue on is fine too.). That cricket water (as far as I can tell) is the same stuff they use in diapers, did you know that? if it isn't, then it is very very similar. It is a gel that comes in crystal form and you add water and it expands. They use it in gardening, diapers and sanitary napkins, home decor, and novelty items (a very fine version that looks like snow, it is very very neat, looks just like the real thing). I was looking to purchase some online for a long time, but I never actually bought any, I think because I got a huge bag of grapefruit that I knew would last me the summer (grapefruit stays good longer than oranges). A bowl with pebbles or a sponge if fine for water too.

Another thing for crickets is they need LOTS of room to crawl around without walking all over each other. I have read that they have acid on their feet, so walking over one another is actually harmful to them. They will also eat (or try to eat) one another if they are piled on top of each other.

Older crickets are more hardy than smaller crickets, so better suited for breeding stock, they will lay eggs sooner and live longer.

I have to feed my dog a very good (and expensive) dog food because she can't have corn (NO dog should be eating corn, it is very very bad for them and they cannot digest it, but most dog food is full of it, it is a cheap source of protein). I wouldn't go with one full of corn, I don't know if it is ok for herps (most animals cannot digest corn very well). Also, make sure it is dry dog food. NOTE: I just switched my dog to Orijen, very good quality (human grade meat) high protien, no grain diet that I will be adding to my cricket feed. You can get a sample pack of this food (1 lb I think) online for $2 plus shipping if you want to put some in the cricket food without having to buy a whole bag. You can also feed the crickets wet dog food, but again, I would make sure that it is quality dog food. Many dog food companies include rendered, euthanized companion animals (read processed cats and dogs, you might check the wiki on Rendering (food processing) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). If you do feed wet dog food, I would do it in addition to the dry feed.

[alex1976]

Thanks for the recipe Frogsong. Seems like a lot of stuff though. What are the particulars for some of the ingredients? What's the parsley and rice krispies for? I'm always looking for more info!

Anyone out there a veteran who's had some degree of success with breeding willing to help out us newbs?

I just finished putting my breeding totes together again and am going to pick up a big batch tomorrow from petco. Hopefully it will be my last!

[froggsong]

Well, actually, the rice crispies were a filler, lol. I put parsley in because it is good for us, (dogs and cats too) and I just assume since it is a dark green leafy veggie that it will be good for them too.

Here's one thing I've read about it:

"Parsley is rich in vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamins A and C, and compounds that clear toxins from the body. It also reduces inflammations, contains histamine inhibitors and is a free radical scavenger. Because of the high clorofil content, it acts as a great breath freshener. Scientists have even isolated a compound, apiol, which is now used in medications to treat kidney ailments and kidney stones."

I'm sure there's lots of stuff in my recipe you can leave out, some of it was used as a filler, but I am having very good success with the feed I made, I don't loose nearly as many crickets, and they breed much much more since I switched to this from the flukers feed.

The things I would definitely keep in my recipe:

High protien dry dog food

pre-ground veggy noodles (a source of dried vegetables)

Fish food (if you read the ingredients, it has lots of good stuff in it, including good protein sources. Try to find one without ethoxyquin, if there are any, I was just reading the ingredients of my fish food and it is in there, so I may have to make a new batch of cricket feed without the fish food, or with one that does not contain the ethoxyquin... I'll look for one without it though, since I feed this to my fish that I feed to the dragon.)

Dried parsley (benefits listed above)

Powdered Milk (calcium)

powdered or pre-ground (if using centrum) Multivitamin supplement

oatmeal (contains a wide array of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and is a good source of protein, complex carbohydrates and iron.)

I really didn't MEASURE any of this stuff when I put it in, other than using about a cup and a half of the dog food (I will use more next time). Just use your common sense for what your animal needs that is being fed the crickets. If it needs more calcium, add more powdered milk or calcium powder, if it needs higher protein, use more dog food.

I really have had great success with this food, and my dragon eats very well and is quite healthy. I may not be "breeding" in the sense that you are setting up atm, but I have been breeding the crickets in his cage for a few months now, and I remove about 10-15 3-4 week crickets from the cage a week (these are crickets that have bred in the cage, I hand feed almost exclusively, and when I don't I feed a cricket at a time and do not add another until he eats the last). Even though I have not added any more fully mature crickets to the cage, the population is booming. I feed the pinheads to my fish as well (they love them!) I loose quite alot of pinheads to his pond. If they didn't get in it and drown, I would probably have quite alot more crickets. I know he does eat some of the larger ones from time to time as well, I have seen him.

One other thing I have noticed is that the crickets in the vive are much healthier than the ones in the cricket cage (they eat the same feed, it is the temps and humidity that is different), so I think the humidity and temperature are very important. Hope this helps!

[froggsong]

Oh yeah, I forgot to add something.

If there is a bait store anywhere near you, I would get their crickets for your breeding stock. They will likely be ready to lay, and will definitely be healthier. The pet stores get crickets in weekly, so the crickets you get from them have just been shipped (so a percentage is going to die no matter what) and are kept in conditions that don't really keep them healthy. Alot of bait shops (at least in my experience) actually breed their own crickets as well, so you may be able to get some advice from them too.

[froggsong]

I put some of the dry feed in the dragon cage last week sometime, instead of the carrot and potato slices I normally put in there for the crickets so they don't snack on Riku, and WOW! I have had a cricket population boom. There are sooooo many more baby crickets surviving that it is ridiculous. I took his pond out to clean it, and there were TONS of baby crickets in there, and several larger ones in various stages. I haven't put any mature crickets in there in forever, so I don't know where the new hatchlings are coming from. Maybe old eggs are hatching? I don't know, but I think I am going to remove them to a tub so I can keep an eye on them and use them for feeders when they get bigger. There must be something good in my cricket feed since they are doing so much better eating it. I am actually very surprised at the difference. From comparing the crickets in the vive with the crickets in the cricket cage that are at room temperature, I've noticed that crickets stay MUCH healthier in higher temps and humidity, so if you can keep the cricket cage at about 80 degrees and 80% (or higher) humidity, I think you will have better results, both with your feeders you buy and the ones you breed.

[colton]

I have a question about Orange Cube cricket food. Will they actually eat it? I recently bought some and have added some to their tank but it seems to go untouched.

[sinflspeed]

They will eat it, but alot of it goes to waste becasue it dries up. Everyone has their favorite feed. Just becareful to ventilate ventilate ventilate. An unvented keeper can kill of your feeders quick and the bad food will be passed onto your herps if allowed to mold over.

[froggsong]

In my experience, they will eat it, but I had alot of deaths when I was using it. Personally I recommend a dried gutload be available all the time (so you don't have to gutload them separately before feeding), some veggies, like carrots, celery, sweet potato, etc, and a dish with a sponge in it for water (so they don't drown). I have found that making your on dry feed and using the veggies and the sponge for moisture is less expensive, and less crickets die. Hope that helps.