Info on Crickets

Okay trotting off to the pet store for crickets is getting a mite boring folks so I need a bit of a primer on cricket care. I've looked up a few sites and think I've got the basics down but just checking. I'm not interested in breeding or keeping large amounts of crickets. I just need a setup so I can buy a couple dozen or so at a time, keep them live and healthy for Sprocket the Crestie and cut down the trips to the pet store.

I need a small container (Sprocket eats the itty bitty crix) that they can't escape from but has air vents in it. I need either a piece of egg crate or toilet paper rolls or some such for them to hide in (what in heck is a cricket hiding from? oh yeah! the gecko! LOL). I need a piece of sponge or some such so they have a water source, as apparently standing water drowns the silly things. For food they can eat bits of bread, fruit, etc. (remove before it gets gross and mouldy). When Sprocket wants his crix, remove a few, dust gently with vitamin powder and there you go.

Anything I forgot?

Sounds great to me! Very close to what I do.................(I wet cotton balls & Crinkle paper towels for hides) If I was a cricket, waiting to be eatin I'd wanna hang with you!!! :P

Well I'm a total idjit. Here I am writing "buy a cricket keeper" on the list for Mike to get today and I remember we have one! We bought Mikey this cool bug catching/keeping thing last year and it's just sitting there gathering dust! It's made for keeping itty bitty bugs! I've got it set up now with some toilet paper rolls, I've got some stale bread (I always have a bag for the ratties anyways), a bit of clean kitchen sponge and a lovely over-ripe banana that some creature needs to eat anyways so I'm good to go when Mike gets home from the pet store later.

Found a couple of neat sites on crickets (I love my Google!)....

http://www.reptilecare.com/crickets.htm

http://www.nyworms.com/ccare.htm

The only thing I'm concerned about is the one guy said the darn crix will eat their water sponge! Is there a better way to keep them hydrated?

fruit will get nasty quick in a cricket container. use potatos and carrots (raw) instead. these provide both nutrients and water and stink much less as they don't rot so quickly.

i use water crystals or this stuff (http://armstrongcricket.com/waterb.htm - most chain pet stores will carry something similar) in a jar lid instead of a sponge. the sponge will also quickly become nasty as the crickets poop all over it and it will mold. the water crystals either get eaten or evaporate so there is no mess and no mold.

i have used these products from petsmart and been pleased:
http://www.flukerfarms.com/index.asp...PROD&ProdID=23
http://www.flukerfarms.com/index.asp...PROD&ProdID=21 (you can use this in lieu of other food as long as you provide a source of water. i do one lid of water bites and lid of cricket chow.)
http://www.flukerfarms.com/index.asp...PROD&ProdID=25 (i have used this before but prefer the bites and chow--this product was more stinky and didn't evaporate the way the water bites do.)

Thank you Em, Queen of the Bugs! :D At this point I'm looking at keeping a couple of dozen of the jumpy boogers so that Sprocket (and the female crestie I want but haven't errrr mentioned to Mike yet) will have a more consistent food supply without me running to the pet store so many times a week. Mike does want a beardie at some point and I know from others here that the rats might enjoy a cricket hunt so at some point I suppose I'll have a keep a lot more of the nasty things things around (no offense to crickets worldwide but I do HATE bugs!)

yes, much easier to buy enough for about 2 weeks at a time than to run to the pet store constantly. you will lose a few so always get more than you need, but basically they are easy keepers.

once you get that beardie you can upgrade from the critter keeper to this: http://armstrongcricket.com/polyk.htm. :gj: that's what i use for the crickets that feed all my critters. i order the crickets from armstrong too--in my opinion there is no better place to get them, hands down. if you can visit armstrong at a show you will get a much better price on the cricket bin and they toss in a box of crickets for you too. :)

I keep crickets in a deep sterilite container with a big hole cut in the top and wire screen (not plastic or vinyl because they can chew through that) secured over it to allow proper ventilation. You don't have to use bedding but I put about 1 inch of dry oatmeal in the bottom which they like to eat. Put some old paper towel or toilet paper rolls in there for hides and some old small aluminum pie tins or jar tops in there to hold a slice of potato and some chopped up carrots for food. For water I like the cricket gel that they can't drown themselves in. I've used cotton before but it get's nasty... One thing to note is if they are kept very warm, they will not live as long. Also, you want to keep it pretty dry in there, humidity kills them and makes everything moldy and gross. Breeding your own crickets is really easy too and you can always sell off the extras to bait shops or pet stores to offset the cost. If done correctly, you can actually end up with a few bucks in your pocket and plenty of crickets for your herps!

I hate em'. Go for some roaches instead

roaches are a lot cleaner and stink a lot less, but then you have to maintain a colony. that's a lot of roaches and work for just one (or maybe 2 :P) gecko.

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Originally Posted by mlededee

roaches are a lot cleaner and stink a lot less, but then you have to maintain a colony. that's a lot of roaches and work for just one (or maybe 2 :P) gecko.

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True. I just have a colony of between 500-1000 Blatta Lateralis for my 3 leos.

Okay I am noooooooooooooooo way breeding crickets people! I'll end up naming the damn things and that's just the slippery slope to having a pet cricket and I know my limits! LOL I just want to keep a few of them around for a couple of weeks at a time for lizard snarfing down purposes - okay so I saved the links...there's great info there! (especially if I decide to actually breed crix and...wait...no...NO...dang you Emily you've done it to me again!!!!)

ha, no jo, you don't need to breed crickets. if you reeeally want to breed insects go for roaches like pork chops said. they have more personality anyhow (and no awful stank). :D

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Originally Posted by mlededee

ha, no jo, you don't need to breed crickets. if you reeeally want to breed insects go for roaches like pork chops said. they have more personality anyhow (and no awful stank). :D

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Roaches! Roaches! Mike works in the restaurant biz honey. Roaches are a swear word in this house! LOL

Crickets = Foul
Phoenix Worms = Perfect food!

Well other than ordering them online Jamie I'm stuck on the Phoenix Worms thing...none to be found in Toledo apparently. Do you order them online yourself?

mmm worms. i'm actually going to order some phoenix worms this week and give them a go. i would LOVE to replace the crickets, my only concern is how many worms it will take to feed all my geckos twice per week (the other feedings are CGD) and how much this will cost in comparison to the crickets (which i find relatively unexpensive). and then there is the question of whether or not they will all like the worms and how much work it will take to convince them how yummy they are...

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Well other than ordering them online Jamie I'm stuck on the Phoenix Worms thing...none to be found in Toledo apparently. Do you order them online yourself?

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I order them online from wormman farm. While I have heard some bad reports on them, I have placed 5 or 6 orders without incident. The worms stay for 2-3 weeks in the cabinet with no food or water. The crestie loves them and the need no gutloading or coating with vitamins (from what I have researched). www.wormman.com

i am going to order mine here: http://www.phoenixworm.com. obviously i have no experience with them since i haven't ordered yet, but i can let ya know how it goes. they are so close to me i could practically just drive, but it would be cheaper to save the gas since shipping is free. :)

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Originally Posted by mlededee

i am going to order mine here: http://www.phoenixworm.com. obviously i have no experience with them since i haven't ordered yet, but i can let ya know how it goes. they are so close to me i could practically just drive, but it would be cheaper to save the gas since shipping is free. :)

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Those are the same containers I get from wormman, so I would guess he resells those.

yeah, i think that is the source of pretty much all phoenix worms, so regardless of where you get them, that's where they originally came from.

So just to clarify here.....are cresties in any manner live prey specific. I guess what I mean is if I offer Sprocket some crickets one day and some phoenix worms another day and vary his diet is that okay? He's always like his crix better but does take his meal worms though not with as much of a feeding response (especially if you put them in the flat bit of his climbing tree for some odd reason). I know mealies aren't the best choice, unfortunately they seem to be the only darn choice here that I can find so I'd rather give him crix and phoenix worms as his live food if that is okay to do. Oh and even though he's obviously growing he still seems to not be all that interested in the GSD or peach baby food. He gives it a lick or two but I'm forever tossing the stuff out.

it should be totally fine to vary his diet. i have found with my cresteds that crickets are always a favorite because they love to hunt, but a varied diet is always a good thing for them. if sprocket will eat mealworms he will probably go for the phoenix worms too--supposedly they are very wiggly and squirmy which geckos like. :P

Great thanks Em! I think he likes his worms really wiggly and that's why he doesn't go for them in his dish so much as they don't wiggle about really in there. Put them in his tree though and they wiggly madly and he's on them like white on rice (does the proud Gecko mom grin! is it totally dorky that I cheer him on when he hunts?)