21 replies to this topic

[AntsAreUs]

Every time I try and breed crickets they always die off for some unknown reason, sometimes I see mold but I try to get it out there as quick as possible. I feed them  the stuff you can buy from the store and they don't even eat it that much, I also have tried other foods too. Every time I try they seem healthy then about a week later they all just seem to die off.

[Gregory2455]

Crickets have lots of soft spots and do not heave each other to groom each other, so mites are significantly more of a threat. Get one of those massive plastic moving boxes. Here is the challenging part- I think crickets need organics in the dirt, but don't go off putting non-sterile dirt in it, freeze it instead of heating. Then, go to any pet store with reptiles and get one of those heat lamps. In my cricket breeding in the past, they did not last long without the heat lamp. Give them the normal cricket food, and PLENTY of moisture. They will lay their eggs into the soil you provide and if that is not moist, the eggs will dry out and die. Once the eggs hatch into nymphs, they will need food with more surface area, and more moisture- remember not to drown them- just a wet napkin every day for them to be under. Also be careful about the adults. I have not seen crickets cannibalize, but I have seen starved crickets eat my green tree snakes brains out for food, so just as precaution keep the adults busy with food.

[Mads]

If you are attempting to raise the common house cricket, they are probably falling victim to denzo virus. It affects the crickets when they are about 3/4" long and usually paralyzes their back legs before they finally die. This virus has pretty much wiped out every cricket producer in north america. A few breeders are still producing them, how I am not sure. I would think they feed a medicated feed to them which would keep the disease under control. Once the crickets no longer receive this feed they get the disease. It certainly seems to be that way, which is why many producers have switched to other species that are not susceptible to this virus.

Mads

[dspdrew]

I've been breeding crickets for a few years now. I use peat moss in my egg laying containers with a course steel screen over it to keep them from digging in it. I make my own cricket food by throwing cat food and old stale cereal I no longer want into a blender and blending it into a powder. I then mix in some of the store-bought cricket food for some added nutrients. This keeps the cost way down. lately I have been breeding Jamaican Field crickets, or some similar species. These are a bit larger and black in color. I actually started with a few wild-caught ones last year, and have been breeding that species ever since. Luckily, I have never had any issues with parasites. For a month or two though, none of them seemed to be producing, so I had to buy some House crickets from the pet store, and I noticed a LOT of those were dying too. Mads might be right, it might be because of that nasty House cricket virus. Thankfully my Jamaican Field crickets have just recently started to produce again.

[AntsAreUs]

I'm just going to stick with mealworms and superworms.

[AntsAreUs]

I've been breeding crickets for a few years now. I use peat moss in my egg laying containers with a course steel screen over it to keep them from digging in it. I make my own cricket food by throwing cat food and old stale cereal I no longer want into a blender and blending it into a powder. I then mix in some of the store-bought cricket food for some added nutrients. This keeps the cost way down. lately I have been breeding Jamaican Field crickets, or some similar species. These are a bit larger and black in color. I actually started with a few wild-caught ones last year, and have been breeding that species ever since. Luckily, I have never had any issues with parasites. For a month or two though, none of them seemed to be producing, so I had to buy some House crickets from the pet store, and I noticed a LOT of those were dying too. Mads might be right, it might be because of that nasty House cricket virus. Thankfully my Jamaican Field crickets have just recently started to produce again.

I've noticed when breeding things the first and second generation don't do so well, but after you get it really going it gets good.

[Alza]

you can get the billz if you breed animals, those pet places accept them

[Crystals]

It can often cost more in maintenance, time, and food than what you really get out of them.  If you are breeding them anyways and happen to have extras, by all means sell some.  Although other hobbyists/people already buying from the petstore will likely offer you more than the store will.  The petstore would want to make a profit.

[AntsCalifornia]

How do you breed crickets. What does the setup look like and what do you feed them, and do you have to put the eggs in some sort of incubator. 

[Zeiss]

How do you breed crickets. What does the setup look like and what do you feed them, and do you have to put the eggs in some sort of incubator. 

No need to incubate eggs.  A simple set up is just a tub, put cocopeat in the bottom, put egg cartons in there for them to climb on, a feeding dish, and mist every few days.

 

For food, you can give them carrots, lettuce, apples (old and fresh are both fine), grains, cereals, bread.  Crickets eat almost anything, even themselves, so watch out for cannibalism.

[T.C.]

Cannibalism doesn't usually happen, unless there isn't enough food, or they are tightly packed together.

[Zeiss]

Cannibalism doesn't usually happen, unless there isn't enough food, or they are tightly packed together.

Cannibalism happens quite often for crickets.  I find they do it for the hell of it at times.  

[T.C.]

Cannibalism doesn't usually happen, unless there isn't enough food, or they are tightly packed together.

Cannibalism happens quite often for crickets.  I find they do it for the hell of it at times.

I don't know, maybe it varies from species to species. Certainly never observed that in my cultures.

[Zeiss]

 

 

Cannibalism doesn't usually happen, unless there isn't enough food, or they are tightly packed together.

Cannibalism happens quite often for crickets.  I find they do it for the hell of it at times.

I don't know, maybe it varies from species to species. Certainly never observed that in my cultures.

 

Might have just been where I got my crickets from originally, it was just store-bought ones.  

[Shaye]

Cannibalism doesn't usually happen, unless there isn't enough food, or they are tightly packed together.

Cannibalism happens quite often for crickets. I find they do it for the hell of it at times.

I don't know, maybe it varies from species to species. Certainly never observed that in my cultures.

Might have just been where I got my crickets from originally, it was just store-bought ones.

Last time I attempted a cricket culture, there was one evil one that periodically killed off one of it's own every other day despite having bountiful & diverse food supplied to them.. She ended up being the only one left and I fed her to my harvesters since she no longer served a purpose without a mate. They were store-bought as well.

Edited by Shaye, September 15 2017 - 2:23 AM.

[Serafine]

Well, people told me that Superworms cannibalize each other all the time - never happened with mine.

[Zeiss]

 

 

 

 

Cannibalism doesn't usually happen, unless there isn't enough food, or they are tightly packed together.

Cannibalism happens quite often for crickets. I find they do it for the hell of it at times.

I don't know, maybe it varies from species to species. Certainly never observed that in my cultures.

Might have just been where I got my crickets from originally, it was just store-bought ones.

Last time I attempted a cricket culture, there was one evil one that periodically killed off one of it's own every other day despite having bountiful & diverse food supplied to them.. She ended up being the only one left and I fed her to my harvesters since she no longer served a purpose without a mate. They were store-bought as well.

 

She was the winner of fight club

[Naturenut1233]

The common crickets you find in the stores are the only ones that get the virus. I raise two types of wild crickets with no problems. They are hardy. Store bought stock always dies. I feed mine cat food, leafy greens and fruits. Give them wet cotton balls to drink off of and give them damp dirt to lay in. Egg cartons to climb on. Didn't read through the entire thread but figured I'd just list what I do. I keep them as pets mainly. 

[T.C.]

All mine were wild caught. They work great, but this species gets really big. Little bigger than I like.

[AntsCalifornia]

All mine were wild caught. They work great, but this species gets really big. Little bigger than I like.

 

When you say wild caught, could I catch them in my backyard, or should you go to a forest or something to catch them? Also, how do you catch them in large amounts? Also, could I leave the eggs in the same cage as the adults? Some people say you need a separate container for the eggs. Is that true?