Cricket Care Sheet
Crickets are great feeder insects and are ideal to feed alongside other staples such as woodies and Black Soldier Fly Larvae for a varied diet.
Introduction
Although they jump, Crickets
are slightly slower moving when compared to woodies, so can be a preferred option for animals who struggle to ‘lock on’ to fast moving insects.
Crickets also tend to actively
crawl around an enclosure, rather the hiding, like woodies. Therefore, this can make them a better option if you’re planning on feeding within your animal’s enclosure. Although, care should be taken when doing this, as crickets have been known to bite animals while they sleep if no other food source is present.
Housing
If you plan on keeping your crickets longer than a few days, it’s best to remove them from the container or bag you purchased them in. Setting up your crickets in more
permanent accommodation is very simple and similar to woodies.
A storage container (approx. 50L) is ideal for up to 1000 crickets. One may hold more, but since crickets can be cannibalistic, it’s best to keep them below maximum density. This is also why it is vital to provide the crickets with plenty of places to hide.
The best and cheapest options are egg cartons, paper towel rolls, and toilet paper rolls. Paper towel and toilet paper rolls are also handy devices for easily
capturing your crickets. Good ventilation is also key, so it is recommended that
you replace a large portion of the lid with fine mesh, or alternatively, drill many
holes throughout the lid.
Heating
Crickets should ideally be kept within a temperature range of between 20-30°C. Because of this, if you live within a warmer climate no additional heating is necessary. However, you may find that during the winter months your crickets may benefit from being kept in a warm part of the house. In colder climates heating may be necessary. This can be done by utilising a heat mat or heat cord under half of the tub. Ensure that you use a thermostat to keep control of the temperatures, and there is a thin tile or similar between the heat source and the tub to avoid melting the plastic.
Feeding
Crickets love their food and their digestive track is the biggest portion of their body. Because of this, whatever you feed them will be directly consumed by your pet. This is why it’s so vital to keep them well fed with good foods.
Like woodies, crickets don’t need an additional water source, as they get the majority of their moisture from their food. Water crystals or a damp sponge can be provided, although more often than not these are not necessary, and just raise the humidity (which is not good for them).
A good rule is to feed them what you would be happy to feed your pet. Well washed fruit and vegetables such as carrots, apple, pumpkin, rocket, bok choy etc… are great choices for satisfying all their food and moisture requirements. Dry foods such as dog biscuits, rodent pellets or commercially available insect foods are also handy to offer them. Be sure to replace any uneaten food every couple of days to keep good hygiene.
Breeding
Breeding crickets is a little more complex than woodies, as they lay eggs
rather than give live birth. If your intention is to breed, then you should ideally purchase medium sized crickets and wait for them to grow into adults. This will ensure your adults are young and not at the end of their life span.
Collecting Eggs
Once chirping begins, a lay box should be added for the females to deposit their eggs in. This can be a small plastic container or similar. A good option for substrate is Coco Coir, however damp vermiculite or garden soil can also be used. The substrate in the lay box should also be kept moist at all times to
avoid the eggs drying out.
After 1-2 weeks the lay box should be removed and replaced with a fresh one. Replace them more frequently if you want a more uniform size in each batch, or less frequently if you’re unfussed about having different sized crickets in the same tub.
Incubating
Once the lay box is removed, a lid should be put on the container, and it can be either placed in an incubator (set to 30°C), or a separate tub. If placing them in a separate tub, then putting a lid on the lay box is not necessary. If in a warmer climate, you can get away with incubating at room temperature during the summer months. Although additional heating may be required if the temperature is frequently below 25°C. It is possible for cricket eggs to still hatch at this temperature; however, the hatch rate will be significantly higher more towards 30°C. The crickets should hatch in between 7-14 days.
Once Hatched
Once the baby crickets hatch, they should be set up identically to the adults. The one difference is that you should pay extra attention to feeding. As if the hatchlings don’t have food and moisture available 24/7, you can often have large amounts die off. In personal experience, my favourite food for baby crickets is sliced carrot, and that is all I feed them for the first few weeks. But have fun and experiment with different foods to find what you and your crickets prefer!
