Crickets

[Julia]

The last two times I was successful in producing crickets, but I was unsuccessful in raising them up.

I managed to breed some brown crickets. They are about 5mm long and 4 weeks old. I can keep them alive but I cant make them grow.

Now all I need is a frog that can see/eat crickets that small so I can call myself a successful cricket breeder!

[Paul Rust]

I managed to breed some brown crickets. They are about 5mm long and 4 weeks old. I can keep them alive but I cant make them grow.

Now all I need is a frog that can see/eat crickets that small so I can call myself a successful cricket breeder!

After they hatch how high do you keep the humidity in the grow out container to keep them alive?

[UncleChester]

After they hatch how high do you keep the humidity in the grow out container to keep them alive?

I'm on my first ever hatching of crickets, but I've yet to find a single dead one (apart from a few accidental squishings, and those that "won" the selection process to be frog food). I don't do anything for the humidity, in fact I just checked it for the first time to be 50%. Their water sources are a dish with those water absorbing crystals that I mist once or twice a day to keep them moist, and some kale or swiss chard.

They are on a heating pad that's on a timer, on 30 minutes, then off for an hour, repeat. This keeps them between 17C and 26C or so.

I removed the cocofibre filled tupperware from the breeding chamber on Feb.1, and they started to hatch Feb. 13th. There's a 3 to 4 hundred I think, and at least two that are now a molt or two from being full adults. This is good, I had started with about 9 male and 9 female in my breeder bin, and am now down to 6 females and 1 male with a missing hind leg, so they need replacing.

My problem now is the large variation in sizes of crickets in my big bin. They range from nearly grown to pinhead. Makes it hard to pick out suitable sized ones for food. Also, they seem to be more athletic than the store bought ones. I used to use a 500ml yogurt container for dusting them. The store ones couldn't escape with the lid off. This new generation can jump clear out. Bigger, faster, stronger? I'm thinking of replacing the organic kale with potato chips.

[Paul Rust]

Good information, thanks. Somewhere in all of this we should be able to get it down to a science and then Kurt and John can make a Cricket Breeding Article for future generations of froggers.

[Kurt]

You know other can write articles too. We actually encourage it.

[Paul Rust]

As soon as we get it right i will compile a draft for you to look over. I sounded pretty smart there for a second huh?

[Kurt]

It be ok

[Julia]

After they hatch how high do you keep the humidity in the grow out container to keep them alive?

Humidity is 50-60% (I mist them well once a day.) Temps are in the low 80's. Im thinking its too cold for them to grow properly. I guess I will have to wait for summer to try again.

[UncleChester]

Humidity is 50-60% (I mist them well once a day.) Temps are in the low 80's. Im thinking its too cold for them to grow properly. I guess I will have to wait for summer to try again.

My temps translate to about 62F to 78F, and I have a few nearly full sized ones after about 6.5 weeks.

What kind of diet are you using? Mine have some oatmeal and bran whizzed up in a food processor (this is primarily for the mealworms, but the crickets get some), kale, swiss chard, and higher-end cat food ground up into a powder with some skim milk powder mixed in. They get the cat food remnants that I sweep up after the felines have made a mess.

[Julia]

I feed them dry cricket commercial diet, and oatmeal. For wet food I give them whatever my Bearded Dragons are having. Things like Kale, Romaine, Carrot, Green pepper, Squash etc. I am shocked to learn that my temps are not the problem.

[Joyszoo]

Here is one link I found today- seems real easy and basic
About.com: http://www.anapsid.org/crickets.html
I got this link from here and they list others as well- one is great if you hate to handle the bugs but love your frogs
Keeping and Raising Crickets for Food - and Gut Loading