How to keep crickets alive!

[yoshimi]

I read when starting out with crickets not to use citrus. So I just never have. But I've only kept about 50 at a time. Now I haven't purchased any or fed them off in a good long while, and I have 6 troopers left that just don't want to die. I keep feeding them cuz I don't want them to starve, but I'm still surprised they're alive. They were little when I got them, maybe that's why. I give them carrot chips, oats and some ground up dubia roach chow I made, and they always have water crystals. Twice a day for changing fruits and veggies seems labor intensive. I imagine they're your staple and you have many. Those are the one thing I wouldn't try to breed. I can't even catch them well for feeding. But I agree, those beverage holders are great. If you buy more than one coffee at Dunkin Donuts, they always ask if you want one... saying yes is a good idea. My roaches like them.

[Danny D]

Breeding them is very simple. All you need is tupperware with a hole cut in the top, peat moss and a heat lamp. Collecting the "pinheads" to feed the darts is also simple. Pinheads are slow and not as alert as older crickets. Put in a fruit of veggie, let them collect on in it then pick it up and tap them into a feeding cup.

[yoshimi]

So I'm sitting here drinking my morning coffee and I hear chirping. Wuh? Thought it was coming from outside as I have windows open, but I go over and listen and it's my crickets. I bought them as little guys months ago, and I guess I figured they'd die before they were mature enough to chirp. It was actually a pleasant sound, as I only have maybe 8 left. At least a couple are female, with the pointy egg laying butt, so I put some dirt in there, in case she wants to lay eggs. It's just on an egg crate, the dirt. I don't want to breed crickets. But it's like I can't help myself. Doubt it will work, as I don't plan to heat them... and I think the soil is supposed to be moist and on an egg crate, that's just not going to work. It's maybe slightly damp. If they don't have moss or soil, where do they lay their eggs?
Hmm... he's still chirping away in there. This could get annoying. No place to put them where I won't hear it. Except maybe outside. But now I'm too curious to set them free. So much bug sex in this tiny apartment.

[mshine1217]

I keep tortoise's as well as my Axie's & FBT's. I had a separate storage tote for the crickets that I feed to my FBT's and I used them up fast enough that I continued to order them until the FBT's went into hibernation. A "couple" of the extra crickets escaped into the Tortie enclosure, liked the hot/semi-dry environment and prceeded to take up housekeeping. I now have about 200 crickets of various ages in my tortie enclosure and am seriously thinking of transferring the Tortie's to a different enclosure since it is near impossible to catch the crickets and move them. In the evenings I have to turn the volume up on the TV to be able to hear it.

I was planning on setting up a breeding enclosure for the crickets because shipping weather is iffy in the winter and ending up, inadverntly, having the crickets do it for me.

[yoshimi]

Haha, the tortoises don't eat them?

I was feeding and inspecting the crickets (can't help myself), and I have at least 2 females. Someone was chirping while I had my hand in there. They're not afraid of me anymore, since they haven't been food in so long. Neither cat seems to notice the chirping. I guess that's a blessing. I find it annoying tho, so turned the bin around and they shut up for now. They're way up on a shelf, and the thermometer in front of me is giving a reading of 79F. Not sure if that will be warm enough for incubating. Today was the 1st time I heard the chirping. And now they're starting up again. I have the windows open where I'm sitting, so I'll try to pretend it's coming from outside. Which is what I 1st thought this morning anyway.

*I moved the dirt from egg crate to a plastic small animal food bowl, that they can climb in and out of, and added more, packing it down and misting it. Ditched the wet egg crate; they have enough to climb on and play in.

[Danny D]

They will eggs in it and they will hatch in a week. Your adult crickets will most likely eat the pinheads if you leave them together. If you wanna raise them, better move the egg laying sight after a few days of the adults breeding in it

[yoshimi]

They will eggs in it and they will hatch in a week. Your adult crickets will most likely eat the pinheads if you leave them together. If you wanna raise them, better move the egg laying sight after a few days of the adults breeding in it

My current plan is to leave soil dish in there for a week, can't tell yet if there are eggs in there. I've been misting it to keep it damp. Are the eggs round or oblong? They should be down below surface anyway... but regardless, I'll be moving soil to another bin to "incubate" and put fresh soil in and then I'm just assuming the adults will die. They don't live all that long as adults, right? Looking forward to not hearing that chirping. Whatever babies I do manage to get out of this, will be eaten or set free before they mature. This is a one time thing for me.