Gryllodes sigillatus

[Xubby]

I've been debating making the switch from breeding Acheta domestica to Gryllodes sigillatus lately, and am curious if anyone here has any first hand experience with the latter. On paper, Gryllodes definitely sounds superior, but is the difference significant enough to warrant a swap. Or are they both just smelly, disgusting crickets?

[Arthropod Hunter]

I've been debating making the switch from breeding Acheta domestica to Gryllodes sigillatus lately, and am curious if anyone here has any first hand experience with the latter. On paper, Gryllodes definitely sounds superior, but is the difference significant enough to warrant a swap. Or are they both just smelly, disgusting crickets?

hi there , I tried to breed Acheta domestica before but they all died. But when i switched to Gryllodes sigilatus everything went fine and got a fine bunch of pinheads. Gryllus Field crickets are more easier to raise than house crickets. If you dont want a smelly bin , i suggest adding an inch of soil as substrate , the soil will absorb the smelly smell , giving you a odorless cricket bin.

[LilyPad]

Do not use substrate. Crickets will lay their eggs anywhere and they're harder to collect and move. It also makes it harder to clean unless you're planning to toss out eggs once a week when they lay them all willy-nilly around the bin.

[Arthropod Hunter]

Oops Sorry for that! Amy is right. Do it when its ok for you to leave them in a container with substrate for them to lay eggs and transfer them to another container to allow the eggs to hatch. This is what i do and they breed in large numbers. You can also place a cup or container of moist soil in the tank (without substrate) , take these containers out every week and place them in a separate tank (dont forget to mist it); after about two weeks ,they will hatch and you will see lots of pinhead crickets.
Terribly Sorry for the wrong info
anyway if you are interested of the container with substrate , here's a guide: (i do this because i need large supply of pinheads for my jumping spiders).
Odorless Breeding of Crickets

[Xubby]

Thanks for the comments. I don't have a massive demand for crickets, and have wondered if I could pull off a one tub system before. I don't really mind, but the four tub system I have now is... well... it takes up more space than I'd like. With Acheta being so cannibalistic I felt like it'd be a waste of time, but maybe Gryllodes are more suited for this? Do you just use a one tub setup, Jerome?

[LilyPad]

I gave up breeding because my cricket demand was low (about 2 dozen med-large crickets a week) and I couldn't take the smell anymore. I just buy enough for a week and supplement with occasional mealworms that I keep in the fridge in case I'm running a day or two late.

[JeffreH]

What makes you think Gryllodes are superior to Acheta?

I'm legitimately curious... I don't mess with crickets much anymore these days aside from picking up a few dozen from a show here and there to add variety to the diet. I haven't done much research on the differences between the two species, but would wager a guess that they are fairly similar as a whole (smelly, disgusting crickets). Even in cockroaches differences between species are rather small relative to comparisons between Orders/groups (i.e. crickets vs. roaches vs. moth larvae). I've raised Gryllus pennsylvanicus and found them to be just about as annoying as domestic crickets

What do you hope to accomplish with the switch? A feeder that is less smelly? Less cannibalistic? Less maintenance/space to keep? Maybe we could help you look into another feeder to fit the bill. I'm a bit biased on feeder roaches, but I know they aren't for everyone... Just like crickets aren't for everyone, lol.

[Arthropod Hunter]

Thanks for the comments. I don't have a massive demand for crickets, and have wondered if I could pull off a one tub system before. I don't really mind, but the four tub system I have now is... well... it takes up more space than I'd like. With Acheta being so cannibalistic I felt like it'd be a waste of time, but maybe Gryllodes are more suited for this? Do you just use a one tub setup, Jerome?

Sorry for late reply. I use two tubs , the first tub i place the female cricks for them to lay eggs , and the second tub i place the female in there to lay eggs again. The first tub , i remove the females after a week to allow the pinhead crickets to hatch. I dont buy male crickets because females are often gravid on pet stores.