Crickets, Woodlice, & Nightcrawlers

[privet01]

I've been raising my own crickets for over three years. I only have two fbt's to feed so it's overkill, but it beats having to go down to the pet store or elsewhere and stand in line. Also I find the crickets just as interesting as my fbt's. However I've not witnessed my crickets eating maggots or any other insects. Though they are classed as omnivores and should eat just about anything, it seems that they prefer vegetables over the insect or animal when available.

Are you just using one container for a continuous cycle? That must be messy and a pain to pick out appropriate size crickets for feeding. I use three sometimes four containers. The eggs are collected from one as they reach adult breeding status and then moved to a clean container to hatch. This makes it easier to select crickets of the correct size to feed. It also allows me to easily dispose of the older crickets that are not needed for breeding. And it keeps the containers from getting too filthy. The stench must be terrible if you are just using one.

I would think if you want centipedes and anything else, you'd be better to breed them separate from the crickets and anything else. Gives you more control instead of relying on maintaining a "balanced" ecosystem favorable for all.