I was looking to get crickets delivered, but got overwhelmed by the number of options. Do you have any advice for places that ship small numbers of crickets affordably?
Also, I have always struggled to keep crickets alive past a single week and a half. Pet store cricket food and gel water seems to make die off rates skyrocket. Fresh vegetables are better, but still not great. I wonder what I'm doing wrong. (Besides buying large crickets that may be near the end of their lives.)
I haven't found an economical source of crickets in quantities of less than 500. If you only need a few dozen here and there, a pet store is probably your best bet.
I have tried many suppliers. For the last couple of years, I have been using Komodo Reptiles in New York. Best pricing, quality, and service I have found so far. PM me if you'd like contact info.
Here's how I set them up- I use a clear sterilite bin, 56 or 66 quart is ideal. I cut out most of the top, and replace it with screen. Air flow is extremely important in keeping them alive. If ordering more than one size of cricket, I use a separate bin for each size. When the crickets arrive, I dump them into the bin. They will be packed in egg crate or similar. That goes into the bin, too. Dead crickets should be removed. I add a tube from a roll of paper towels. I use that to catch them at feeding time.
For food, I give them chicken layer crumple. Chick starter is good too- non-medicated. This is their "gut load". For moisture, I place a few gel crystals in a shallow dish, such as a deli container lid. If I use vegetables, I do so sparingly, as they contribute to moisture and mold, which can lead to loss of crickets if you aren't very careful.
Using these methods, I find that most of the crickets will last several weeks, if they haven't been fed off by then.
So curbsite cricket pickup it is! I bought a bunch of little ones along with my normal order. Maybe I can keep them alive.
I think my problem may be airflow and the humidity in my house. Even if I remove old food before it molds the crickets are clearly getting sick from something. The humidity in my place is great for frogs, not so much for bugs.
I tried putting some vermiculite at the bottom of my bin of small crickets like someone did in a video I watched. Hopefully that will soak up smell and maybe air moisture too.
I was having a similar issue with my crickets too until I increased the airflow! As long as I keep enough food and water in with them, they don't eat one another and the only dead ones I find are the older ones, usually the females after they have laid their eggs! As far as controlling the humidity... I've been thinking about adding a charcoal pouch into their container. Charcoal is great for absorbing moisture and also cleaning the air and helps keep it smelling fresher. I wonder if anyone else has ever tried that???
~Cathy
I have learned... still learning... ALWAYS LEARNING!
Every moment is a teachable moment!
Mistakes are not always a terrible thing, especially when you learn from them!
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