Crickets moulting

[Bebi]

Sorry, I should have been clearer in my original post, still a newbie so there may be some inadvertent confusion while I get up to speed on terminology etc and what info I need to give for ease of answering. I'm aware that they naturally moult, I'm just trying to figure out why they seem to be triggered into doing it when I feed them to my frogs and whether I should go down a size to avoid potential issues.

I've not had a single one moult in the keeper yet, they're all still the same size (the ones that I have seen freshly moulted seem to be huge compared to the "stock" in the keeper) with no empty moults laying around and I keep checking them regularly to see if I can catch one at it - hubby keeps joking that maybe we should have saved the money we spent on the frogs and just got crickets for the amount of time I spend looking at them trying to spot a moulter lol

[privet01]

I'm just trying to figure out why they seem to be triggered into doing it when I feed them to my frogs and whether I should go down a size to avoid potential issues.

I don't give crickets in the process of molting to my FBT's because they only prey on food that moves alot. The molting ones are too still to attract their attention. However if their lack of movement isn't an issue for your WTF's, then I don't think there is any other problem with regards to health and safety. The only issue I see is the littered 'skins' left in your viv.

I'm just trying to figure out why they seem to be triggered into doing it when I feed them to my frogs

I don't know what to say on that. I don't have that issue. but I remove uneaten crickets after a few hours if I can find them. They poop everywhere constantly. I do see crickets molting in the bins all the time, usually when I'm cleaning out the old food that I find them hiding.

and whether I should go down a size to avoid potential issues.

The freshly molted crickets are much softer and should be easier on the frogs digestive track than the hard exoskeleton of the others. Hmmm... makes me want to go down to the coast and get a soft shell crab sandwich at a little hole-in-the wall restaurant I know... <<grin>>

the ones that I have seen freshly moulted seem to be huge compared to the "stock" in the keeper

That is why they molt, they outgrow their former exoskeleton. I suppose some process causes their softer parts to swell up as they molt, so when the new exoskeleton hardens it is big enough to last a little while.

hubby keeps joking that maybe we should have saved the money we spent on the frogs and just got crickets for the amount of time I spend looking at them

I find them at least if not more interesting that the FBT's I feed mine too. It was almost comical when a brood of my crickets got a disease that makes them infertile but turns them into little sex maniacs.

[privet01]

If my answer to you question got lost in the above, it just boils down to "it's not an issue". Your WTF's know what they want to eat. If they regularly shun them when other crickets are available, then there is your answer.

[Bebi]

Thank you, you've put my mind at rest ^^

My WTFs tend to go for them as long as they've seen some form of movement. They'll sit watching them (and sometimes stalk them like a cat) and are quite happy to snap them up when they've paused on one of the plants. I've seen one spot and snag a cricket that was sat on a vine and only twitching it's antennae. I've been removing them after about an hour if they've not all been eaten and the frogs are no longer showing any interest in hunting, also any empty shells (which are definitely easier to "catch" lol).

If I get some crickets moult in the keeper, what's the best way to dispose of them if they're too large for the frogs and have the hardened exoskeleton? I'm guessing dropping them in a glass jar of water is an effective way to kill them? I don't have any issues watching the frogs eat them but the thought of squishing them myself gives me the heebie jeebies ~sheepish grin~ so I'd prefer a method that doesn't involve squishing. I definitely don't want to release them for the wild frogs living in my pond and the garden birds to eat as I'm fairly sure black crickets aren't native to the UK.

I'm not sure I'm ready to keep them separate and let them age enough to start breeding them yet as I'm still learning with both the frogs and the crickets and would prefer to purchase the live food at the moment until I'm a bit more experienced with everything and in a better position to dedicate more time to learning how to breed and raise crickets from birth properly. I do like the idea of it (plus just killing them off without them being food seems wasteful), and will look into it more in coming months, but at the moment I want to make sure I have the basics of caring for the frogs and purchased crickets as second nature before I start with something else new.

That disease sounds insane! I'd be torn between wanting to watch and worrying about what it said about my state of mind that I was watching crickets doing that in the first place haha

[privet01]

When my crickets get too old, I put them in a bucket I keep nearby and spray them with a poison. Then they go out to the compost pile with all the other litter that was in their bin. For a few crickets you have left, just flushing them down the commode will probably work well. Drowning them in container of water is probably good, but you might have to ensure they don't get to the sides and climb out. At any rate, you have to destroy them. They can't be released as they'll eat any and everything outside. Anyone with a garden will talk bad about you<<grin>>

It does take a little space to raise your own crickets. Mine are on a shelf in the garage. I do wind up destroying thousands of unused crickets. Though if one is inclined, it could be a business to make extra money.

[Bebi]

I've been dropping any drowned ones and empty shells into the general household waste, but if they're fine for the compost heap I'll start doing that instead, thanks for the tip! I supplement-dust mine in a small sterilised glass jar and haven't had one able to climb the sides at all as yet so I'll dig out one of my larger jars and as long as I only use enough water as is necessary for them to not touch the bottom I'm thinking that should work. I have my own vegetable patch so I definitely don't want them munching their way through that! We have enough issues keeping on top of the native garden pests without adding more to the mix lol

Last night I caught hubby watching Youtube videos on raising crickets so I think we may end up taking the plunge sooner rather than later unless I can convince him to go against his "do it yesterday" instincts and get him to wait a bit. What's the temperature range in your garage? I have a medium sized brick shed just outside the back door that's only being used for storage at the moment (used to be hubby's workshop until we expanded our business and needed somewhere bigger) so if UK temps won't adversely affect things I could have them in there when I'm ready to try breeding. As it's already wired up with electrics suitable for running powertools it's no problem for providing heat and light sources via power sockets, I'm just not sure about natural extremes of temperature in an unheated shed as my only experience so far with keeping an enclosure at a stable temp is with the frogs and they're in a room with an already fairly stable temperature. What type of poison do you use for killing them? I try to keep my garden chemical free as we have a fair bit of wildlife so if I do go for that disposal route when I'm ready to start breeding I'd need one that's not going to affect anything that might stumble across them on the compost heap and think they're a good snack.

[privet01]

A lot of the youtube videos I've seen about raising crickets go too far overboard..... IMO. The best information I found that got me moving in the right direction is this http://www.wormman.com/breeding_crickets.cfm

My garage temps range from less than 32F (0C) to 100F (38C). I find about 90F (32C) keeps their breeding and life cycle on schedule and predictable. I cut some 1/2in (13cm) foam board into six pieces to form a box around all the containers. There are two flourescent shop light fixtures that hang inside and the heat they produce is more than enough to keep the temps up on the coldest of days. The crickets don't need light from my understanding, but I do... The fixtures where already there as I used to start seeds for the garden on that shelf. I manage the temperature by removing or adding the sides of the foam box or by turning on or off one or both sets of lights.

For containers, I use these.... https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite...7DrXF3DltMbX4s
I don't put any bedding material or substrate in the bins. That just hides potential issues. I leave the bottoms bare, but I do rough them up with sandpaper so the crickets can crawl on it. Otherwise it's so slippery I imagine they'd get stressed.

I also replace the tops with some frames I made to fit that have window screen in them to give them plenty of ventilation. Otherwise they get to stinking pretty quick. It's not something you want to do in your home which I guess is why a lot of the youtubers were going to extreme lengths to design ventilation systems and cutting holes in their bins.

I use the water crystals to provide water. There are some that feel they are certain death for your frogs, but I've not had any issues in the six or seven years I've been using them. And if I have a surplus of alternate water sources such as citrus peels that still have some flesh on them or potato slices, then I may switch to that when the bin is feeder size.

Making new crickets is as simple as putting a shallow container of moist soil or similar (I use Eco Earth) in the bin for a few days when the bin reaches breeder size. For me this is after they pass feeder size and is just before they naturally die. I leave the container in there as little as 36 hours and sometimes up to five days. Temperature seems to dictate how active they are laying eggs.

Although I do tend to them every other day, I have left on vacation for two weeks and the only issue was my breeding schedule was interrupted and I had to buy some to have feeder size crickets for my frogs.

After they've laid eggs, they all get dumped in a large bucket I keep for things destined for the compost pile and sprayed with a pyrethrin type poison. What I'm currently using is this http://www.homedepot.com/p/Hot-Shot-...6190/203842329
which is a Lambda-cyhalothrin, a synthetic pyrethroid that I don't have any issue with.

The dead crickets, their litter, eggcrate and everything else in their bin goes in the compost pile.