Cricket Care - Nonbreeder

[Desdemona]

So, I only have one Gecko, currently, and don't think setting up a breeding colony would be worth it. I do have one over sized cricket I need to do something with (I think he snuck over from the Super cricket bin (or whatever).

So, right now I have a bunch of crickets probably 10 or less in a plastic container with a mesh bag as a lid. They have been in there since Mon. Should I clean the thing out? I have a second critter carrier I could try to transfer them too.

Oh, what do you do with your "to big" crickets if you don't have extra pets to give it too? We have a cat but i've heard their legs can cause damage if they swallow them. So, should I just put it outside? I don't really feel like killing it and chopping it to pieces.

 

[acpart]

You could always just let it eat and live and it will die from old age in a few weeks. Someone on the forums pointed out that it's not a good idea to release purchased crickets into the wild.

Aliza

 

[T-ReXx]

Why not just take it back to the store? I'm sure they would take it. Make sure you are providing a water source for the crickets and appropriate gut load. Fish flakes/dog food works ok, with pieces of carrot, apple or orange slices for water.

 

[Dash107]

Ok, I have lots of experience with crickets. My beardie loves them so I usually by them by the thousand or two. I feed my crickets fresh veggies and fruits usually the peels of of whatever or the tops of of carrots or strawberries. I usually will keep the scraps from preparing fresh veggies and fruits for my family and use those as cricket food.

As for transfering them I use toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls cut in half in the cricket container, some people use cardboard egg cartons but I find those harder to get the crickets out without losing a bunch. The rolls work great, you can cover one end when you pick it up so they don't escape and just dump them in to the clean container. The best way to do this is to put clean rolls in and take out the dirty ones, watch for most of the crickets to be hiding in the rolls then quickly move them from one container to the other. Then if there are still crickets in the dirty container put a roll back in and wait a little while unti they go in the roll and repeat. I clean my cricket cage out atleast once a week sometimes more depending on how many I have and how bad they smell.

 

[Desdemona]

I need to get some mulitvitmens and want to get some mealies, so I guess i will take him back and see if they will take him. I just have to remember to grab him.

Oh, do crickets need light? Right now they are living in one of the spare cupboards in my bathroom (there is a LOT of storage in my bathroom). I was trying to find a place where the cat wouldn't get them since I don't have a real secure cage for them.

 

[T-ReXx]

they don't need light, just can't let them get too cold.

 

[Jgreen909]

You could always just let it eat and live and it will die from old age in a few weeks. Someone on the forums pointed out that it's not a good idea to release purchased crickets into the wild.

Aliza

Why is releasing them bad?

 

[Spots]

Why is releasing them bad?

You shouldn't release them because then you would be introducing a 'new" species into the "wild." If everyone with geckos released a few crickets here and there, they could over populate and change the food chain supply and demand.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Why is releasing them bad?

There was a cricket virus that wiped out mass quantities of adult crickets all over the country. It started in one area..........

 

[Desdemona]

Well, the TP Roll thing worked like a charm, they all jumped on it like it was magnetized. I moved a good 13 or so of them including the big giant one in one swoop. I put the little box I was using to catch them in the container to grab the stragglers but they aren't as into my box. Might have to dump everyone out of the TP roll.

If the big cricket had babies I would be able to tell right? Well, laid eggs. I seem to have a lot more crickets than I should. I think I have 20 of them still, with a good 8 or 9 dead ones in the old container with the few stragglers I didn't get out last night. I was told they only put 15 in the bag at the store. Either she gave me a lot of freebies or someone had offspring. I haven't noticed any egg leftovers or really tiny crickets, though there are some who are smaller than the others. Most of the dead ones look like they were pretty small, but not as tiny as I'd guess a new hatched cricket would look. I wouldn't really know though. Kind of strange. Not complaining though.

 

[Dash107]

you would have to have dirt and moisture and a few other things for the cricket to lay eggs, it is not super easy to breed crickets. I tried but I it didn't go well.

 

[Desdemona]

Ok, she probably just didn't count them very well then.

 

[ZooKeeperKarin]

Yes, you need pretty specific conditions for crickets to breed, lay eggs and then hatch. Adults may lay eggs in or on your water supply, but it still wouldn't be the right conditions for hatching.