Ok breeding help fo complete newb

[IonBaller07]

Ok I only have two leos but they seem to have insatiable appetites. would it be worth it to start a small colony. I seem to be taking weekly trips to pet store to pick up mealworms and crickets.

So if it is worth it what do I need to breed crickets and/or mealworms.
I have one large more than 30 gallon bin.
If I start I will pick up some smaller bins.
I have sand I was gonna use for leo substrate I could use for them.
Do I need special hides or heat or something.

Which is easier to breed mealworms or crickets,my leos will eat either.

How exactly do I make them breed ?

I dont really know anything so anything will help/

 

[WiseReptiles]

here is a site that will walk you thru it. Something we learned is to crush up the oatmeal so it is alot easier to get or mealworms out when feeding or moving to another breed box.

http://www.wormman.com/mealworm_breeding.cfm

 

[IonBaller07]

So if I want to small scale breed crickets all I have to do is put 2-3 dozen large crickets in a large bin, the bin has egg cartons, wet cotton ball dish or apple, some carrots for food, a little bin filled with sand or maybe moss for egg laying,another bin for the babies to grow, and a heat lamp over top.

Will this be succesful setup ?????????????????????//

 

[shadowx362]

I would just buy some roaches(Dubia). They are WAAY easier to breed. All you have to do is put them in a warm container with food and you get babies.
I've tried breeding crickets and its a mess.....

 

[IonBaller07]

Yah it probably easier but from what I understand the mealworms take like 12 weeksto start a colony. While crickets can be started in just two or three.

 

[IonBaller07]

What if I go buy like 5 dozen mealies and put them in a bin of out meal, ifIpull someoutto feed my gecks will they still breed or will me disturbing them ruin it

 

[WiseReptiles]

The easiest way to start breeding the mealworms is have 2 containers of them at the same time. Have your breeding container that you do not feed from and then the container that you feed from. That way your breeders will always be the same meal worms and will know about when they will turn to beetles.

 

[IonBaller07]

Ok I couldnt make a mealworms colony because the local ***** said they didnt have beetles for sale and had a mealworm shortage. So I bought 5 dozen large crickets instead and set them up in a pretty large bin. I put a stack of boxes with holes cut throughout, little peices of egg cartons (because I dont have big ones, and 5-6 toilet paper tubes all on one side. On the other side I have food dish with commercial cricket food, water dish with commercial cricket water/goo stuff and a sandwich size tupperware with moist moss on one side and moistish/dry sand on the other. There alot of huge females, a few with their egg pooper almost a half inch long. SoI think babiesshould be in the work soon,when should I check the tupperware for eggs and how can I tell.

 

[IonBaller07]

Ohh and I dont have a heat source because I couldnt find anything safe for a plastic enclosure, I figure if its warm enough in my room for them to mate and lay eggs Ill be fine because my mom said I can use her heating pad for her back or watever to sit the tupperware on so they'll hatch. But do you think 70 degrees will be enough just to get them to lay the eggs.

 

[IonBaller07]

Heres some pics of my ghetto cricket setup.

The pic doesnt show much depth, there are three interconnecting boxes on the left and the paper towel is like a ladder leading up. I also dontknow where all the crickets went for the pic. Theyvebeen all acroos the bottom all day but now there all hiding there is 5 dozen in there.