Cricket care.

[ALD]

I have questions about cricket care.
I'm finished getting all my supplies together and next step is get my GBB.
I have purchased a Kricket Keeper from Lee's.
It says it can hold up to 150 Large crickets.
Doe anyone else have this?
My question is what should I put in there to keep them going?
Do you use the gels/food cubes?
OR should I being doing something more natural like potatoes?
can I use cardboard scraps or do they need egg crate cartons.
Finally, what is a realistic amount of time I can expect them to last in there?
Thanks!

 

[Arachnoclown]

I use a small one 6"x4"x5". I use bran or oatmeal in it along with some egg cartons. I use fruits and veggies for their moisture...I don't bother with water gels and stuff. I just replace the fruits and veggies every other day to prevent mold. I live close to a reptile shop so I only keep 20 or so at a time...my Ts eat them all within a week. They're nasty dirty stinky critters so I don't like keeping alot around.

 

[ALD]

Hi, if you only have one T then don’t give yourself the hassle of keeping a lot of the smelly buggers, keep a tub of super worms as they last ages and don’t stink nearly as much and buy crickets,roaches etc occasionally... I also wouldn’t feed them potatoes as @kormath schooled me that they’re part of the nightshade family (I’m sure that’s what he called them) and full of toxins when raw...

I had no idea about the potatoes!!! Thank you. How long do the meal worms/super worms keep?

 

[ALD]

I use a small one 6"x4"x5". I use bran or oatmeal in it along with some egg cartons. I use fruits and veggies for their moisture...I don't bother with water gels and stuff. I just replace the fruits and veggies every other day to prevent mold. I live close to a reptile shop so I only keep 20 or so at a time...my Ts eat them all within a week. They're nasty dirty stinky critters so I don't like keeping alot around.

What kind of fruit/veggies do you use? I was going to keep meal worm in oatmeal and provide carrots - same for crickets?

 

[Arachnoclown]

Carrots, apples, celery, lettuce, broccoli ...anything really. I throw in the scraps and cores from cutting things up.

 

[Arachnoclown]

My Gbbs actually prefer superworms.... @Shampain has a great point. Crickets are a pain to keep for one 1 T .

 

[ALD]

My Gbbs actually prefer superworms.... @Shampain has a great point. Crickets are a pain to keep for one 1 T .

But I don't plan on it being just one for long. hahahahaha
Seriously. I already have my eye on a curly hair I want to get maybe in the same weekend from another shop.
annnnd I also want a few others that I am probably just going to order.

 

[ALD]

You’ll never look back! Ask anyone, spiders are like a drug, there’s always another you want hehe

I already know. I'm all in. I have a list. I got shelves. I got supplies. This is happening.

 

[WolfSpider]

Watch out for super worms with slings though. Once they leave their colony, their inhibition to grow is relaxed. They can pupate in your enclosure and a beetle can kill a sling or damage a larger T in deep premolars. Consider crushing their heads when feeding slings, it kills them in 24 hours, but they still move a bit and still excite your T’s predatory response.

 

[WolfSpider]

Darn autocorrect. Not deep premolars. Deep PREMOLT.

 

[WolfSpider]

I use orange gel cubes for my crickets. It is more expensive, but it gut loads them, allows them to survive for 2 weeks, and I never have to feed them or give them water.

 

[ALD]

Watch out for super worms with slings though. Once they leave their colony, their inhibition to grow is relaxed. They can pupate in your enclosure and a beetle can kill a sling or damage a larger T in deep premolars. Consider crushing their heads when feeding slings, it kills them in 24 hours, but they still move a bit and still excite your T’s predatory response.

So, I should crush their heads in the tweezers before dropping them in? Does this go for meal worms and crickets too?

 

[WolfSpider]

So, I should crush their heads in the tweezers before dropping them in? Does this go for meal worms and crickets too?

Meal worms yes. Crickets no. However, A cricket will chew on a T sometimes when it is vulnerable and molting. Dead crickets are also notorious for introducing mold into moist enclosures. I check on my Ts the day after I feed them. I remove any surviving or dead crickets on that day.

 

[ALD]

I've been using carrots- I'm going to toss in some Apples tomorrow. How about baby spinach? Will they eat that?

 

[Dave Jay]

Yeah, baby spinach is a favourite of crickets. I add a tiny bit into my enclosures when I add the crickets so they are less likely to harass the inhabitants. Of course it is removed the next day along with the cricket if not eaten.
I'm not sure if you were meaning feeding it to crickets or superworms.Superworms aren't readily available here atm , but I can tell you mealworm beetles eat spinach but the worms not so much.
Btw, only the green parts of potatoes are poisonous, the white flesh is ok, but not terribly nutritious. Carrot is generally a staple for feeders but variety is important imo, I make sure I have carrots on hand at all times , but most our the vegetable and fruit scraps are fed to crickets, mealworms and roaches in my house. Be sure to wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly to remove any traces of pesticides.

 

[ALD]

Yeah, baby spinach is a favourite of crickets. I add a tiny bit into my enclosures when I add the crickets so they are less likely to harass the inhabitants. Of course it is removed the next day along with the cricket if not eaten.
I'm not sure if you were meaning feeding it to crickets or superworms.Superworms aren't readily available here atm , but I can tell you mealworm beetles eat spinach but the worms not so much.
Btw, only the green parts of potatoes are poisonous, the white flesh is ok, but not terribly nutritious. Carrot is generally a staple for feeders but variety is important imo, I make sure I have carrots on hand at all times , but most our the vegetable and fruit scraps are fed to crickets, mealworms and roaches in my house. Be sure to wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly to remove any traces of pesticides.

I meant for crickets. Thanks for the info. I will offer some baby spinach tonight.