Cricket Breeding
- Thread starter Chase
- Start date
Dankmeleon
New Member
i saw an artical that said you are suppose to pick all the healthy females and sort out all the males, feed your males as feeders except for a selct number of healthy ones because a few can knock up all the females and that way you keep your conditions a lot cleaner
i dunno the answer to your specific question though, bump
i dunno the answer to your specific question though, bump
Chameleons Northwest
Avid Member
We leave the plastic container (such as a margarine container) full of moist dirt/peat moss mixture in with the adults overnight (1 nite), and get what seems like a thousand crickets hatch out in a week. We place a human style heating pad (set on medium) on top of the adult cricket container, take the laying tub out after being with the adults one nite, set it on top of the heating pad, spray it with a little spray bottle to keep the soil moist (but not wet), cover it with a damp paper towel and/or partially cover it with a plastic lid (to keep soil from drying out). Spray the egg laying soil at least once a day. If it dries out your eggs are toast.
After 5 days place the laying tub in a larger, taller, container that has a lid. The lid should have at least a portion of screen on it for ventilation. For this application you can probably just cut a hole in the lid and tape a piece of screen over it. This container must be tall enough so that baby crickets can not jump out of the screen. Place the larger container on the heating pad.
The crickets will begin hatching out in 7-8 days from the day they were laid. Once they begin hatching out cover the egg laying container (inside the larger container) with a damp paper towel and lay it on its side (inside the larger container). Keep the paper towel moist by spraying with mist from little spray bottle. Do not overly saturate or you will drown the hatchlings. After many have hatched you should place a large leaf of green romaine or green leaf lettuce (not iceberg) over the paper towel. Replace the lettuce leaf every day or so. Keep the paper towel moist but you don't have to spray the top of the egg laying container anymore (it will be under the paper towel). In a few days you can begin placing A LITTLE dry food in with the crickets, being careful not to bury them. Also at this time you may want to place a damp cotton ball in with the crickets, refreshing it everyday.
Once all the crickets seem to have hatched I gently brush the top of the egg-laying container with a cotten ball to encourage them to jump off, then turn the egg laying container upside down in my hand, slide out the (now dry and hardened) egg laying soil (it will retain the container shape), brush the remaining baby crickets off of the side and bottom of it, and discard it. Save the container for future use. The baby crickets can continue living in that larger container until they outgrow it. If it is too small for egg crates, you can place paper towel or toilet paper rolls in with them, and dry balled-up paper towels. This will give them something to nest in. When you transfer them to a larger container add egg crates.
After 5 days place the laying tub in a larger, taller, container that has a lid. The lid should have at least a portion of screen on it for ventilation. For this application you can probably just cut a hole in the lid and tape a piece of screen over it. This container must be tall enough so that baby crickets can not jump out of the screen. Place the larger container on the heating pad.
The crickets will begin hatching out in 7-8 days from the day they were laid. Once they begin hatching out cover the egg laying container (inside the larger container) with a damp paper towel and lay it on its side (inside the larger container). Keep the paper towel moist by spraying with mist from little spray bottle. Do not overly saturate or you will drown the hatchlings. After many have hatched you should place a large leaf of green romaine or green leaf lettuce (not iceberg) over the paper towel. Replace the lettuce leaf every day or so. Keep the paper towel moist but you don't have to spray the top of the egg laying container anymore (it will be under the paper towel). In a few days you can begin placing A LITTLE dry food in with the crickets, being careful not to bury them. Also at this time you may want to place a damp cotton ball in with the crickets, refreshing it everyday.
Once all the crickets seem to have hatched I gently brush the top of the egg-laying container with a cotten ball to encourage them to jump off, then turn the egg laying container upside down in my hand, slide out the (now dry and hardened) egg laying soil (it will retain the container shape), brush the remaining baby crickets off of the side and bottom of it, and discard it. Save the container for future use. The baby crickets can continue living in that larger container until they outgrow it. If it is too small for egg crates, you can place paper towel or toilet paper rolls in with them, and dry balled-up paper towels. This will give them something to nest in. When you transfer them to a larger container add egg crates.
Last edited:
Chase
Chameleon Enthusiast
Wow! I took one of the egg laying containers out so I can incubate the eggs, there is like 20 eggs on the top of the soil, I put another one in and I am gonna let them lay in that for 2 days then take out all laying containers. Then they all should be like half gone because of the 10 lizards I have to feed them too. Lol 
Thanks everyone I think I know all I need to know!
Thanks everyone I think I know all I need to know!
AFH
Avid Member
Gesang, I've been trying to use your method, but I have a real problem keeping the soil moist enough, or conversely, having condensation develop and soak the soil later. Also, crickets are nasty shmucks, so if I am able to keep it relatively moist, I get a coating of spindley mold over the top.
Believe it or not, the eggs will last a long time through drought and soaking. I had one bin that I fought with for 2 months and then they finally hatched. Of course, it was too moist and 80% of them drowned in water droplets.
I've got a bin right now on a heating pad that dries out to quickly, then I add water and I get mold. I'm about to the point of picking out the eggs with tweezers and transferring them to a clean container.
Any suggestions? I'm finding that arising chams are a breeze compared to these infernal insects!
Believe it or not, the eggs will last a long time through drought and soaking. I had one bin that I fought with for 2 months and then they finally hatched. Of course, it was too moist and 80% of them drowned in water droplets.
I've got a bin right now on a heating pad that dries out to quickly, then I add water and I get mold. I'm about to the point of picking out the eggs with tweezers and transferring them to a clean container.
Any suggestions? I'm finding that arising chams are a breeze compared to these infernal insects!
Chameleons Northwest
Avid Member
We get a light fuzzy mold on the top of our egg laying soil, too, sometimes. Believe it or not, it doesn't hinder the hatching, nor the hatchlings. Once the crickets begin hatching, and you stop misting the soil, the mold (or whatever it is) dries up and dies. So, I don't even worry anymore if the white fuzzy stuff appears.
I've seen some insect nests (ant, cricket, etc) in nature, too, in rotting wood, and "hills" of wet beauty bark, and there is often white fuzzy molds and mildews in those, as well.
Sometimes, when we simulate these "natural" environments, we also end up getting the other "natural" developments that come along with it. I tolerate it because I know it's only going to be there during the week of incubation. In fact, it kind of lets me know that I've got my moisture and temperature just right. The crickets are raised in a dry, warm, environment where the water source is kept away from food and bedding, so molds and mildews cannot develop.
I've seen some insect nests (ant, cricket, etc) in nature, too, in rotting wood, and "hills" of wet beauty bark, and there is often white fuzzy molds and mildews in those, as well.
Sometimes, when we simulate these "natural" environments, we also end up getting the other "natural" developments that come along with it. I tolerate it because I know it's only going to be there during the week of incubation. In fact, it kind of lets me know that I've got my moisture and temperature just right. The crickets are raised in a dry, warm, environment where the water source is kept away from food and bedding, so molds and mildews cannot develop.
Treetop Chameleons
Established Member
i normaly just order 1000 crick then i put them in a realy big rubermade container with a small tub with fresh moist soil in it and let em go to town. i leave it in there for about a week or two then i move the container with the dirt in it to its own relly big tub and wait for them to hatch befor you know it you will have 1000's of baby crix. just make sure you have plenty of food and water in there for them. then just grow to a larg size and repeat till you have a constint supply of crix. best edvice i can give is dont over think it just do it crix live to eat poop and breed thats about it just let nature do its thing.
desultadox
Established Member
I feel like I'm doing something wrong... you guys go on and on about how easy this is, but I've tried several times now with absolutely no luck. What I'm doing is putting about 5 crickets (3 females, 2 males) in one of those large Kricket Keeper things with some very moist Reptibark (I think that's what it is) a couple of inches deep. I leave the crickets in for a week with food and water crystals. Then I remove the adults and wait for what should be a ton of babies to hatch. Only they never do. I think I waited about 3 weeks the longest time before I threw it all out and started over. I spray the substrate daily and it's plenty warm outside here in Orlando. Obviously the whole point is to keep this thing really simple. Should I give it more time? I was under the impression they shouldn't take longer than a week to hatch. To be honest, I don't even know what a cricket egg looks like, or what a female looks like when she's laying. Even if these things are eating the eggs, could they possibly eat all the eggs? Even with food provided? I don't know what I'm doing wrong... my silkworms bred when I didn't even want them to (in fact I tried to delay/avoid it) but when I try to breed crickets, I fail! Insane.
Chase
Chameleon Enthusiast
Well, this is your problem. You let the males be able to eat the eggs. What you need to do is have a little cup, put dirt in it, then put some screening on top of that. The two males WILL eat the eggs if allowed. This is what the screen is for. The eggs look like clear cigars. Most of the time, they are on the top because if you don't put enough soil, they can't get them in the soil. So, that is what is needed for easy breeding. And, I wouldn't put them outside because its been cooler than needed. It takes about 1-2 weeks, it depends on what the temperatures are. Hope this helps.
LPR08
chelshart25
New Member
I have been trying for a couple days now to breed crickets also...I put 10 crickets in a container with a small dirt filled cup and placed it in there. Do the females dig a hole when they lay the eggs. I havent seen any of the eggs but there are 2 holes that the crickets have dug. I took out the container and put it on a heat pad. Should they start hatching in a couple weeks if there are crickets? Sorry for stealing the post.
Chameleons Northwest
Avid Member
The crickets begin to hatch in about 8 days. They are clear, extremely tiny, and difficult to see at first. The cup needs to be in a larger container once they start hatching or they will all escape. Do not let the soil in the cup become dry. Desiccated eggs are dead eggs.
The females stick their ovipositor into the soil to lay their eggs. I have seen them dig a little hole now and then. The male crickets, however, will dig holes and eat the eggs.
The male crickets must be mature enough to chirp before they will be able to breed successfully. If your adult crickets are not chirping, then they are not yet mature.
The females stick their ovipositor into the soil to lay their eggs. I have seen them dig a little hole now and then. The male crickets, however, will dig holes and eat the eggs.
The male crickets must be mature enough to chirp before they will be able to breed successfully. If your adult crickets are not chirping, then they are not yet mature.
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