Does 1000 baby crickets take up a lot of space?

[happiness]

I'm thinking of purchasing 1000 crickets for about $23 total at Carolina crickets .. I just got back from Petsmart and it was $11 for 100 crickets

My boyfriend is really against me making the 1000 purchase... but I feel like it'll save me money in the long run.. and I don't mind taking care of them.. Is 1000 crickets a lot? Does it take up a lot of room?

And I wanted to ask.. is it okay to feed the crickets potato?? Or cat food? Right now my crickets have slices of potato in the cage, but I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that potato is a no no.

I put some green bean pieces in the cage too. Would the fresh potato and green bean be enough water ? or should I actually have a damp paper towel down. '


One more question! Is there such thing as OVERFEEDING a chameleon?? Or can I feed him as much as he wants??

 

[NosyBe15]

I live in an apt, and buy 100 at a time for my cricket keeper... and Man do they stink.... I cant imagine how 1000 would smell... Hopefully you have them outdoors or somewhere thats ventilated properly...

And yes, I have also read that Potatoes arent the best food for them.

 

[happiness]

That's not good!

I'd have to keep them inside, it's getting pretty cold outdoors!

 

[ridgebax1]

I did a large scale purchase like that and it was a disaster! I kept them in a big rubbermaid container and they stunk up my whole living room and the die off was ridiculous. And if you think live crickets stink it is nothing compared to dead! They only lasted about 2 weeks so in the long run it was ridiculously expensive. Basically potatoes provide moisture and are of no real nutritional value in terms of gutloading. Check out Sandrachamelon's blog for feeder nutrition info.
Look at Ghann's cricket farm online. I bought 250 crickets from them. They got here really quickly and I kept them in a 10 gallon aquarium. They were really healthy and I had very little die off. I think this would be better in the long run.

 

[absolutbill]

It really depends on how many animals you are feeding the crickets to, and how large they are. If you've only got 1 that's eating crickets, you shouldn't get 1000, because the crickets will grow too large before you can feed them all off. I buy 1000 at a time and keep them in a 10 gal aquarium with a screened lid, but I feed 3 adult chams. I buy them 1/2" and so I feed more when they are smaller, and as the crickets grow I'll feed fewer per day. This way by the time they reach chirping size (about 1"), I no longer have 1000, but instead about 300.

Everyone is correct - they can stink, and they are absolutely horrid-smelling when dead, so it's important to keep the tank/cage clean. Follow Sandra's blog about gutloading, she's the queen of it. As for moisture, I just use the water crystals and mix up 1 gallon of them at a time. Then, I just use a plastic lid and fill it with the water crystals and replace as needed. Hope this helps!

 

[lil lito]

I live in an apartment and i buy my crickets 1,000 at a time. i keep them in a 20 gallon glass terrarium with screen top. I only use about 10 or 15 a day. i keep them well fed and they don't seem to die. i clean the terrarium every other day and have never had any problems. but they do smell. and they're loud. I prefer buying in bulk though. way less trips

 

[happiness]

Wolud the Flukers Water gel work as well as the water crystals?? I just purchased the Flukers Water Gel but I heard Flukers isn't a great brand?

I'm thinking of buying a few adult crickets to try to breed them, maybe that'll work? xD

 

[DakotaB]

OK on the crystals. Go to Home Depot and buy a bag of Miracle Grow Water Storage Crystals. It's only $8 and is enough to make 12 gallons of crystals. It lasts forever and is the same exact thing as Fluckers.

Its so much more cost effective to buy in bulk. My Petco sells crickets for .16 each. Thats insane but I go through about a 1000 every 2-3 weeks. Vs a penny or less each when buying in bulk.

The trick is to buy them smaller than what you need. So by time you get to the end of your supply you dont have crickets that are to big and also there going to live a few weeks longer than just buying adults. Also less time having to deal with the noise.

 

[javsto]

I always buy my crickets in 1000 pc boxes and no they don't take up that much space at all. I use a 3 gallon generic plastic critter keeper that I bought and they ususally come packed with a couple of slices of potato or carrot in the box already. I add some Bug Burger and water crystals for them onec a week and store them outside during the summer but now that the weather is colder in NY I keep them in my boiler room. I ususally buy them in 1/4" sizes and allow them to grow up before I feed them off and they ususlly last at least 3 weeks before I buy another 1ooo pc box.