Keeping crickets alive

[BryanP]

Does anyone have a written guide for how to keep crickets alive?
I can't keep 100 crickets alive for more than 4 or 5 days and honestly they live just fine in my garage because it seems that any that have gotten out have been breeding and living their best life in my garage.

How big of a container do I need?
Heat?
Base material?
Humidity and temp?

Dubias are almost impossible to kill but my guy has stopped eating them!

 

[amf45005]

I would say first, any crickets I’ve EVER purchased from a pet store don’t last a week. I order from Josh’s Frogs and keep them in a big 90qt plastic tote, I cut a hole on top and placed metal screen over it with a heat lamp, red 100watt bulb. I feed them a mixed “Bug burger” Repashy Bug Burger Insect Gel... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RM796YA?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

They live forever, literally I have no idea why but they don’t die

Good luck! I even had some lay eggs and hatched them all too!!

 

[MissSkittles]

I keep mine similarly to @amf45005 but without adding heat & I’ve cut out areas of the sides of the bin & screened them for optimal ventilation. When I buy 500 domestic crickets, there is always a massive die off no matter what. When I order 1000 banded crickets, almost no deaths. The domestic crickets reek awful no matter how clean I try to keep them. The banded have much less stink. I know they can die from their own stink/fumes, so maybe that is part of it.

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

I have had more success with keeping crickets alive by using water crystals instead of water and feeding dry bug burger and Flukers High Calcium Cricket food

 

[My_Chameleon]

I have had more success with keeping crickets alive by using water crystals instead of water and feeding dry bug burger and Flukers High Calcium Cricket foodView attachment 354259

Hi! I'm having the same problem as @BryanP, I appreciate these suggestions too! Do you have a specific brand of water crystals that you use?

 

[M&M]

I’ve heard that a lot of the pre-made cricket food prohibits them from being able to shed - causing them to die quicker. So I’ve been avoiding trying to use this (other than when we are away for a few days.)

I use plain cricket water (I purchased from a cricket vendor at repticon) along with simple gut feeding — I keep them inside, since my garage is well over a comfortable temperature for them a majority of the time. While a few of them die off, we are able to keep the majority of them alive.

We haven’t had any breed, but we also don’t get more than about a week or two’s worth at a time.

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

I only buy 100 at a time. I keep them in a dark tote and remove as many dead ones as i can in 5 minutes everyday.

 

[Tkrd69]

I use a 25 gallon trash can with a tomato ring and a custom screened lid.

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

I use a 25 gallon trash can with a tomato ring and a custom screened lid.

I like it. What's a tomato ring?

 

[Tkrd69]

It used to go around a tomato plant to hold up its branches. Usually in the garden section home depot or Wal-Mart. I just cut off the parts that go into ground and flipped it over. Hope this helps.

 

[BryanP]

Does too small a container contribute to die off? I have my 100 in a 5gal tote.

I can try a larger one and see how that goes.

Do most people have 2 bins to swap back and forth for cleaning?

 

[MissSkittles]

I don’t offer any additional hydration, but I do feed fresh produce and greens that I will occasionally give a spritz of water to.
I have several bug bins and depending on how many crickets there are, dictates which I use to move them to for thorough cleaning. Every time I move the domestic crickets though, there is a mass die off after. Yet if I don’t clean it, there is still a mass die off from being kept dirty. There’s no winning with them. I only buy them because it’s from a small locally owned pet supply store.

 

[BryanP]

I don’t offer any additional hydration, but I do feed fresh produce and greens that I will occasionally give a spritz of water to.
I have several bug bins and depending on how many crickets there are, dictates which I use to move them to for thorough cleaning. Every time I move the domestic crickets though, there is a mass die off after. Yet if I don’t clean it, there is still a mass die off from being kept dirty. There’s no winning with them. I only buy them because it’s from a small locally owned pet supply store.

I wish my guy didn't stop eating dubias... I have a self sustaining colony but he won't touch them unfortunately.

Going to buy 1000 and sew how that goes. I got a 56qt container from target so we'll see.

 

[Tony_S]

My guy wouldn’t eat dubia’s, but he would go nuts over orange heads. Maybe get some samples of different breeds. Red runners he loved also.

 

[BryanP]

My guy wouldn’t eat dubia’s, but he would go nuts over orange heads. Maybe get some samples of different breeds. Red runners he loved also.

It took me long enough to get over dubias and bringing in different breeds of roaches just makes me uneasy lol

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

Does too small a container contribute to die off? I have my 100 in a 5gal tote.

I can try a larger one and see how that goes.

Do most people have 2 bins to swap back and forth for cleaning?

Yes, I have 2 bins for all feeders, even silk worms!

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

I get 50 silkworms a month. In order to keep them alive, I Change their container and food once a week. I have too many pets. The feeders are pets. For healthy feeders you have to treat them like pets. Grasshoppers are the easiest feeders to care for. No cleaning. They live a long time - months, very little die off.

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

@MissSkittles I woke up to a new pet! Hawk moths hatched, emerged - whatever! It's BIG! and left nasty stuff on the screen.

 

[BryanP]

Anyone use bioactive with crickets?

Saw 2 videos on YouTube about using soil, leaf litter, and isopods with crickets and it helping to keep clean and also help reduce die off.

I have 1000 crickets inbound and need to build their container.

 

[MissSkittles]

@MissSkittles I woke up to a new pet! Hawk moths hatched, emerged - whatever! It's BIG! and left nasty stuff on the screen.View attachment 354311

Yay! I had mine emerge, they made some eggs and now are all dead. You’ll need to make it a nectar if you want it to live. It’s just 1 part sugar and 4 parts water, heat until it boils in the microwave and that’s it. Super easy. In the past I used a hummingbird feeder, but this last group didn’t seem to understand, so I just put it in a small bowl. They do make quite a mess when they emerge. I think it’s pheromones that they are spraying all over…same as silkmoths do.