proper cricket care?

[flashjord101]

I just started with my new ambilobe PC. I bought a 10 gallon cage with a screen top for crickets. i bought 100 small crickets, just dumped some cricket crack in there (no dish), threw in some beet greens, orange slices, and potato. When should I consider cleaning? when should I add more cricket crack and veggies? What can I be doing better?

thanks for the help!
J

 

[tyler]

I just started with my new ambilobe PC. I bought a 10 gallon cage with a screen top for crickets. i bought 100 small crickets, just dumped some cricket crack in there (no dish), threw in some beet greens, orange slices, and potato. When should I consider cleaning? when should I add more cricket crack and veggies? What can I be doing better?

thanks for the help!
J

I clean my cricket cage daily, if not they start to smell. Good upkeep keeps down the odor. I'm also a big fan of using dishes or makeshift dishes to hold food and what not, makes cleaning and replacing easier.

 

[wontbme]

if the smell becomes too powerful too soon try putting oatmeal in a dish, either in reach or out of reach of the crickets. it helps mask smells very well.
also it prevents them from eating one another, in my experience

 

[flashjord101]

thank you. how often do you feed? do you just kind of monitor the food if it gets low.. common sense?

 

[Justin Ward]

thank you. how often do you feed? do you just kind of monitor the food if it gets low.. common sense?

yeah you can keep the dry gutload in there until its gone...if you use fruits and veggies, change them out before they start to get soft and nasty

 

[Leroux2008]

I feed my crickets as soon as they run out =p

 

[jdog1027]

if the smell becomes too powerful too soon try putting oatmeal in a dish, either in reach or out of reach of the crickets. it helps mask smells very well.
also it prevents them from eating one another, in my experience

Be careful with offering oatmeal to your crickets. It is high in phosphorus and will create an unfavorable phosphorus/calcium ratio, which can be unbeneficial to your chameleon. Crickets have a 2;1 phosphorus/calcium ratio as it is, and your goal should be to increase the amount of calcium in their diet. Phosphorus interferes with the chameleons ability to absorb or utilize the calcium in their food. This is a good idea though for controlling the odor.

 

[clarkrw3]

Be careful with offering oatmeal to your crickets. It is high in phosphorus and will create an unfavorable phosphorus/calcium ratio, which can be unbeneficial to your chameleon. Crickets have a 2;1 phosphorus/calcium ratio as it is, and your goal should be to increase the amount of calcium in their diet. Phosphorus interferes with the chameleons ability to absorb or utilize the calcium in their food. This is a good idea though for controlling the odor.

So does that mean oats are bad to give to your superworms too? I use it as a bedding substrate.

 

[bylee2009]

i have the problem of them eating eachother and i dont know how to stop it, im always making sure they have food and water (gel) but they still eat eachother n the smell, yeah it gets bad, what can i do?

 

[Citizen Snips]

I use a small shop vacuum to clean the tub daily and it helps keep it clean. Just provide dry gut load and oranges. Then, the day before you feed your cham...place 10-15 in a small container with veggies, so they will have full bellies of quality gut load. There's really no point in feeding a whole colony anything other than dry food and water/orange because they just poop it out quickly. Keep it clean and simple. As for breeding...good luck. I have eggs incubating for almost two weeks now and not one has hatched @ 80 deg w/damp sand.