Thanks for the info and advice! i got about 39 crickets about 3 days ago and they all are still alive, im feeding them and spraying water on them for Water, (once a day), but do you know why mine dont chirp? Theyre all hoping around and stuff but dont chirp? Thanks
how many days to wait before i can have an adult cricket from the start of the breeding period to feed on my geckos? i haven't start breeding yet still feeding superworms...
hi i have a small cricket keeper to feed my geckos with but im not sure if the baby crickets will craul out? (the sides r made of plastic) and i dont realy want them crauling out and running around the house do u no what to do?
do i have to keep them warm? becuase i want to breed them outside becuase they smell so is it possable to breed them outside? i have crickets around my area so i think it will be ok any suggestions?
good vid thanks for info, do the crickets find that egg laying substrate easily? i mean will they climb up that container no problems? I tried doing this another way where i covered the entire bottom of the tank with dirt, but ive got 500 crickets in there so its gonna be a pain to get them all out again in a week or 2 :/
@MrElliotGear yea the problem with covering the whole bottom as you now know is that you will have to remove all the adults to let the babies breed, you can actually just give it a shot and see how it goes if its too much of a pain at this point, just give lots of places for the babies to hide.
The way Ive done it is with the breeding tray and the crickets have never had a problem getting up there and laying eggs. best of luck
@GimpingMan i am looking foward to breeding crickets for my bearded dragon. and i find your video was very helpful, but i do have one question, with a 10 gal. aquarium, how many crickets are expected to fit. i have heard if there is too many, they will eat eachother. holy ****. hahaha. thanks man
great vid, my wife and I were trying to find the simplest way to breed crickets for our lizards and frogs i do have a question tho. for the breeding tray how much if any should I compact the soil? shold it be loose or should I stuff the dirt down hard?
@LuisDolores2244 No you dont have to pack down the soil, as you moisten it, it will slowly pack down naturally. Loose dirt is better and easier for the crickets to lay in.. I have a couple other videos about breeding trays and keeping pinheads you might want to check out. If you have any other questions feel free to ask or message me.
@Abven9 Leave it in there for 3 -7 days, check it every now and then and make sure the females are laying in it. After you give it some time remove the tray. Replace it with a fresh tray and icubate the tray that has the eggs in it.
@Abven9 check out my other videos about breeding crickets, I made one for each step you need. Seperate the breeding tray into your incubating tub, let the babies hatch, feed them and once they get big enough transfer them into the main colony for breeding. and repeat
@Reptiledictionary225 No, I wouldnt put any substrate in the container aside from the breeding tray. If you put substrate in the container they will end up laying eggs in it. Its best to just use a breeding tray and leave that as your only substrate. They will be fine walking around on plain plastic.
I was wanting to grow some crickets for my bearded dragon to eat. I was wondering if the crickets from the local fishing store would be good enough to start a farm with or should i order my crickets from a farm?
@Norcalbowhunter They should be ok but remember that those crickets have only been bred as feeder crickets so you might lose the majority of them while you start your colony. There is no reason why you should need to order crickets throught he mail to start a colony. Just remember to take the dead crickets out as you see them. Good luck with your project.
I recently started to breed crickets and just have one question for you if you are able to help.
I cut the wings off all my crickets so they are silent.... So will the adults continue to mate seems the males can't make noise????? Seems kinda bad but it doesn't hurt them... i think lol
@stewyd32 Ive heard of other people doing the same thing. I do not belive that it will affect the breeding however I have never done it myself nor have I researched it much. I (assume) that it would have no effect, Ive heard of people freezing off the wings as well. I think it does probably hurt them but since they cannot scream "OUCH" there really no way of telling.. Just be careful to not puncture their abdomen when your cutting.
@stewyd32 lol...if you cut their wings so you unable to breed because the male crickets using their wings to call the female crickets to make sex!!! if you don't trust me so take alittle time to watch the male crickets when they want to breed.
@honnoand000 If they are medium crickets they should be ready pretty soon. You will notice that some of the females will grow their ovpositors out their rear end. Also if there is chirping coming from the tank then they are breeding. Males chirp to attract the females. So if they are singing then theres mature females in your tank and breeding is already going on.
@1sgtRambo The crickets you buy from the store will have male and female crickets. You can find crickets at your local petshop or even a reptile store. If you do not have any of those close enough you can always order them online.
You will never get sold just one sex of crickets, you may have more of one sex than the other but I have have never seen a batch of just male or female crickets.
@MvAd0gFish I started my colony with 75 crickets. I like to buy more than a few because you will have some dead loss of the store crickets. Store bought are not as strong or healthy as your first hatch will be. They can also be diseased from the store so its good to start off with more than less. If you feel you have too many after your fist hatch you can always feed them off or just kill them.
Ive even taken them fishing and caught Bass with them.
@dirtbikemanly2 I dont use any type of tape for my tanks. The corners of the fishtank are glued together at the factory. I would suggest using a plastic sweater box or plastic tub for the pinheads since they can actually climb up the glue in the corners. I would stay away from any tape because you wouldnt want to accidentally get some of then stuck on it.
would love to know how u keep that so clean i have a colony of 500 and they shit eveywhere!!!! i obviously clean them out but it last for all of half a day lol
would love to know how u keep that soo clean i have a colony of about 500 and they shit everywhere i do clean them out but lasts for all of half a day lol
@lizarrdmanz21 When I clean my tank I have to go all out. I completely remove all of the papertowel rolls and scoop up all the poop on the bottom. After I have all the poop cleared up I take warm damp papertowels and clean the poop that sticks to the bottom up. It takes about 30-40 mins to do a full tank cleaning.
I make sure everything is wiped down as best as possible and then replace everything inside.
@lizarrdmanz21 They are most difficult when they just hatch. You have to make sure you keep the consensation down in the tank or they can drown in the little water drops, wipe it daily or more. Make sure you have some food and lettuce for a water source in there as well. Also try not to move the tank around so you dont crush or smash them in the corners.
regardless of how well you keep them you will lose some of the pinheads. Its just nature that not all of them survive.
@LinxcS crickets or meal worma are best. sometimes you can put a little piece of seedless watermelon in there so they can lick the juice. That is what I did with my green anoles.
I get the chicken food from a local feed store. Just google feed store and your zipcode. The store should have a section section where you can buy by the pound. A couple pounds lasts a long time if you grind it up.
I get Laying Pellets the people at the store will know what you mean if you ask for laying pellets. Its really cheap, under a dollar a pound.
i use a spray bottle to moist the soil in a 10 gallon n they started laying eggs immediatly and how long do the eggs hatch n should i take the adults n when they start hatchin should i still moist the soil or will the babies drown plz return
The crickets can stay in the breeding tank until they are a few weeks to a month old.
It sounds to me like you just have dirt on the bottom of the tank instead of in a container(breeding tray) If this is the case then you will want to leave the babies in there until you are ready to clean out the whole tank. The adults should already be removed when you intend on hatching.
The reason I use a breeding tray instead of just dirt on the
You can still spray but be careful, make sure you do not get ANY mist on the sides of the tank, if you do, make sure you wipe the water off or they will drown in it. The soil is ok to keep moist, just make sure you spray gently and not alot at one time, you want to water to soak into the soil without forming small puddles. As long as there are no puddles or spray or condensation on the walls they should not drown.
I spray my soild for a couple weeks after 1st hatch to help the late bloomers
ok thanx n im new at this it wasnt til after they started laying eggs when i noticed i shouldve used a breeding tray(s).. ill surely do it next time, and i have about 8 to 12 females in there so how many babys should that produce, im doin this for my 2 tarantulas n tyrin to save money lol
i use a spray bottle to moist the soil in a 10 gallon n they started laying eggs immediatly and how long do the eggs hatch n should i take the adults n when they start hatchin should i still moist the soil or will the babies drown plz return
I like the chirping as well. Sometimes we feed out all the mature crickets and the house is quiet. It feels wierd for a little while until those first chirps start up from the babies
sometimes. The cycle of light does not seem to matter much. I have the light next to them so its easier for me to see. I do not normally use it for the crickets. I use a heat pad as my heat source for them
I use a salsa container, It works just fine. They will lay eggs in whatever you give them, if they run out of space they will just lay the eggs on top of the soil. Try to give them the most space avaliable yet keep it managable for yourself.
Before I used the salsa container I used a small sandwich size tupperware container. Just make sure you keep the soil moist thoughout the breeding process. :)
I'm just beginning a cricket breeding project to feed my tarantulas and spiders. I got mostly babies and juvies because my tarantulas are still small but they eat very little. I got them in both paper towel holders and egg cartons. They're fed on dog food, monkey chow and lettuce. Might get some fish flakes next time I go shopping.
sounds like its doing well. I do not use too much for food. Just ground up dog and chicken feed. Do whats cheap but effective. The whole point is to save money. If your spending alot on food it might be cheaper to just buy the crickets you need.
Yeah. Luckily crickets don't eat too much. A handful of crushed up food can feed a couple hundred. :-) Chicken feed? Hmmmm, I don't know where to get that. Sounds healthy and probably get lots of plump crickets.
I get it from my local feed store. Just google a feed store in your area. It is really cheap. I get 50lbs for $14ish dollars or 25lbs for 8. You should be able to buy it by the pound as well since you probably do not want 25lbs at once. I think its like 80 cents a pound when you get it by the pound. I grind it up in a coffee grinder i bought specifically for the crickets food.
OK, cool. I should try some of that some time. Might also be good for my superworms. I tossed in some of the corn meal we made for our tamales in with the mealworms and they were on that in 10 minutes! Gave some to the crickets too.
Depending on the size some crickets you bought might have already started breeding. If there is chirping coming from the tank than more than likley there is some breeding.
Put in your breeding tray and watch for the females wiggling their butts into the dirt. When you see this it means they are laying eggs. Give it a week to week and a half, pull the tray to incubate and put a new tray in there.
so how many cricket tubs/tanks do you maintain? do you just cycle one for adults and one for the hatchlings, or do you keep several seperate generations? i started a small colony in a single tank and just let them breed but now i'm finding out it's almost impossible to keep such a thing cleaned as the pinheads are everywhere.
I use a large tub and 4-5 smaller tubs for the incubating/raising.
The 1 tub is my master colony, which I use for feeding and breeding. I just cycle a new breeding tray each week.
When I remove the trays I place them in smaller plastic sweater boxes to incubate and raise them. I let them get about a month to month and a half old in the smaller sweaterbox before I put them in the master colony tub. Its easier to clean out when the pinheads are seperate and your not throwing them away with poop
I have heard of many people using the cup holders and the general question is are they safe?
I am not sure. I would think if they were not safe you would see the result in your cricket population. If they are alive and kicking then its probably ok.
You can use sand but the problem I hear about is that it compacts too much when it is wet and makes it hard for the babies to crawl out of.
I use a heated bed sheet to incubate the breeding trays, you can use any source of heat you like. I have even seen people put the breeding trays on top of their cable boxes and let the heat from the box incubate the eggs.
buy your crickets online. You can get 1,000 crickets for $20!!!!! If you start with that many adults, you will end up with thousands and thousands of babies! A 20gallon size tank with many egg cartons will be suitable. Get 'gel' water and dry food, or get the cube food/water combos. Put a cup(or many many cups is better) of dirt for egg laying. After eggs are laid, put each dirt cup in a separate 10gallon cage(or tub) and they will hatch and you will have THOUSANDS!
Another note... On the video, very good information! 5 stars! But really, the only thing is BUY ONLINE. lllreptile sells 1,000 for $20(this includes shipping cost)!!! For 1,000 crickets at a petshop, you would pay well over $100. More adults = more babies! Very descriptive vid man! I am subbing, check out my vids too!
Sorry, wanted to add more info... So once you get those multiple egg cups into separate cages(lets say you have 4 egg cups). two or three of the cups/cages you feed off. At least one of them you raise till adults(only takes a couple weeks). Then those adults will be your new breeding stock. You put them in the 20gallon and start over!
You remove the breeding tray from the adult cage and incubate the eggs to hatch them. Then you have the eggs and hatched crickets living in the seperate breeding container. Normally i give them a couple weeks after being hatched to grow before I put them with the adults.
The adults WILL try to eat the babies if they are together so its best to let the babies grow up a bit before you combine them.
You pretty much have everything correct. Theres alot of steps inbetween but the general idea is correct.
You need food/water source breeding tray and place for them to hide. I use the paper rolls because they are easier to collect. You can use egg carton. Just make sure you have enough carton for all the crickets to hide in.
Keep the soil moist and after a week or so pull the breeding tray and put it in a seperate box to incubate the eggs.
You will know the crickets are laying eggs when you see them trying to bury their butts in the dirt. When you start seeing this give it a week or even a week and a half and pull the breeding tray.
I have many empty trays so I just replace the one I remove and repeat the process each week.
As for the lettuce: I do not mist it. They normally eat it all unless it starts getting mushy then pull it. They will almost always eat all of the lettuce.
I use the spray bottle on the breeding tray each morning to keep the soil moist. If you let the soil dry up the eggs dry out and the babies die.
someone had asked me about the dirt and lettuce.. I accidentally deleted your post. feel free to post again if you like.
For the dirt I leave the tray in with the crickets for about a week, I then remove the tray and place it in a plastic sweaterbox to incubate them and hatch.
When I feel that I have had enough hatch I remove the breeding tray from the sweaterbox. I just empty out the dirt, give it a rinse and resue it.
Depending on how big they are when you buy them it takes about a week to 3 weeks for them to start breeding.
If they are chirping and you can tell there are femals they are more than likley breeding.
I leave the tray in there for a week at a time. It takes a few weeks for them to hatch and grow. Depending on how big you want them it could take a few weeks up to a month to get them to the size you like.
I take the one with the eggs in it and cover it in plastic wrap to keep in moisture and I place it in a plastic sweater box on top of a heating pad to incubate.
Sorry I deleted your comment on accident.. You asked what type of soil I use.
I use regular Miricle Grow potting soil. You want to make sure that you get soil that has "No Insectacide or pesticide" otherwise it will kill the eggs before they hatch.
I have used regular hardware store potting soil (no pesticide or insectacide) as well and it worked just as good. I only am using the miricle grow brand right now because it was all the store had when I was there.
Good luck with them. They're pretty easy and somewhat fun. Its like a wierd ant farm. Ive had mine for just about a year now. If you have any questions feel free to ask. :)
Whenever I put fruit or veg in (and I change them everyday) I seem to get heaps of tiny fruit flies and then maggots and then dead crickets YUK HELP
TheWizzy1977 1 month ago
Thanks for the info and advice! i got about 39 crickets about 3 days ago and they all are still alive, im feeding them and spraying water on them for Water, (once a day), but do you know why mine dont chirp? Theyre all hoping around and stuff but dont chirp? Thanks
Grut0nZKush 4 months ago
how many days to wait before i can have an adult cricket from the start of the breeding period to feed on my geckos? i haven't start breeding yet still feeding superworms...
snowandstark 6 months ago
We sell crickets and superworms from Ozamiz City Phil. Just contact 09161883149 for orders...
methodsjuv 6 months ago
cool!
CBU2221990 6 months ago
Sprint evo 4g sux
eltorolocowey 6 months ago
how big of a container do you need to bread them? i have 1 green frog and am wondering if i could breed maybe a dozen or so at a time
BASHMAN9t5 7 months ago
hi i have a small cricket keeper to feed my geckos with but im not sure if the baby crickets will craul out? (the sides r made of plastic) and i dont realy want them crauling out and running around the house do u no what to do?
Gmcool24 7 months ago
do i have to keep them warm? becuase i want to breed them outside becuase they smell so is it possable to breed them outside? i have crickets around my area so i think it will be ok any suggestions?
IC3MANxDM 8 months ago
could you use a 3 gallon
birdman1001001 8 months ago
good vid thanks for info, do the crickets find that egg laying substrate easily? i mean will they climb up that container no problems? I tried doing this another way where i covered the entire bottom of the tank with dirt, but ive got 500 crickets in there so its gonna be a pain to get them all out again in a week or 2 :/
MrElliotGear 10 months ago
@MrElliotGear yea the problem with covering the whole bottom as you now know is that you will have to remove all the adults to let the babies breed, you can actually just give it a shot and see how it goes if its too much of a pain at this point, just give lots of places for the babies to hide.
The way Ive done it is with the breeding tray and the crickets have never had a problem getting up there and laying eggs. best of luck
GimpingMan 9 months ago
@GimpingMan i am looking foward to breeding crickets for my bearded dragon. and i find your video was very helpful, but i do have one question, with a 10 gal. aquarium, how many crickets are expected to fit. i have heard if there is too many, they will eat eachother. holy ****. hahaha. thanks man
lPrayzee 1 week ago
great vid, my wife and I were trying to find the simplest way to breed crickets for our lizards and frogs i do have a question tho. for the breeding tray how much if any should I compact the soil? shold it be loose or should I stuff the dirt down hard?
LuisDolores2244 10 months ago
@LuisDolores2244 No you dont have to pack down the soil, as you moisten it, it will slowly pack down naturally. Loose dirt is better and easier for the crickets to lay in.. I have a couple other videos about breeding trays and keeping pinheads you might want to check out. If you have any other questions feel free to ask or message me.
GimpingMan 10 months ago
@GimpingMan Thanks Ill do that right now
LuisDolores2244 10 months ago
So do you just leave the soil container in there??? Please reply
Abven9 11 months ago
@Abven9 Leave it in there for 3 -7 days, check it every now and then and make sure the females are laying in it. After you give it some time remove the tray. Replace it with a fresh tray and icubate the tray that has the eggs in it.
GimpingMan 11 months ago
how often should you clean the tanks to prevent the tanks from smelling up the place?
snowman108890 1 year ago
So way happens after they lay the eggs????
Abven9 1 year ago
@Abven9 a stork delivers the baby crickets........duh
czarandmaeve 8 months ago
@Abven9 check out my other videos about breeding crickets, I made one for each step you need. Seperate the breeding tray into your incubating tub, let the babies hatch, feed them and once they get big enough transfer them into the main colony for breeding. and repeat
GimpingMan 8 months ago
These will be treats for my butterfly fish and knifefish -:3
spineosaur 1 year ago
hey what a nice video I really like it! well I like it because I am into crickets but I've never really gone this far!! well goodbye!
Mrgordonez 1 year ago
So do u need like substrate for crickets? Dirt or something? (besides breeding box)
Reptiledictionary225 1 year ago
@Reptiledictionary225 No, I wouldnt put any substrate in the container aside from the breeding tray. If you put substrate in the container they will end up laying eggs in it. Its best to just use a breeding tray and leave that as your only substrate. They will be fine walking around on plain plastic.
GimpingMan 1 year ago
im goin to make my water dragon an all you can eat buffet
pokemon52310 1 year ago
I was wanting to grow some crickets for my bearded dragon to eat. I was wondering if the crickets from the local fishing store would be good enough to start a farm with or should i order my crickets from a farm?
Norcalbowhunter 1 year ago
@Norcalbowhunter They should be ok but remember that those crickets have only been bred as feeder crickets so you might lose the majority of them while you start your colony. There is no reason why you should need to order crickets throught he mail to start a colony. Just remember to take the dead crickets out as you see them. Good luck with your project.
GimpingMan 1 year ago
I have lots of crickets for sale to get you started
Pinheads up to Full Size
Mention this post and get 1000 for $30
or 500 for $15\
We also have fruit flies, mealworms, superworms, mice and pinkies.
We have the best prices youll find.
Will ship to anywhere in the Us or Ontario Canada
xtremefeeders@live.com/
windsorurbajeanius 1 year ago
do they need any kind of lighting. Temperature?
Mrpacmanny 1 year ago
wth is all this for?
brennenkid 1 year ago
I recently started to breed crickets and just have one question for you if you are able to help.
I cut the wings off all my crickets so they are silent.... So will the adults continue to mate seems the males can't make noise????? Seems kinda bad but it doesn't hurt them... i think lol
stewyd32 1 year ago
@stewyd32 Ive heard of other people doing the same thing. I do not belive that it will affect the breeding however I have never done it myself nor have I researched it much. I (assume) that it would have no effect, Ive heard of people freezing off the wings as well. I think it does probably hurt them but since they cannot scream "OUCH" there really no way of telling.. Just be careful to not puncture their abdomen when your cutting.
GimpingMan 1 year ago
@stewyd32 lol...if you cut their wings so you unable to breed because the male crickets using their wings to call the female crickets to make sex!!! if you don't trust me so take alittle time to watch the male crickets when they want to breed.
d2jsp911 1 year ago
lol.,,i ordered 24 crickets for feeding today but they gave me like 100 so i started a farm..how long till med. crickets get to breeding age?
honnoand000 1 year ago
@honnoand000 If they are medium crickets they should be ready pretty soon. You will notice that some of the females will grow their ovpositors out their rear end. Also if there is chirping coming from the tank then they are breeding. Males chirp to attract the females. So if they are singing then theres mature females in your tank and breeding is already going on.
GimpingMan 1 year ago
@GimpingMan sweet man thanks..ima make a vid response probably..if i do plz look at it and give me any tips
honnoand000 1 year ago
where do i get male and female crickets
1sgtRambo 1 year ago
@1sgtRambo The crickets you buy from the store will have male and female crickets. You can find crickets at your local petshop or even a reptile store. If you do not have any of those close enough you can always order them online.
You will never get sold just one sex of crickets, you may have more of one sex than the other but I have have never seen a batch of just male or female crickets.
GimpingMan 1 year ago
Thanks so much now I can save money and buy more bearded dragons!!!! How much crickets do you need to start off with maybe like 20-30 females?
MvAd0gFish 1 year ago
@MvAd0gFish I started my colony with 75 crickets. I like to buy more than a few because you will have some dead loss of the store crickets. Store bought are not as strong or healthy as your first hatch will be. They can also be diseased from the store so its good to start off with more than less. If you feel you have too many after your fist hatch you can always feed them off or just kill them.
Ive even taken them fishing and caught Bass with them.
GimpingMan 1 year ago
instead of that tape would regualar clear scotch tape work?
dirtbikemanly2 1 year ago
@dirtbikemanly2 I dont use any type of tape for my tanks. The corners of the fishtank are glued together at the factory. I would suggest using a plastic sweater box or plastic tub for the pinheads since they can actually climb up the glue in the corners. I would stay away from any tape because you wouldnt want to accidentally get some of then stuck on it.
GimpingMan 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
would love to know how u keep that so clean i have a colony of 500 and they shit eveywhere!!!! i obviously clean them out but it last for all of half a day lol
lizarrdmanz21 1 year ago
would love to know how u keep that soo clean i have a colony of about 500 and they shit everywhere i do clean them out but lasts for all of half a day lol
lizarrdmanz21 1 year ago
@lizarrdmanz21 When I clean my tank I have to go all out. I completely remove all of the papertowel rolls and scoop up all the poop on the bottom. After I have all the poop cleared up I take warm damp papertowels and clean the poop that sticks to the bottom up. It takes about 30-40 mins to do a full tank cleaning.
I make sure everything is wiped down as best as possible and then replace everything inside.
GimpingMan 1 year ago
@GimpingMan fair play bud how do u raise the micro dot crickets? i struggle and have alot of fatalities
lizarrdmanz21 1 year ago
@lizarrdmanz21 They are most difficult when they just hatch. You have to make sure you keep the consensation down in the tank or they can drown in the little water drops, wipe it daily or more. Make sure you have some food and lettuce for a water source in there as well. Also try not to move the tank around so you dont crush or smash them in the corners.
regardless of how well you keep them you will lose some of the pinheads. Its just nature that not all of them survive.
GimpingMan 1 year ago
@GimpingMan fair play bud how do u raise the micro dot crickets? i struggle and have alot of fatalities
lizarrdmanz21 1 year ago
Hi! im going to buy 3 brown anoles.. do u know if they eat crickets?
LinxcS 2 years ago
I beleive they can eat many different things.Crickets, Mealworms, Roaches ect
GimpingMan 2 years ago
@LinxcS crickets or meal worma are best. sometimes you can put a little piece of seedless watermelon in there so they can lick the juice. That is what I did with my green anoles.
iknowadog 1 year ago
where did u get the chicken food/
RRRRoyAl47python 2 years ago
I get the chicken food from a local feed store. Just google feed store and your zipcode. The store should have a section section where you can buy by the pound. A couple pounds lasts a long time if you grind it up.
I get Laying Pellets the people at the store will know what you mean if you ask for laying pellets. Its really cheap, under a dollar a pound.
GimpingMan 2 years ago
i use a spray bottle to moist the soil in a 10 gallon n they started laying eggs immediatly and how long do the eggs hatch n should i take the adults n when they start hatchin should i still moist the soil or will the babies drown plz return
MrJoshdixon123 2 years ago
Crap I accidentally deleted your other question!
The crickets can stay in the breeding tank until they are a few weeks to a month old.
It sounds to me like you just have dirt on the bottom of the tank instead of in a container(breeding tray) If this is the case then you will want to leave the babies in there until you are ready to clean out the whole tank. The adults should already be removed when you intend on hatching.
The reason I use a breeding tray instead of just dirt on the
GimpingMan 2 years ago
bottom is because its alot easier to just move the tray of eggs to a new container than it is to move all the adults to a new container.
After the babies get a bit bigger you can put them with the adults but make sure they are decient size, you dont want pinheads with adults.
GimpingMan 2 years ago
ok thanx but when they start hatching can i still spray or will they drown??
MrJoshdixon123 2 years ago
You can still spray but be careful, make sure you do not get ANY mist on the sides of the tank, if you do, make sure you wipe the water off or they will drown in it. The soil is ok to keep moist, just make sure you spray gently and not alot at one time, you want to water to soak into the soil without forming small puddles. As long as there are no puddles or spray or condensation on the walls they should not drown.
I spray my soild for a couple weeks after 1st hatch to help the late bloomers
GimpingMan 2 years ago
ok thanx n im new at this it wasnt til after they started laying eggs when i noticed i shouldve used a breeding tray(s).. ill surely do it next time, and i have about 8 to 12 females in there so how many babys should that produce, im doin this for my 2 tarantulas n tyrin to save money lol
MrJoshdixon123 2 years ago
i use a spray bottle to moist the soil in a 10 gallon n they started laying eggs immediatly and how long do the eggs hatch n should i take the adults n when they start hatchin should i still moist the soil or will the babies drown plz return
MrJoshdixon123 2 years ago
Cool
Leopad412 2 years ago
I like the chirping as well. Sometimes we feed out all the mature crickets and the house is quiet. It feels wierd for a little while until those first chirps start up from the babies
GimpingMan 2 years ago
do you keep the light on at night?
gatorfanify 2 years ago
sometimes. The cycle of light does not seem to matter much. I have the light next to them so its easier for me to see. I do not normally use it for the crickets. I use a heat pad as my heat source for them
GimpingMan 2 years ago
Hi, i got 250 micro black crickets and they are growing really well thanks to you! What size should i give them a egg laying pot?
hellhabitat 2 years ago
I use a salsa container, It works just fine. They will lay eggs in whatever you give them, if they run out of space they will just lay the eggs on top of the soil. Try to give them the most space avaliable yet keep it managable for yourself.
Before I used the salsa container I used a small sandwich size tupperware container. Just make sure you keep the soil moist thoughout the breeding process. :)
GimpingMan 2 years ago
great vid
TigerLilly099 2 years ago
I'm just beginning a cricket breeding project to feed my tarantulas and spiders. I got mostly babies and juvies because my tarantulas are still small but they eat very little. I got them in both paper towel holders and egg cartons. They're fed on dog food, monkey chow and lettuce. Might get some fish flakes next time I go shopping.
KawaiiKemonomimi 2 years ago
sounds like its doing well. I do not use too much for food. Just ground up dog and chicken feed. Do whats cheap but effective. The whole point is to save money. If your spending alot on food it might be cheaper to just buy the crickets you need.
GimpingMan 2 years ago
Yeah. Luckily crickets don't eat too much. A handful of crushed up food can feed a couple hundred. :-) Chicken feed? Hmmmm, I don't know where to get that. Sounds healthy and probably get lots of plump crickets.
KawaiiKemonomimi 2 years ago
I get it from my local feed store. Just google a feed store in your area. It is really cheap. I get 50lbs for $14ish dollars or 25lbs for 8. You should be able to buy it by the pound as well since you probably do not want 25lbs at once. I think its like 80 cents a pound when you get it by the pound. I grind it up in a coffee grinder i bought specifically for the crickets food.
GimpingMan 2 years ago
OK, cool. I should try some of that some time. Might also be good for my superworms. I tossed in some of the corn meal we made for our tamales in with the mealworms and they were on that in 10 minutes! Gave some to the crickets too.
KawaiiKemonomimi 2 years ago
thanks
OMGAerosmith 2 years ago
I've noticed that my females start to die after they lay their eggs...is that normal?
AddieLuver09 2 years ago
They should not be dying after just one laying. I have had crickets 6+ months old lay eggs.
If they are dying in mass there is something wrong. Make sure to remove all the dead bodies, maybe clean out the container.
I would replace your water and food source as well, and maybe add some more places for them to hide.
GimpingMan 2 years ago
A question, how do you separate the pin heads when they hatch..
FutureHerpKeeper 2 years ago
You should remove the breeding tray before the eggs start hatching, check out some of my breeding tray videos.
GimpingMan 2 years ago
for some reason the comments are showing all screwed up.. If you click "view all comments" it will clean it up
GimpingMan 2 years ago
Depending on the size some crickets you bought might have already started breeding. If there is chirping coming from the tank than more than likley there is some breeding.
Put in your breeding tray and watch for the females wiggling their butts into the dirt. When you see this it means they are laying eggs. Give it a week to week and a half, pull the tray to incubate and put a new tray in there.
GimpingMan 2 years ago
tell me if i get crickets do all you did and then put the tray wit soil and the eggs in the separete cage do they ned any light
or do u just live them in the tank>>>>>>>>????????????
please write back asap !!!!
AdrianT34 2 years ago
they do not need any light. Just put them in a seperate tub and on some heat to help incubate them.
GimpingMan 2 years ago
hey i'm thinking about breeding but dont no what size cos there is standerd, larg and xlarge so whitch do i get??
mininova2k8 2 years ago
get the biggest ones you can
GimpingMan 2 years ago
so how many cricket tubs/tanks do you maintain? do you just cycle one for adults and one for the hatchlings, or do you keep several seperate generations? i started a small colony in a single tank and just let them breed but now i'm finding out it's almost impossible to keep such a thing cleaned as the pinheads are everywhere.
ihmoth 2 years ago
I use a large tub and 4-5 smaller tubs for the incubating/raising.
The 1 tub is my master colony, which I use for feeding and breeding. I just cycle a new breeding tray each week.
When I remove the trays I place them in smaller plastic sweater boxes to incubate and raise them. I let them get about a month to month and a half old in the smaller sweaterbox before I put them in the master colony tub. Its easier to clean out when the pinheads are seperate and your not throwing them away with poop
GimpingMan 2 years ago
i get 1000 crickets for 15$ at scaley dave pet store plus my employee discount bitches its like 8$ hahaha victory
juggalo6jcards 2 years ago
i use paper towl roles too, but i also use cup holders from Wendy's or McDonalds. does anyone know if these cup holders are safe for crix?
Searth123 2 years ago
I have heard of many people using the cup holders and the general question is are they safe?
I am not sure. I would think if they were not safe you would see the result in your cricket population. If they are alive and kicking then its probably ok.
GimpingMan 2 years ago
so can i use sand?
also can i use a regular heating pad on the tub i put tyhe cups in?
mjs59productions 2 years ago
You can use sand but the problem I hear about is that it compacts too much when it is wet and makes it hard for the babies to crawl out of.
I use a heated bed sheet to incubate the breeding trays, you can use any source of heat you like. I have even seen people put the breeding trays on top of their cable boxes and let the heat from the box incubate the eggs.
GimpingMan 2 years ago
buy your crickets online. You can get 1,000 crickets for $20!!!!! If you start with that many adults, you will end up with thousands and thousands of babies! A 20gallon size tank with many egg cartons will be suitable. Get 'gel' water and dry food, or get the cube food/water combos. Put a cup(or many many cups is better) of dirt for egg laying. After eggs are laid, put each dirt cup in a separate 10gallon cage(or tub) and they will hatch and you will have THOUSANDS!
earthling1984 2 years ago
Another note... On the video, very good information! 5 stars! But really, the only thing is BUY ONLINE. lllreptile sells 1,000 for $20(this includes shipping cost)!!! For 1,000 crickets at a petshop, you would pay well over $100. More adults = more babies! Very descriptive vid man! I am subbing, check out my vids too!
earthling1984 2 years ago
Sorry, wanted to add more info... So once you get those multiple egg cups into separate cages(lets say you have 4 egg cups). two or three of the cups/cages you feed off. At least one of them you raise till adults(only takes a couple weeks). Then those adults will be your new breeding stock. You put them in the 20gallon and start over!
earthling1984 2 years ago
after the eggs hatch you just leave them in there? do the adult crickets eat the babies?
292610 2 years ago
You remove the breeding tray from the adult cage and incubate the eggs to hatch them. Then you have the eggs and hatched crickets living in the seperate breeding container. Normally i give them a couple weeks after being hatched to grow before I put them with the adults.
The adults WILL try to eat the babies if they are together so its best to let the babies grow up a bit before you combine them.
GimpingMan 2 years ago
You pretty much have everything correct. Theres alot of steps inbetween but the general idea is correct.
You need food/water source breeding tray and place for them to hide. I use the paper rolls because they are easier to collect. You can use egg carton. Just make sure you have enough carton for all the crickets to hide in.
Keep the soil moist and after a week or so pull the breeding tray and put it in a seperate box to incubate the eggs.
GimpingMan 2 years ago
You will know the crickets are laying eggs when you see them trying to bury their butts in the dirt. When you start seeing this give it a week or even a week and a half and pull the breeding tray.
GimpingMan 2 years ago
As long as you clean it out every month or two and try to keep as much ventilation as possible the smell does not get too bad.
If you do not clean it out it can get pretty nasty.
GimpingMan 2 years ago
I have many empty trays so I just replace the one I remove and repeat the process each week.
As for the lettuce: I do not mist it. They normally eat it all unless it starts getting mushy then pull it. They will almost always eat all of the lettuce.
I use the spray bottle on the breeding tray each morning to keep the soil moist. If you let the soil dry up the eggs dry out and the babies die.
GimpingMan 2 years ago
someone had asked me about the dirt and lettuce.. I accidentally deleted your post. feel free to post again if you like.
For the dirt I leave the tray in with the crickets for about a week, I then remove the tray and place it in a plastic sweaterbox to incubate them and hatch.
When I feel that I have had enough hatch I remove the breeding tray from the sweaterbox. I just empty out the dirt, give it a rinse and resue it.
GimpingMan 2 years ago
how long does it take to breed them?
m23574 2 years ago
Depending on how big they are when you buy them it takes about a week to 3 weeks for them to start breeding.
If they are chirping and you can tell there are femals they are more than likley breeding.
I leave the tray in there for a week at a time. It takes a few weeks for them to hatch and grow. Depending on how big you want them it could take a few weeks up to a month to get them to the size you like.
GimpingMan 2 years ago
what do you do when they are done laying there eggs do you take them out
ChubbyPoon 2 years ago
I will take out the salsa cup and replace it.
I take the one with the eggs in it and cover it in plastic wrap to keep in moisture and I place it in a plastic sweater box on top of a heating pad to incubate.
GimpingMan 2 years ago
DallasHerps:
Sorry I deleted your comment on accident.. You asked what type of soil I use.
I use regular Miricle Grow potting soil. You want to make sure that you get soil that has "No Insectacide or pesticide" otherwise it will kill the eggs before they hatch.
I have used regular hardware store potting soil (no pesticide or insectacide) as well and it worked just as good. I only am using the miricle grow brand right now because it was all the store had when I was there.
GimpingMan 2 years ago
ima start during summer break to feed my chameleon. shes been only been fruit flies =P
omgidknames 2 years ago
Nice, I bet she will love them.
Good luck on the summer project. Let me know how it goes :)
GimpingMan 2 years ago
Good luck with them. They're pretty easy and somewhat fun. Its like a wierd ant farm. Ive had mine for just about a year now. If you have any questions feel free to ask. :)
GimpingMan 2 years ago
pretty good idea . im starting tomorrow to breed crickets
RknMexiFish 2 years ago