how to keep crickets

[VickiG]

Just wondering how to keep the crickets.  The pet store sells them for .12cents which I think will get pricy if I am feeding 50 crickets a day.  Can you tell me how to take care of crickets if I buy in bulk.  What do I keep them in, where do I keep them, and how do I feed them?  Thanks for all the help.
Vicki

[Thewolfmantom]

Hi There,
I buy in bulk from www.premiumcrickets.com. I put them in a rubbermaid tub. I have a hole in the lid thats screened. I put on a red heat bulb. Wattage is about 60 watts for me. I use a food and water source and done. They also have care sheets on the site. Good luck it is a lot cheaper whoever you buy from.
Tom

[beardielover17]

i order in bulk from coldbloods.com and this is an email they send u for cricket maintenance
1.  Upon arrival, make sure the crickets are brought inside and placed in an area that is of room temperature and is free from any drafts, direct-sunlight, pesticides, pest, and smoke.

2.  Crickets must be kept with the same size cricket, i.e. 2 week old with 2 week old, 5 week old with 5 week old, otherwise cannibalism with occur. 

3.   Upon completion of the "COLDBLOODS.COM - Cold Weather Shipping Insect Recovery" instructions, remove the crickets from the shipping box by cutting the tape along the top of the box, opening all four of the box's top flaps, flipping the box upside-down, over a large, 24"+ deep, 73 Qt., Sterilite container that has been washed with hot water, to remove the plastic scum, and dried.  Smack the bottom of the box and shake the box until all of the box's contents have dropped into the container.  The crickets will not be harmed by the smacking and shaking of the box or the drop into the container. 

4.  Once the contents of the box are inside the Sterilite container, on one side of the container, stack the cardboard partitions and egg-crates on one side of the container as they were stacked inside the shipping box.

5.  Remove any pieces of potato and exoskeleton and discard with the shipping box.

6.  Opposite to the side with the stacked, cardboard partitions and egg crates, place a food and water source for the crickets.  Quartered oranges or chopped kale are great water sources, oat-meal and cream-of-wheat cereal are great food sources for crickets.  Replace the food and water source daily or when conditions become unsanitary.

7.  Paper towel can be placed on the bottom of the container of 1 week old crickets to provide traction.  A moist, not wet, paper towel should be placed on the side of the container opposite to the side with the stacked, cardboard partitions and egg crates, as a water source for 1 week old crickets.

8.  Crickets require excellent ventilation; therefore, do not cover the top of the container, with the exception of screen.

9.  Keep the cricket container at approximately 80-95 degrees Fahrenheit and free from drafts, direct-sunlight, pesticides, pests, and smoke.

10.  Clean the container daily, removing any dead cricket, exoskeletons, and un-eaten food.

11.  Wash the cricket container weekly with hot water and soap or when conditions become unsanitary.  Dry the container thoroughly, prior to introducing any crickets into the washed container.     

[Albi]

I noticed that for a lot of the feeder types you had to keep the temperature at like 80 or 90 degrees. Why is that?

[Thewolfmantom]

the crickets like it. It keeps them alive longer.

[Xterri-leighX]

I feed my crickets on carrot (for water source), and a mixture of crunched up bran flakes, dry rodent food and fish food. They go crazy for fish food, the only problem with iti s it's high protein and the crix will grow FAST. I keep them in a plastic tub with a snap on lid that i punched plenty of air holes in. I find if I keep them on top of my BD's viv it stays nice and warm for them, thats because I have a big canopy that sits on the top of the screen with all the lights in which gets pretty hot.

Just in case you want to pinch a few ideas I figured it out using trial and error, before I could have half of them die within a few days, now I only have 4 or 5 die out of a couple hundred.

[Xterri-leighX]

The carrot is only for hydration, some people use potato. Thanks for the info on the bran, tho tbh I don't think they ate it, its the fish food they go crazy for.

[eileithia]

Instead of a new post..I thought I'd ask here...my crickets all died this time? The first time, I left them in the little plastic container from the store and they all lived. We threw in some collared greens and also vitamin/calcium powder before giving to our beardies.  they all lived. This time, we bought from a reptile store and put them in a cricket keeper (with the usual egg carton, and some veggies). 1/2 are dead already? Do you think that it's because the cricket keeper isn't warm enough? Or because the store is crap and didn't feed them? I'm going to try the first place again, and keep them in the little plastic container (and try putting on the terrarium as you suggested to keep them warm...I didn't know they liked heat?)

[beardielover17]

the size of the container could be alot to do with it and the amount of hides for them

[eileithia]

do you mean that if the cricket keeper is big, and they're exposed..that'll make them die? (sorry if I sound ignorant..I'm new to cricket keeping)