Care Sheet for CricketsAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 4.10 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 04/13/2005 |
Main Category: | Misc |
Sub Category: | Crickets |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Dimand_dragon_ |
Years Experience: | N/A |
Species: | Cricket rearing and starting a culture |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | This sheet will also cover grasshoppers, blackfield crickets, and locusts. |
Sexing and Characteristics: | Brown Crickets and Black field Crickets females have a third feeler at the bottom abdomen. Males only have one. Locusts and grasshoppers are harder to sex and I have not found a way to effectively sex them. |
Mostly Active During: | Both |
Substrate and Water Needs: | I use a hay as a substrate, its cheap, easy to clean, hides odors with its own (which is not offensive), and they will eat it. Their are many other substrates that can be used, in fact if you want to breed any of them your going to need at least three inches of vermiculite, soil (reptile soil), or sand. It HAS to be DAMP, and NOT wet. and it must remain moist. Water can be hard as they tend to drown, some times I swear they do it on purpose. But anyways use a sponge, cotton, or tissues place these in a dish so it doesn’t make the substrate damp and mold. |
Lighting and UVB: | Yes they will need a light for heat if your house is too cold and they need at least a few hours of light a day. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | The temperatures must remain from the 70-80’s and the humidity should remain pretty low. |
Heating and Equipment: | As I said just a normal 100 watt light bulb for heat or an under the tank heater. |
Caging Provided: | Almost anything, as long as you can feed them, water them and give them a place to hid. |
Diet: | Omnivorous |
Description of Diet: | I’m going to go through this one insect at a time as they are rather different. My crickets get fed a diet of fish food flakes, Koi food (with wheatgerm), crushed rabbit pellets (which can also be used for substrate, but I have a 40 gallon aquarium and it gets hard to crush that many pellets), Crushed cat food, Oatmeal (not instant). Place the fish flakes in an dish (lids of margarine containers work well), this is not sprinkled with vitamins, the Koi food with wheatgerm and crushed rabbit pellets should be sprinkled with cat food and calcium and vitamin supplement, the oatmeal doesn’t need to be sprinkled. Fresh fruits and veggies should be offered at least once a week, if you offer daily you do not need to offer them water as they get it from the fruits and veggies (place fruits and veggies in a dish). The locusts and grasshoppers are a little easier, they need oatmeal or bran, hay for food and fresh grass (lettuce, tops of carrots etc... or you can grow some in side and trim of every day). and fruits and veggies. once again everything should be placed in a dish so no mold grows. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | Nothing is needed just supplement makes them better for you herp ... ^.^ |
Maintenance: | Clean once a month and keep warm, locust and grasshoppers eggs may have a egg dis-pause, if they do keep them in long day conditions and they will hatch and make sure every type of eggs remain moist but not wet. |
Some Words on this Species: | Good food for herps and different species add variety and make them healthier. Also I’ve been asked a couple of times by people in my society about raising grasshoppers and locusts and i reply that its not easy and not really cost effective and that i don’t have any for sale i on breed enough for my herps. So for about a month I’ve tried to get a care sheet on this site but so far I haven’t been able to submit it, (I’m guessing they won’t accept it.) |
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