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 #2069213


Busch83
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 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence

Does anyone know if eastern fence lizards will cannibalize or injure smaller easterns? The enclosure that they are to be housed in will measure (triangular) 30in x 30in x 30in x 4ft tall. It will have 2 adult fence (unknown gender), 8 hatchling fence(will eventually be 4), and 3 green anoles. I have no concern about the adult fence and anoles or the hatchlings and anoles but there is concern over the larger fences eating or injuring the very (inch to inch and a half) small lizards.

Anyone know if this will be an issue?
09/08/09  09:43am

 #2069218


Busch83
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   Message To: Busch83   In reference to Message Id: 2069213


 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence

Well thanks to another post I see that it would become an issue. Anyone know what the general growth rate is on the eastern fence so i have an idea of how long ill be separating them?
09/08/09  09:57am

 #2069481


Gsb92606
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   Message To: Busch83   In reference to Message Id: 2069218


 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence

I got my baby fencie when he was about 3-7 days old, and 2 months later he stretched for 2in. to 2 1/2. And hes showing slight blue too :)
09/08/09  07:00pm

 #2070146


Busch83
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   Message To: Gsb92606   In reference to Message Id: 2069481


 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence

The only issue im going to have with that is getting food for them considering even small crickets may be to large for some of them
09/10/09  12:04am

 #2070168


Jared T
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   Message To: Busch83   In reference to Message Id: 2070146


 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence

This is what you do, order 100-250 crickets online. 1". Also order 50 pinheads. Start a breeding tub with the adults. Get a medium sized storage tub and put the 1" crickets in it. Get a sandwich tupperware container and put moist vermiculite in it, at least 1"deep. Cut wire mesh to fit snug over the vermiculite so that the crickets can’t dig or eat the eggs. Leave egg tub in with the crickets for 4 days and make sure to keep it moist daily. The adults will lay eggs, and after four days take the egg tray out, and remove the wire mesh. Keep the vermiculite moist for the next three weeks, and at 82-85 degrees. And repeat with a fresh egg tub if desired. Within three weeks of being out of the adult tub, moist, and at the correct temp, all crickets should be hatched and perfect sized for feeding. They may even be too small lol You must get an extra medium sized storage tub for when the babies begin to hatch because they will climb out of the egg container. My egg container was 4 inches tall, and yet they climbed right out of it. So after two weeks of waiting, put the egg container in a much larger tub, and outline it a few inches from the top with clear packing tape; this stops the babies from climbing out. Once they get bigger, they won’t be able to climb as well...

Three and a half weeks ago I ordered one thousand 1" crickets and let them breed and lay eggs for 12 days, using three different egg laying tubs(4 days each). So far two of the containers have hatched and I have no joke at least 2000 baby pinheads swarming my large storage tub. If you’re going to invest in getting more lizards, to possibly breed, your best bet is investing in the things to breed crickets. Especially for winter. It’s saves a ton of money in the long run and it’s hard to get crickets shipped and arrived alive in the cold.

Flukers farms(google) are the only company I’ve had success with shipment of pinhead crickets. They may be a week old, so that they survive shipment, but they should be prefect size for your lizard. Since you only have 1(?) lizard I’d just order the 50 or 100 count tube of pinheads. The sooner you order the better because they ship them USPS. 8.00 or 9.00 dollars for 100. You may be able to pay a little more and get express or even over night. Call them. Baby lizards need to eat more than adults.!
09/10/09  01:28am

 #2070170


Jared T
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   Message To: Jared T   In reference to Message Id: 2070168


 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence

And.. Hatchlings.. These are in the bottom of a storage tub. The dots, if you can’t tell that are on the same lip as the dime are hatchlings. I have vermiculite else where in the tub..



Image for size ref... Not sure how many people do this type of stuff, but I just did!

Full view link.. Link
09/10/09  01:39am

 #2070344


Busch83
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   Message To: Jared T   In reference to Message Id: 2070170


 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence

Thanks for the tip. Especially the tape at the top. That was a major concern considering an infestation of crickets would be worse then ones enacted by god in biblical times if you were to ask my girl. I was also thinking of flightless fruit flies but there was concern there of the same thing along with the items used to feed the flies. Thanks for the picture reference too. If you guys have any other tips let me know. Also what kid of hood do you use on your breeding tank to keep the crickets from gaining freedom?
09/10/09  03:08pm

 #2070351


Busch83
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   Message To: Busch83   In reference to Message Id: 2070344


 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence

How exactly did you do the tape?, is it double sided or do they just lack the ability to climb packing tape?
09/10/09  03:30pm

 #2070439


Jared T
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   Message To: Busch83   In reference to Message Id: 2070351


 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence

I don’t have a hood on my cricket tub. I just cut a hole in the lid and put 1/8" wire mesh to prevent escapes, hot glued and let dry for 48 hours before putting on the tub. It provides air circulation...

Single sided packing tape. The crickets can’t climb on it so in turn they just fall off to the bottom.



09/10/09  06:36pm

 #2070602


Busch83
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   Message To: Jared T   In reference to Message Id: 2070439


 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence

Thanks. It helps to have good information. If I dont post anything from this point on I was probably taken by a biblical plague of crickets and you should save yourself.
09/11/09  12:26am

 #2070608


Jared T
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   Message To: Busch83   In reference to Message Id: 2070602


 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence

LOL if you do the breeding techniques correct you will have no escapes!
09/11/09  12:52am

 #2070664


Greatballzofire
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   Message To: Jared T   In reference to Message Id: 2070608


 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence


Cricket hatching tub with lay tub inside.


Hatching tubs in incubator.

As soon as I see babies I put a couple of jar lids of food and water crystals and a piece of egg crate for them to roost on in the hatching tub. They stay in the incubator for a few days to finish hatching, then get transferred to a bigger grow out tub.

Although they can climb out of the lay tub, they wind up still in the hatching tub, so no escapees. The hatching tub has ventilation holes so they can breath but there is no need to mist anything, as the container does not lose much moisture to evaporation.
09/11/09  09:20am

 #2070803


Lizardguy101
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   Message To: Greatballzofire   In reference to Message Id: 2070664


 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence

Is breeding crickets worth it? I only have two lizards and if it is worth it I will try it, but if not I will continue to buy from the store.
09/11/09  06:19pm

 #2070808


Jared T
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   Message To: Lizardguy101   In reference to Message Id: 2070803


 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence

Of course it’s worth it! Especially in the winter. Imagine never having to buy crickets again, they do add up!

In your case, just have a breeding cycle of not that many....
09/11/09  06:44pm

 #2070847


Greatballzofire
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   Message To: Jared T   In reference to Message Id: 2070808


 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence

I agree, it is totally worth it to raise crickets. I am now trading crickets for mouse feed and supplies with a local pet store. Once one gets a system working, it is possible to produce a desired commodity for hardly any outlay.



09/11/09  10:42pm

 #2070855


Jared T
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   Message To: Greatballzofire   In reference to Message Id: 2070847


 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence

Although my lizards are going to brumate this winter, I am going to produce thousands of crickets to try and do what you do with a pet shop, and sell them around town...

But actually, I want to breed crickets just to see how many I can get in six weeks. I’m thinking 10,000? Maybe I shouldn’t lol
09/11/09  11:29pm

 #2070866


Busch83
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   Message To: Jared T   In reference to Message Id: 2070855


 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence

Yeah it would seem to be worth it. I have 9 hatchlings, 2 adult (fence), along with 3 anoles and a gray tree frog so crickets vanish really quickly. I just placed the order for breaders so we will see how it goes. Jared have you ever tried to throw some wild crickets into the breeding pit (the black ones commonly found under logs/stones) along with the house crickets?
09/12/09  03:16am

 #2070886


Lizardguy101
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   Message To: Jared T   In reference to Message Id: 2070808


 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence

THanks. I guess I will try it and see how it goes.



09/12/09  08:28am

 #2070893


Greatballzofire
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   Message To: Lizardguy101   In reference to Message Id: 2070886


 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence


My black cricket youngsters from adults I collected early this spring. The adults overwinter as juveniles, then molt into adults in early spring and mate. I gave my adults a lay tub, ect, just like the domestics. The eggs hatched and the young are now as big as over wintering adults, although if you look closely at the photo you will see one young mature female for whom I have provided a lay tub, and she is laying eggs. If these eggs are not incubated by me they in nature would overwinter and hatch in the spring. I will let her lay a batch of eggs then go ahead and put it in the incubator. My original adults have all died off of old age over the summer.

Their culture is different than domestics. They don’t grow as fast, they live much longer, and they can hop a lot higher! Getting this photo took stealth and quick action! LOL!

Do not mix the two species together. They won’t crossbreed but may eat each other. I keep the black crickets as a fun project, not as feeders.
09/12/09  09:42am

 #2070922


_Jd
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   Message To: Greatballzofire   In reference to Message Id: 2070893


 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence

Quote:

They won’t crossbreed but may eat each other. I keep the black crickets as a fun project, not as feeders.
                               -greatballzofire


lmao, so you keep them as pets! Nice work on the egg cycle. Are these black field crickets? Are these no good for feeding, or just your personal decision? If so what reason, I could see one potential problem, they jump too high & are hard for lizards to catch. Clipping a leg with a pair of scissors would fix that though. I want to stick with the one’s that don’t jump, the white ones. I’m a cricket racist I guess, but white house crickets originated in Africa & India so maybe it’s ok. I looked it up and house crickets are said to produce a bunch of chirping noise. All of mine are store-bought house crickets as far as I know, and I’ve never heard any chirping as of yet. Do you know what kind they sell at most pet-stores?
09/12/09  11:38am

 #2071041


Greatballzofire
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   Message To: _Jd   In reference to Message Id: 2070922


 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence

The house cricket (Achetus domesticus) is the pet store kind.
The black field cricket (Gryllus integer) is the wild black kind.

I could feed the black ones to my lizards, but I keep them as pets. They make a pretty chirping song. The house crickets sing, too, but not as much. In fact, when I first started breeding crickets I thought I had Ninja Stealth crickets, they were so quiet!
09/12/09  09:18pm

 #2071225


_Jd
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   Message To: Greatballzofire   In reference to Message Id: 2071041


 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence

Cool
09/13/09  02:37pm

 #2073434


Jared T
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   Message To: Jared T   In reference to Message Id: 2070170


 Cannibal, territorial? Eastern fence

Here we go! I hurt my back at work on Tuesday, so I’ve been limited to being able to get things done. Today I got more stuff in the mail for my camera so I decided to take it for a test run. Hatchling cricket! Near a penny. Turned out pretty good I’d say...



and a link for full view, ’must see’..... Link
09/18/09  05:26pm


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