Breeding Crickets

[diamond_python]

Just wondering if anyone knows any good websites to help me out as I want to start breeding my own crickets as they are costing me a fortune to keep on buying. Thanks

[Sdaji]

Try roaches instead, they're extremely easy to breed and very low maintenance. They're also silent! All you need is a tub, some egg containers/fruit packing or similar, GR2's and carrot and you'll soon have more feed insects than you know what to do with. Crickets are nasty little things that drop dead if you wear the wrong coloured socks or hear a sad story, make lots of noise and take heaps of time.

If you are set on cricket breeding, there is heaps of info in herp journals and reptile books, everyone has their own methods and some work better than others (I briefly worked at one place with a very large scale cricket breeding room which was run on such a bad system that they barely bred enough to keep the population going, let alone get any extra to feed the animals).

Good luck

[Fuscus]

I agree with Sdaji on the noise factor, just a single small box of crickets is really noisy.
http://www.herpshop.com.au/ has a care sheet on breeding Speckled Feeder Roach. Click on the Links and caresheets button

[jimmy_the_kid]

yep mate deffinetly go the roaches i got both roaches are much better

What about feeding small lizards that can't take roaches? p.s. how small are roaches when they hatch? p.s.s. whats GR2's?

cheers
pete

[diamond_python]

I also heard that crickets are more nutritious?? Also, I have had crickets here for a week and a half and have not heard a peep out of them. Interesting.

[Gabe]

How old are the crickets? :wink:

[jimmy_the_kid]

dp thats probley cause there all dead lol i found that crickets die so easly there is allways food in there and plenty of room not to hot or cold i clean out the tray every now and then they just dont like life lol roaches are much better survivors and they dont smell as bad in my opinion

[Splitmore]

The only benefit of breeding crickets as opposed to roaches is that crickets are far more prolific breeders. A few dozen female crickets can give you thousands of babies and also you can control their breeding to you own needs by timing when you put a laying container in with the crickets. Just do a google search on breeding crickets and you'll find heaps of pages but almost all of them are identical in their methods.
If you don't mind the noise and have lots of mouths to feed a couple of both roaches and crickets are ideal.

just googled http://www.icomm.ca/dragon/crickets.htm

[africancichlidau]

I have had crickets here for a week and a half and have not heard a peep out of them. Interesting.

Only live ones chirp

[Fuscus]

Originally Posted by africancichlidau

Only live ones chirp

And dead ones fall to the floor with a sickening thud.

[jimmy_the_kid]

lol i hear more thuds then chirps lol

[diamond_python]

Ha ha ha guys. My crickets are all alive and don't make a sound. They are only small crickets so maybe this is the reason?? And yes you are all right, crickets do die suddenly, I have a couple of dead ones, but about 100 that are still alive. I did a google search and found you will have heaps more babies with crickets, but it does depend on how many mouths you have to feed. I only have 3 at this stage so I may give roaches a shot. Cheers all......

[womas4me]

I believe the males make all the noise but could be wrong. Crickets will also eat each other if there isn't enough protein in their food. Does anyone know the lifespan of crickets compared to roaches? I think roaches live longer.