>>Hi all , I have a question about breed cricket . Besides soil , what's the best substrate for breeding cricket ? bcoz soil will become stink very easily after a few days or weeks and it's looks so dirty ! so .. what's the best substrate for breed cricket and females will laying eggs inside ?

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>>The second question is crickets will always kills each other ! I think that's bcoz their living space is too small , but besides keeping crickets in a large container , what's can I do for avoid crickets kills each other ?



Well, I use soil...or more correctly I use soiless potting soil. It is basically just peat moss. I don't find that it stinks. So I am wondering, if you have them eating each other also, if they are too crowded or not having enough places to hide or not being fed enough and they are dying. Dead crickets do stink!

I keep 1000 crix in a tub that is 13X24 or so and about 13-15 inches deep. I put in egg cartons, paper towel tubes, a dish with a scrub pad for water (this gets misted daily) and a dish for food that always has dog kibble/baby cereal/oatmeal in it. I also give a leaf of fresh greens daily.

For breeding you can go with 100 or so crickets in a similar tub, but add a half an inch of peat moss and a couple of smaller pans with peat in them and stack them staggered so the crix can get into each layer. With peat moss I mist it down once a day also, and watch that it doesn't get too damp or start to mildew.

It will seem to take longer than a couple of weeks but you will see pinheads in about three weeks. Keep them warm but not hot....I have them in the cool end of my reptile room and it is high 70s.
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Sonya

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