Posted by:
Mothi
at Sat Jun 28 23:09:08 2003 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Mothi ]
When I bred crickets, all I did was...
Make a egg laying container:
Use a deli-cup or plastic tupperware container and fill it with moist bed-a-beast. Not soaking wet, just moist. Make sure substrate is high enough so that when placed into the adult crickets cage that they can get in and out easily.
Collecting eggs:
Place the egg laying container into the adult crickets cage and leave for 12-24 hours. Make sure that the substrate does not dry out. Dry substrate eggs = useless eggs. Make sure you make it easy for the adults to get in and out of the container by making a path or bridge for them to enter and leave. Some will burrow in the substrate to lay their elongated white eggs while others just lay on top of the substrate. If the sides of the egg laying container is clear, you can see tons of eggs in the container.
Incubating the eggs:
After you are done collecting, remove all dead and alive crickets from the egg laying container and place a lid on it. Make sure not too much air flows in the container while waiting for the eggs to hatch. You can lay the lid lightly on the container, put pin holes in the lid, or close the lid completely airing it a few times a day. If you have pin holes or leave the lid losely on the container, be sure to place the egg laying container with lid into the cage you want to have pinhead crickets in so when they hatch you don't have them all over your house. I don't recall how long the eggs incubate for, but might be 5-7 days mattering on temperature. Do expect some mold on the top surface of the egg laying container. This will not kill all the eggs...usually just some on the top layer, but there will also be alot of eggs in the lower areas.
Pinhead care:
I have had alot of difficulty getting pinheads bigger without a high mortality rate. I found that they need alot of hiding, moist conditions, and fine particale foods. I suggest leaving a small pile of bed-a-beast in one corner of their container and spraying it once in a while to give them moisture. Don't give them large chunks of dog food or whatever else. Chop them fine for them to eat but not like dust.
Personal Opinion:
I think raising crickets at a small at home scale to me a waste of time. Better to spend time with mealworms and maybe also roaches.
[ Hide Replies ]
|
RE: Q: Setting up cricket breeding on limited buget - Mothi, Sat Jun 28 23:09:08 2003