I bought a large sterilite bin, and cut out part of the lid and replaced it with screen. Around an inch or 2 from the top of the bin I put a line of vaseline to keep them from climbing out. In the bottom I put a thick layer of potting soil mixed with sand, moistened well. I put in a few poplar branches and some egg cartons and paper towel cores, a dish for dry food, and a dish for moist food/moisture source. I fully expect the crickets will breed naturally in here, and that I can carefully take the top centemeter of soil off every now and then for cleaning, losing minimal eggs. This bin is sitting in my outside shed, and the crickets appear to be thriving in spite of the odd weather we've had recently, and a few cold snaps. They're just coming into their adult molt.



Costs:



$3.49 for the bin (no kidding, they were at Big Lots and on sale elsewhere).

Same screen I used for the roaches, 10 bucks for the roll, about a buck's worth used on the bin.

50 cents for dishes. Same vaseline I used for the roaches, only cost a buck for a big container. Sand is about 2.50 per 50 pounds, potting soil maybe 4 bucks for same. I used duct tape to hold the screen on the lid of the bin.



Total cost: $13.00 bucks maximum.



Crickets: $15.00 shipped for 500 of them, if I remember correctly, though you could pick up a couple dozen for 2.50 at a pet store.



Complete setup cost if you have plenty of time to wait: $15.00 max.

Complete setup cost with bulk crickets: $28.00

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