Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What service for shipping crickets do you all use? Also, how do i make them breed? I heard something about putting a moist bed of something to lay the eggs on. Is this correct? What food will keep them alive the longest?
THANks much.
-Arielle

Depending on where you live and what your resources are you can go to a pet store or online, but Fluker's (www.flukerfarms.com) doesn't seem to be bad, Also had good luck with New York Worms and Worm Man. All these places have websites you can visit for more information. I've had some incidences of coccidia from Fluker's, but you can get that ANYWHERE and especially when they crickets get stuck in shipment and start to die...hence they only ship when weather permits. Many times you can also buy crickets in bulk from your local pet store. When I was breeeding crickets I found that you want to purchase 6 week crickets (I haven't had as fast a return with the 4/5 week breeding - I'm impatient and it seems to take too long for me . The 6 weeks are pretty big and they chirp more, but they are sexually mature and many females are already ready to lay when they arrive (the females have an egg-laying extension at the back end called an ovapositor)I used shallow containers with moist (not wet) forest floor or bed-a-beast (any brand of the fine grain stuff you hydrate to make it fluffy). I never really followed through about seperating adults and stuff like that, but we got TONS of fertile eggs and babies, they just got eaten or trampled, but I bet you could pull it off if you researched it a bit. There's a really good book on breeding feeder insects I think it's by the company that makes a series called the Professional Breeder Series or something like that. You'd be best to check out that for more info on diet for them and breeding conditions so you end up with nutritionally sound foods, but it's a start

I use LLL Reptiles. They are out of CALI. They are the cheapest i have found I get 2000 crix shipped for 26.99. You could call them and maybe they could help you as far as breeding the crix as well!