Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I get 20 crickets for a dollar at my local pet store but they die so fast!! How can I keep them from dying so my frog can have an ample supply to eat whenever he wishes? They also stick up the tank when they're dead and then I gotta clean everything. Can they eat bed-a-beast or moss? My roommate has a gecko and a little wooden cave and the crickets appear to eat the wood and they live for a long time until they get eaten of course. Mine die within a few days (I have no wood and no bed-a-beast as of yet.)

Just put in some fruit/vegetables for them to eat. You can also buy some cricket feed. They will begin to eat each other if not offered food, which is probably why yours are dying off. Maybe the pet store didn't feed them well to begin with, and they're starvin'. Misting them a little daily will be good too, to prevent dehydration.
Also, pre-feeding or "gutloading" crickets will ensure that your frog ends up getting a more healthy meal.
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*~Ginevive~*

Heh.i found crickets seem to die if they dont have anywhere to hide they seem to suffocate for some reason uses tube from papertowels as a hideaway.

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*~Ginevive~*

The three rules of keeping crickets: provide them with moisture and food, keep them warm and keep the container they are in well ventilated. I keep my crickets in either large plastic storage containers or in small "critter ceeper" cages sold at pet stores. Pretty much any container will work as long as it is escape proof and ventilated well. Crickets will do best when kept above 75F. I heat my cricket cages with heat pads taped to the sides. Small crickets are especially sensative to temperature and often will die quickly if the temperature falls too low. Feeding crickets is easy. Most crickets aren't fed at pet stores so they are generally starving when they get to your house and will eat almost anything. I feed my crickets mostly the same large leafy greens that I feed to my turtles. Slices of carrots, apples or potato will also work. Change the veggies every other day otherwise they often start to mold and attract other insects like knats. Good luck,
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Devin
devin@amphibiancare.com
www.amphibiancare.com
3.2 Dendrobates tinctorius 'Dwarf French Guiana'
1.1 Dendrobates tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
5.1 Mantella aurantiaca
2.1 Mantella crocea
1.0 Ceratophrys cranwelli
1.0 Bufo americanus
0.0.1 Salamandra salamandra
1.0 Ambystoma tigrinum
0.1 Chamaeleo calyptratus
0.1 Phelsuma dubia
1.1 Uroplatus ebenaui
0.0.1 Chrysemys scripta
0.0.1 Chrysemys picta belli
1.0 Terrapene carolina triunguis

Ryan~

While you're at WalMart (hee hee) pick up a nig plastic storage bin. In the bin put put in a bowl of diced apples, pears, potatos or carrots (or mix them all, and a plastic tuperware lid works great, a little deli cup with cotton balls or paper towels and water and a few paper towel tubes, toilet paper roll tubes or cardboard egg cartons (the crickets will hide, cimb and munch on the cardboard) Keep the bin warm and provide fresh food every other day. This will keep down the stink and aaid in keeping them alive longer. With the bin you can also keep more crickets at one time too.

Don't put any more than a few crickets into the tank for your frog at a time. Too many crickets roaming around the frog can stress him out and also cause him to bury himself. If there are too many crickets in his tank and no food for tem to eat they would start nibbling on your frog and REALLY stress him out.

It takes a couple times, but soon you'll be a pro at keeping those buggers alive longer. I actually keep around a 1000 at a time (of course I'm feeding 8 frogs)and I have very few dead crickets in my bin.
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Heather
The Gang (1.1.0 agalychnis callidryas, 0.2.0 bufo spinulosus, 4.0.0 osteopilus septentrionalis)

ellasmommie@yahoo.com

You guys are really nice to your crickets! I keep them in a critter keeper with egg carton pieces or toilet paper rolls. I put cricket quencher in a small lid and my cricket food mix in another small lid, which I make up in bulk so I can refill as necessary.

My cricket food recipe is: oatmeal, calcium carbonate powder, reptile vitamin powder, bearded dragon pellets (because I have it you can substitute dry cat food).

I keep 100 micros in medium critter keeper for weeks this way. I have several of these set ups with different sized crickets. Very easy and I do not have to worry about giving fresh food to my crickets.
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Stacey

Get the micros (1/2"-3/4" crickets they do not smell like the adults do. You have to feed more of them to your frog, but it is worth it not to have the smell. EEWWW!!
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Stacey