Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've heard a few ways to breed the crickets, so far a lot of them seem sort of extensive in work especially since I breed a few other feeders already. I'd appreciate any hidden knowledge or tips or information on set ups that are circulating about. Thanks

My best way is the two plastic bin system.

I placed a margarine plastic tub or any similiar size dish which contains damp soil (not to anal about it) in a smallish bin with about 20 crickets give or take roughly 2 yrs ago and now have zillion crickets.

Lean a few egg cartons, paper rolls,etc against it so crickets can climb in and out .

I live in Florida and the bins are in my garage with plastic covers but lots air holes.
I do not use extra heat and worse case they do not breed a couple months a year such as Jan/Feb but I have so many extra crickets that I feed yard anoles,etc..

5 days later I remove the cup,container and place it in another bin. Week to 2 weeks I have tons of babies and I just continue the same cycle with more cups/tubs and place them in same grow out small bin.

Different size crickets do fine together and eat the same stuff.

I will say that the babies take forever to grow but in my case it is the tiny crickets which I need but the cup,tub removal method is the best for me as so easy and works great.

Here is pic of tiny crickets next to cup .They will jump off the cup and find food,etc on bottom of the bin.

Right on, thanks. I think that's funny how you have "yard-anoles" in Florida, I'm in cali and when I saw that my reaction was just "whaaaaaaa-" then I remembered... it's Florida.
SO about how long do you think it takes to grow adults? That's really what I WOULD be looking for, but I'm not too dead set on breeding crickets. I don't use them in feedings generally.

Here is better pic

We have exotic anoles and few exotic geckos as I am in Keys and I have so so many extra crickets that I feed the yard bunch every few days.

It seems to take 8 weeks for crickets to breed but once you get the cycle going a few adults put out so many babies.

I have also just left the egg laying cups in the bin with the adult crickets and let them hatched there and grow out there and all did fine.
Maybe some eggs get eaten but no big deal, The problem with that is only when you clean the bin because you will kill baby crickets.

I wipe the semi adult, adult bin with bottom with wet paper towels but the little bin with pinheads I do not touch and when they are 1/4 inch I put them with the adults

Okay, thanks again!

To get adult size like pet store sells it is again like 8 weeks but crickets LOVE carnivore flake fish food and will grow faster and more robust on that .

When I used to feed that they grew big in 6 weeks but than lost interest as have so many now so feed that cricket powder and square water gel stuff , They grow well on that but nothing like fish flakes.

Lia's way sounds perfect. My way is slightly more lazy but the same results. A deep terrarium. 2 inches of potting soil. One side of the tank piled with egg crates torn into 2x2 pieces (easier to bang into the feeding bin). The other side the soil is kept damp and that is where I put fresh greens and compost for them to eat (covered with some bark slabs for them to hide in). I also feed them baby rice cereal mixed with powdered monkey chow and calcium. The cricket sizes are all mixed together, but there are plenty of adults. Also superworms can live in the soil too so I have two kinds of food available. If you use glass terrarium you can put roaches in too if you like to feed those. Basically you have a composting system going on. Keep the soil nice and deep for egg-laying. Also this system does not smell, just smells like fresh dirt. If the greens or kitchen veggie scraps start to smell, just bury them in the dirt or feed them less veggies. For water a plastic peanut butter lid with a rag in it, refilled daily and cleaned often.
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Lisa Rakestraw
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My skinks:
1.1.1 Corucia zebrata (Berman and Joni, baby Charlemagne)
1.2.2 Eumeces schneideri (Kaa, Cochisa and their babies; Mabel)
0.0.4 Egernia striolata