any keep a cricket colony?

[gcxbrian]

anybody here keep cricket colonies? i think this should go into food secton bu toh well. how do u guys manage them?? i do haev some knowledge on their breeding requirments but it seems liek a lto of work.. doe sanybody know simple ways and some tips that will help me?

[Crested Lady]

I used to breed them in small groups until I got so frustrated that I fed off the entire colony. (I don't have the time or the patience to raise up a bunch of crix for all my geckos, I'd rather order than deal with breeding crix again...Lol.) I bred mine in a LARGE Rubbermaid container with SLIGHTLY damp coconut fiber substrate and a jungle gym of paper towel tubes and egg crate. Keep them nice and warm and give them plenty of things to climb on and you'll have babies in no time. Remember, don't keep the substrate too damp... Just a teeny, teeny bit damp. (Crix like to be dry.) Feed them fruits and veggies and you're good to go. :D It is a pain in the butt, though, and if you have a lot of geckos it's easier to do a weekly/biweekly order from a cricket supplier. :) Don't go to PetsMart... they overcharge on their crix. :evil:

[gcxbrian]

yea.. breeding them is a pain in the ass.. i just didnt wanna drain money every week.. even though its a small ammount, it really can add up

[palex134]

I do, but they end up all being fed after about a month, so I don't consider it a colony I consider it a bucket-o-feeders as I end up buying 1000 each month.

[gcxbrian]

ohh, i was wondering if anybody breeds them though.. its kind of a hassle bu tim looking for easy ways to do so

[palex134]

ya my breed just dont lay. Its so expensive to feed them also if you use the food/water/gutload thing. Its like $7 for a little bottle of it. They love it though. Put a heat lamp over their cage and they breed like crazy! But Its not worth the trouble I think.

[gcxbrian]

where do u guys buy ur crickets? and for how much

[palex134]

lllreptile, about 16.00 for 1000

[crazy4cresteds6]

wow thats really cheap what siz e are the crix?

[palex134]

adults

[Midwestherps]

Id start with a 30 gallon or larger rubbermaid, line it with as many egg crates a spossible and have 2-3 laying dishes filled with moist sand/peat moss you can rotate out every 3-4 days. Feed them a high quality diet and place the laying containers inside a plastic bag after being removed to maintain humidity.. incubation can take up to 2.5 weeks at temps lower than 80 degrees. Rear young seperately in smaller containers.

Or buy some roaches and save yourself a whole lot of hassle!

[Crested Lady]

Ghann's Cricket Farm. They always have great crix and I've never had a problem. I pay about $16 per 1,000.

[G's Geckos]

I wanted to try once, so i bought a box of 1,0000. After dumping them all into my rumbermaid tub my girlfriend accidently kicked it over. Sooo after having 1,000 crickets all over the house for the next 2 weeks my mom put an end to that idea. :evil:

[Rhacadank]

AMERICAN CRICKET RANCH is $16.00 per 1,000 any size delivered to your door. I order 2,000-3,000 a week. Never a problem. They also come in these cool boxes with openings on the side. I slip in a carrot or a piece of Romaine lettuce and they are good for a week. EASY. I also keep the boxes of crickets in a tupperware container so they won't get out or kicked over :lol: :lol: :lol: