Cricket raising

[OlympianAB]

Ok.. since i go through so many crickets.. i need some guidance on raising them. I've tried a plastic tub and that dind't work well.. and now i'm using the paper box method w a piece of tape around the top. That works pretty well.

Any one have any useful suggestions?

[Sassy Tiva]

I'd give ip on crickets and go with the dubia roaches......the best investment I ever made ($30).....I can't stand the smell of crickets

[Lunar Gecko]

Sassy were do you get your roaches? I have been thinking about that...have you ever had one get out? My landlord would kill me if he know I was raising roaches in my townhouse...lol!

[Sassy Tiva]

LOL Yeah - It took me a while to get used to that too - but go to this site...http://www.blapticadubia.com/ and they do sell them there and the food they sell is great too. I purchased my orange spotted roached through a local breeder here, but that site is great and I order food from them all the time. If you do order the roaches make sure to get water crystals and food as well. These orange spotted roaches do not climb glass, the don't fly and the adults can keep breeding for 2 years!! If one does get out...they can't survive because they are tropical, and need a constant heat source etc...I've never had one get out. My set up is a 20 gallon with egg crates and papertowel rolls and a UTH, or a Ceramic Heat Emitter. Let me know if you have any other questions

[Haroldo]

I know this is a tangent, but here goes:

In B. dubia, while males DO have vestigal wings, they can fly--just not in the usual sense. The males can in fact hover enough to get out of a container, so be mindful of this.

Also not to scare you, but they do [and can] survive in "non-tropical" environments. I've left adults/nymphs/and every size in between, in a 30*F fridge for hours --and in one case, over a day. Took them out, left them on my work bench in my reptile room, sure enough they "came back to". I've never had one unknowingly escape from a container or cage, but if they do, know that the possibility of survival even in our horrid Midwest seasons, is a possibility...

Now back to your regularly scheduled cricket discussion...

[Sassy Tiva]

LOL ok - yes the males do have wings and they are in a tank with a lid....but I have never seen them get out of the rubbermaid tall tubs that I used in the begining.....all the research that I did on them and talking with the breeder they are the most save of the roaches to have as far as not wanting an infestation if one got loose.....keeping that in mind if only a male got loose I don't think there is an isse - correct me if I'm wrong, I've had these guys for 2 years now with NO issues

[Haroldo]

LOL ok - yes the males do have wings and they are in a tank with a lid....but I have never seen them get out of the rubbermaid tall tubs that I used in the begining.....all the research that I did on them and talking with the breeder they are the most save of the roaches to have as far as not wanting an infestation if one got loose.....keeping that in mind if only a male got loose I don't think there is an isse - correct me if I'm wrong, I've had these guys for 2 years now with NO issues

My previous post was not pointed towards you, but for clarification for others reading the thread. With that said:

Having been keeping/breeding/feeding B. dubia and B. lateralis for the last few years, I'd actually say lateralis are alot safer as far as feeders go (in terms of infestation risk). As the argument goes, if one roach got out, what makes you think it was the only one? Chances are, its the one roach you happened to see. In my many tubs, I am always female heavy (as many males will simply eat each other even in the presence of ample high-protein food). If one were to get out, chances are it would be female in my case.

In any case, even a lid on a container won't keep a roach in. Not many have noticed this, but nymphs can climb the tiniest bit of texture and I've even caught several climbing up water droplets (Years ago, I used to spray the feeders once a week for a bit of humidity).

I digress...

[Sassy Tiva]

Interesting....none of mine have escaped....but then again they are ina pretty large tank - thanks again for the info I think that these guys should be the feeder that everyone uses....I jsut hate picking out the nymphs LOL

[Haroldo]

I think that these guys should be the feeder that everyone uses....I jsut hate picking out the nymphs LOL

Indeed...they're still kinda taboo for obvious reasons. C'mon, you don't like sifting through thousands of them just to get the size you want? Not fun enough for you?!

[ColleenT]

i have a ton of lateralis. they breed like rabbits. Actually, they breed better than rabbits, and i have too many.. but the gex love them. and they smell better than crix and stay alive. Crix seem to die off quickly, and escape more easily.