How to keep crickets?

[Stone32]

Hey everyone! So I just wanted to know why my crickets are dying constantly and how to keep them alive and in bulk for longer. I bought 100 recently and probably ended up using only 50-60. The rest died. I keep them in a large plastic bin with food and hydration and a screen top so plenty of ventilation!

 

[alphakenc]

it depends on where did u get ur crickets,u will need to find out how they housing their crickets,if they keep their cricket in a 80F then u need to mimicking the same way.
Cricket keeping required extra cleaning every couple day,since they eat n poops alot,in order to keep ur cham healthy,u will have to take good care of ur feeders first,I spend more time cleaning n feeding with my feeders everyday,gutloading n changing egg crates ,dumping their sheds n poops,all because I need the very best health crickets for all of my chams.
Heat ,clean,food n water will always keep the cricket healthy and alive,keeping chameleons is all about the bugs caring in non stop routine!!

 

[nightanole]

They only live 8 weeks tops, so if you get large or medium, they are already 3-5 weeks old. On top of that they need screen sides, not just the top.

 

[Carlton]

Hey everyone! So I just wanted to know why my crickets are dying constantly and how to keep them alive and in bulk for longer. I bought 100 recently and probably ended up using only 50-60. The rest died. I keep them in a large plastic bin with food and hydration and a screen top so plenty of ventilation!

You also need to remove dead ones as soon as you see them. They are cannibalistic so if they start eating dead and dying ones they can end up dying sooner. Provide a lot of hiding spots for them. Crowding leads to more cannibalism.

 

[Peachypink]

That's why I use Dubia. I hated the crickets and always lost at least half.

 

[DaSlackMan]

I hate crickets. Dirty, loud, short life, etc.

Try going the Dubia route if you can.

 

[ChamDE86]

What type of crickets are you buying? I've found that brown crickets tend to die a lot quicker than banded crickets.

 

[Remkon]

Like the people before me I like dubias waaaaaaay better and they don't require a lot of cleaning since they don't make a big mess and don't need as much space compared to grasshoppers and crickets.
They are also more nutritious than crickets so they would make a more ideal base feeder.

My dubias get breeder pallets and dubia flower/porridge (protein, fibers, calcium, magnesium and essential amino acids), additional I put in any fruits or vegetables we have available and sometimes the crested gecko jelly they seem to enjoy a lot.

Crickets I just get from the petstore every week, then feed them some apple or w/e is available powdered with some gutload supplement I've got to give their nutritious value a boost. Sometimes I have next to none die, other times a lot of em do... It depends on the batch since I get them from the same store every time that has had the same supplier for years..
I hate crickets, it's the big downside of the hobby to me and I still hope my Jacksonii finally starts choosing dubia's over crickets so I can cut waaaaay back on those annoying little @!$#^&^%&$

 

[trickedoutbiker]

That's why I use Dubia. I hated the crickets and always lost at least half.

Same reason I switched to Dubia. That, and less noise, less cleaning.....

 

[alphakenc]

Someone should post "how to keep dubia "so alphakenc can reply his valuable opinion on another thread.....cricket are a must for newborn cham babies like veiled n panther.... and for stubborn cham who only wants crickets ,variety is the key when u feeding ur love ones,I wont feed my woman all day with roasted honey chickens if she want some seasoning filet mignons on her switch taste buds.

 

[LanceLee]

Along the same line of question, how to breed crickets?

It's impossible to buy pinhead crickets in my city. So if i wanna raise freshly hatched chameleons, i need to be able to breed my own baby crickets

 

[KapitalJ]

@LanceLee Aquick search on youtube will give you loads of ideas. As everyones conditions are different, you will need to play around and see what would be best for you. Breeding crickets is pretty simple and you should have no problems.

You might also find answers here just using the forums search feature.

 

[Stone32]

Like the people before me I like dubias waaaaaaay better and they don't require a lot of cleaning since they don't make a big mess and don't need as much space compared to grasshoppers and crickets.
They are also more nutritious than crickets so they would make a more ideal base feeder.

My dubias get breeder pallets and dubia flower/porridge (protein, fibers, calcium, magnesium and essential amino acids), additional I put in any fruits or vegetables we have available and sometimes the crested gecko jelly they seem to enjoy a lot.

Crickets I just get from the petstore every week, then feed them some apple or w/e is available powdered with some gutload supplement I've got to give their nutritious value a boost. Sometimes I have next to none die, other times a lot of em do... It depends on the batch since I get them from the same store every time that has had the same supplier for years..
I hate crickets, it's the big downside of the hobby to me and I still hope my Jacksonii finally starts choosing dubia's over crickets so I can cut waaaaay back on those annoying little @!$#^&^%&$

No pet stores near me sell dubias, any idea what to gutload with and where to buy them?

 

[rminnis]

It seems to me breeding crickets or supersworms is very easy not sure why everyone doesnt try it! There are tons of videos on youtube that are helpful enough for a trial run.

 

[rminnis]

My cham doesnt ever seem to interested in Dubia loves supers and crix though Im starting to breed both.

 

[Peachypink]

No pet stores near me sell dubias, any idea what to gutload with and where to buy them?

If you look at the bottom of the forum there is a list of sponsors. There is a Dubia breeder there and they have pretty good prices. Most local pet stores charge way too much so it's better to order online. I gut load with kale, mustard greens, collards, carrots, Apple....you can also buy roach chow.

 

[rminnis]

If you look at the bottom of the forum there is a list of sponsors. There is a Dubia breeder there and they have pretty good prices. Most local pet stores charge way too much so it's better to order online. I gut load with kale, mustard greens, collards, carrots, Apple....you can also buy roach chow.

Im with you you can buy big bundles of fresh mustard greens and collard greens for really cheap at the supermarket crickets and about any feeder will love them that combined with some good dry food is all you need.

 

[KapitalJ]

[QUOTE="rminnis, post: 1292090, member: 44605"you can buy big bundles of fresh mustard greens and collard greens for really cheap at the supermarket .[/QUOTE]

I can never seem to find "mustard greens" are they called something else sometimes?

 

[Peachypink]

[QUOTE="rminnis, post: 1292090, member: 44605"you can buy big bundles of fresh mustard greens and collard greens for really cheap at the supermarket .

I can never seem to find "mustard greens" are they called something else sometimes?[/QUOTE]

I don't think so, they are usually right there in the same spot as the collards and kale. Just ask the produce guy at the grocery store.

 

[Remkon]

Googling mustard greens confuse me a bit...
But apparently you can find them in most asian supermarkets as Gai Choy or Pak Gahd Kiew...

I never seen em but I have seen paksoi which looks alot alike and is also rich in vitamine A and calcium.

What about spinach? Easy to get, also pretty rich in calcium, even more vitamin A
Or maybe arugula?