I forgot how much crickets stink..

[Joann]

And the die off is high.I bought a 1000 for my sons new beardie and about half have died already(probably why they stink too)..Crickets are just sooo gross.Ive never had good luck with crickets.

Is it possible to use something else as a staple and use crickets as treats?
What about pheonix/repti worms? Would those be a better staple, they are cheap and high in calcium.Ive never used them so hope they dont stink too..
I know some peoples chams are picky eaters so dont know if that would work.

Roaches are too expensive, you get like 100 for 50 bucks,which is rediculous. Soldier fly grubs are 400 for 25 dollars shipped.
Big difference.

 

[VonSockthroat]

Breed Dubia roaches. Takes some time, but you'll end up saving money. If the fact they're roaches bothers you, the pros far outweigh the cons. They don't smell, they don't make noise, and they don't die off nearly as quick.

EDIT: Also, check the classifieds on this forum for better deals on Dubia.

 

[Maurer3D]

Roaches:
Dubias go for about $70 to $120 for 1000 1/4" to 1/2" nymphs
Lateralis go for $30 to $80 for 1000 mixed babies to adults (1/8" to about 1")

Dubias are awesome I have had a next to zero die off on all my nymphs in the last 2 months and they don't smell anywhere near as bad as crickets.

 

[Psi]

You have to treat your crickets like a pet, or they'll just die off on you.

I'm sitting approximately 10 feet away from ~4k crickets, no smell unless I stand right by them.

Cleaning out the dead, keeping them hydrated and using sweet potatoes(possibly a myth) really keeps them in good working order.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

I buy crickets 500-1000 at a time and I hardly lose any at all when I keep them for a month. And I take them out and wipe down the container and put in new egg crate every 2 or 3 weeks if they start to smell. And if not I don't even need to do that. Good ventilation helps keep them alive and keeps the smell to a minimum. Dead crickets smell like sewer waste so that's probably the biggest source of your stink right now! Might want to rethink how you keep your crickets if so many are dying - might be an overcrowding/ventilation problem. How do you keep them?

 

[GoFSU]

I just started a cricket colony today in anticipation for my Vield on Wed. As long as you take the shavings and dead crickets out it shouldn't be that bad. Also, you might be keeping to many crickets in that container and they are just killing each other for space. I only bought 50 from petco and will use these 50 to make a good size colony, sighs I picked a bad bunch, i think its 2/3 males, very disapointing.

 

[jannb]

I have found that if you keep your crickets very clean, cool and don't overfeed they have very little odor and last a long time.

 

[Joann]

I was told not to use shavings because its impossible to get the crickets out without mixing in the wood bits..I dont have any substrate and they are in a rubber maid bin with the original box and toilet paper tubes.I have holes punched in the top for airflow.Ive only had them since Sunday so its not a matter of cleaning them out unless I should do it everyday which I dont think I can stand..I give them greens,dry catfood and whatever extra fruit or veggies I have.I take it out every morning and replace with fresh yet there are tons of dead crickets in the bin.

I know that catfood isnt good but it was all I could think of for a protein source.
And I dont have a cham yet so Im still getting things in order..What should I use for protien.Ive heard if you dont give them enough they will start eating each other.

 

[jannb]

I was told not to use shavings because its impossible to get the crickets out without mixing in the wood bits..I dont have any substrate and they are in a rubber maid bin with the original box and toilet paper tubes.I have holes punched in the top for airflow.Ive only had them since Sunday so its not a matter of cleaning them out unless I should do it everyday which I dont think I can stand..I give them greens,dry catfood and whatever extra fruit or veggies I have.I take it out every morning and replace with fresh yet there are tons of dead crickets in the bin.

I know that catfood isnt good but it was all I could think of for a protein source.
And I dont have a cham yet so Im still getting things in order..What should I use for protien.Ive heard if you dont give them enough they will start eating each other.

Do not use cat food or dog food it could cause gout in your chameleon. All you need is a good dry gut load such as Cricket Crack and fruits and veggies such as Kale, Collard greens, butternut squash and carrots.

 

[Ekaj13]

Make sure you have a ton of egg crates for your crickets and they don't die off so quickly. I give them orange slices and their container smells like oranges! ;P

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

As Jan said, don't use cat food or dog food as cham kidneys cannot handle too much animal protein in their diet. I bet you don't have enough ventilation if there are only holes in the top. There's no reason for air to flow in one direction unless you have a pressure difference so those holes aren't doing much for you. Crickets die from stagnant air and humidity, and they stink all the more in it! Try doing something like this instead:

Same concept but I cut the sides and top out (just a knife will do it) and hotglued some screen over the holes. Works wonderfully! But use metal screen because they will eat through fiberglass/window screen and escape everywhere.

The link in my signature has excellent nutritional info on commonly available fruits and veggies to use for gutloading. Aim for higher calcium than phosphorus ratios and avoid oxalates and goitrogens.

 

[Joann]

So juvenile crickets dont need protein? I heard they will eat each other if they dont get enough..I will get some dubias started if I can find a reasonable price.Ive spent so much lately I feel kinda guilty about getting 50 dollars worth of bugs.

And thanks everyone.I will get some screening put on the bin tonight.I know I dont have many holes in it and its kinda humid so maybe thats a big reason for the stink.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

I have raised crickets from nearly pinheads to adults on regular gutload or veggies multiple times and hardly had any losses at all (that weren't intentional anyway). Cannabalism in the regular brown crickets is really not very much of a concern as far as I know. The black crickets are more aggressive, but they're not widely available yet.

When I forget to feed the crickets for a few days and there are a lot in there they all eat the egg crate and toilet paper rolls I put in there, but usually not each other. And when they have regular access to food they don't even eat the cardboard.

 

[javsto]

up here in ny the temps are between 30 degress today and upwards of 50-55 this weekend. is that too low to keep some crickets in a ventilated bin which will be stored in a storage room in my house or should i keep them in a warmer room like my bedroom closet which is in the 70's on average? same for roaches.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Definitely a warmer room. They will die if left in temps below 50 for too long. I left mine outside last night when it was in the low 50s and they were super sluggish this morning for a few hours. I've gotten shipments in when temps were low 40s/high 30s and most were dead and the others took hours to warm up enough to even crawl around. If you keep them near where you normally are then order smaller than adults so they don't chirp all the time - it's unbelievably irritating after a while!

 

[javsto]

Definitely a warmer room. They will die if left in temps below 50 for too long. I left mine outside last night when it was in the low 50s and they were super sluggish this morning for a few hours. I've gotten shipments in when temps were low 40s/high 30s and most were dead and the others took hours to warm up enough to even crawl around. If you keep them near where you normally are then order smaller than adults so they don't chirp all the time - it's unbelievably irritating after a while!

great to know, how about lighting, is it necessary or is ambient room light enough

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

I have never put lights on mine. In fact they have lived in the spare bathroom quite happily for a long time when I only turn the light on to throw some food in there. Crickets need eggcrates and stuff because they prefer to hide so the dark doesn't bother them at all. Some people have put lights on them to keep temps up for breeding, or in cold places.

(I've never bred crickets so my techniques are based on keeping bulk orders alive for about a month until they're gone and then ordering more)

 

[Aminah Undone]

I keep my crickets in a 30g food grade bucket (sans the lid), on peat and sand mix, with water crystals in one dish and Fluker's in another. I give them fresh veggies and fruits.. same as the tort, lizards and roaches get. They also have egg crate.

No smell.... but the noise drives me crazy!!!

I usually only keep crickets for those new "kids" that have not yet been introduced to Dubias, Silks, Butters, Horns and Calci's. As soon as, they figure out crickets are like bologna and the alternatives are more like prime rib (metaphorically) ..the crickets no longer exist here.

 

[javsto]

thank you very much for your info.

 

[GoFSU]

As Jan said, don't use cat food or dog food as cham kidneys cannot handle too much animal protein in their diet. I bet you don't have enough ventilation if there are only holes in the top. There's no reason for air to flow in one direction unless you have a pressure difference so those holes aren't doing much for you. Crickets die from stagnant air and humidity, and they stink all the more in it! Try doing something like this instead:

Same concept but I cut the sides and top out (just a knife will do it) and hotglued some screen over the holes. Works wonderfully! But use metal screen because they will eat through fiberglass/window screen and escape everywhere.

The link in my signature has excellent nutritional info on commonly available fruits and veggies to use for gutloading. Aim for higher calcium than phosphorus ratios and avoid oxalates and goitrogens.

Love the cage. I just poked holes at the top, guess I need to do a little more. But I do have the same rubbermaid bin. Will the little hoppers eat through aluminum screen? I was checking homedepot for screen and they didn't have any metal online other then aluminum

This is my first ever cricket colony I started. And I read that its not ideal to feed the crickets dog food? I planned on feeding them a lot of veggies like carrots, lettuce, some fruits like strawberries, cricket crack and such but was also going to throw in dog food as well.