Im tired of crickets

[krknieriem]

It seems like I order crickets 500 at a time and all they do after 2 weeks is die and smell I dont want to have to catch all these things and put them into another container every other day so I can clean their cage. My question is if I start a dubia colony will it be completely self sustaining, meaning that I dont have to clean it at all (if so how often?) and the only thing I will have to do is throw fruits and veggies in to feed them. Thank you every one in advance?

 

[sandrachameleon]

Try a larger bucket for the crickets, more ventilation, and buy young crickets 3-4 weeks old only, kept somewhat cool, so they will live 3-4 more weeks.

Yes, you do, IMHO, have to clean out roach bins. How often will depend on the size of the bin, how many roaches are in it, how much you feed them. Mine are lightly cleaned weekly, fully cleaned every couple months or so.

 

[krknieriem]

I keep the crickets in a large rubbermaid container I got from walmart in the basement where its cool. I cut a opening in it and caulked screen into it for ventilation. I thought I read somewhere on here awhile ago that roaches were self-sustaining because the babies ate the feces and they adults would eat any dead ones

 

[jcal]

I keep the crickets in a large rubbermaid container I got from walmart in the basement where its cool. I cut a opening in it and caulked screen into it for ventilation. I thought I read somewhere on here awhile ago that roaches were self-sustaining because the babies ate the feces and they adults would eat any dead ones

Never heard that. I have dubia and you gut load them like all other feeders.

 

[krknieriem]

I meant that they clean up their own mess, I know you still gutload them

 

[Ozzie2011]

I keep mine in a lrg cricket keeper and as long as you change out the bedding and food for them every other day I have almost zero deaths. But I am sortof a clean finatic and don't like unpleasant odors in my home.

 

[ChameleonAlley]

First thing, Dubias are great as a supplementary feeder, but they will not produce enough to just feed your cham solely on them.

Next thing, I really feel like I've perfected keeping crickets with little to no die off and little to no smell.

1. You need a large LARGE rubbermaid container. Mine is like 4 feet long, 1 1/2 feet wide and 1 1/2 feet tall roughly.

2. You need to ventilate almost the entire lid with screen.

3. Most importantly, do NOT use egg crates. Crickets just pile up and die on each other and rot. Use vertical beer or wine separators. This is the most important thing of all. They will climb horizontally on the these cardboard separators and not die on each others. This was the biggest change I made that stopped die off and smell. Egg containers are sh%$.

 

[Elizadolots]

Do you get those at a brewery supply house? Or do you beg them off the local bars and restaurants?

 

[krknieriem]

I might try that before I swear off crickets but I think I am still going to start a dubia colony

 

[sandrachameleon]

A variety of feeders is good anyways. So yes start the dubia colony in addition to using crickets and many other bugs

 

[krknieriem]

Right now he eats the crickets and supers, every once in awhile I will get a cup of hornworms and throw them in to

 

[ChameleonAlley]

@Eliza- Luckily, I have a buddy who owns a liquor store and passes them my way, but I've found all the local liquor stores usually don't mind to give them up. They make a world of difference from egg crates. Not to mention, Ghann's uses a similar set up with their crickets.

 

[Psi]

@Eliza- Luckily, I have a buddy who owns a liquor store and passes them my way, but I've found all the local liquor stores usually don't mind to give them up. They make a world of difference from egg crates. Not to mention, Ghann's uses a similar set up with their crickets.

Ghann doesn't use them exclusively, they use them for the crickets they're selling, for breeding/growing size crickets they still use egg crates.
The reason is that the liquor dividers can't hold their laying containers.

I've been meaning to try the liquor dividers to see how they do, but simply having all your egg crates vertical does effectively the same thing.

 

[ChameleonAlley]

Ghann doesn't use them exclusively, they use them for the crickets they're selling, for breeding/growing size crickets they still use egg crates.
The reason is that the liquor dividers can't hold their laying containers.

I've been meaning to try the liquor dividers to see how they do, but simply having all your egg crates vertical does effectively the same thing.

Good call Psi. I've never used the egg crates vertically, but that makes sense. Horizontally, you're just asking for a nasty mess of smelly rotting crickets. It took me a long time of buying crickets to figure out that they need vertical climbing vs cardboard just laying in the container.

 

[Elizadolots]

Thanks for the information!