I use the guidelines below for 1,000 1 week old or 1,000 2 week old crickets at a time. It seems to me that a tank between 10-20 gallons would be ample room for 500-l,000 larger crickets.����������������������� ����������� �����������
Hassle-free Cricket Care����
Take a suitably sized container, for instance, an extra large Kritter Keeper (14.5 inches x 7 inches x 9.5 inches) or a 5-10 gallon aquarium.� Place dry oatmeal and a gutload such as Fluker Farm's High-Calcium Cricket Feed (800-735-8537, www.flukerfarms.com) on the bottom of the cage.� Add your crickets.� Next place a double layer of egg cartons in the container.� On top of the egg cartons place a folded paper towel.� The cage can be covered with a lightweightcloth (over the cage, but under the lid) if you are worried about crickets escaping.� Then add the screen for the lid.� Spray the paper towel generously every other day.� Keep crickets between 70 F and the mid 80s.� They will grow faster if warmer, but seem to do fine at 70 F.�If room temperatures exceed 85 F spray the paper towel daily.����
Spraying the paper towel is an excellent way to provide moisture for your crickets and save them from perishing from too much moisture.���� Crickets may be gutloaded with a wide variety of supplements:�Nature Zone's Total Cricket Bites (a green jello-like substance) found at [http://naturezone.fauna.com], zucchini, carrots, collard greens, TetraMinTropical Flakes (Rich Mix--46% protein).����
To breed crickets you will need mature crickets, a higher minimum temperature, and an 8 ounce deli cup containing approximately 6 ounces of moist potting soil kept within the same Kritter Keeper setup.
This is a great way to breed those difficult-to-ship pinheads!
Elizabeth����������������������� ������������������ ������
Subj: [gecko]Geckos and crickets
Date: 10/31/03 8:24:55 AM Pacific Standard Time
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Stacy Foster)
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OK...question for you all.
I've been in reptiles for 15 years however am fairly new to cricket
eating animals. I have finally established my leopard gecko colony and
have decided to change over from 8 dozen crickets a week from Petco to
500 delivered via the mail. When I received them, I dumped the 500 in a
55 gallon tank along with egg cartons to hide in and food and a watering
system.
Then I thought...now what? How am I supposed to catch the 8 dozen I need
a week for feeding?
So...I've decided to stay with the Petco system for now...however, I
still have these 500 crickets to deal with.
Therefore...I've decided to take about a half dozen of my really good
eating youngsters and put them in the tank and just let them gorge. Of
course I would never do this with mice/rats and snakes which I've dealt
with in the past, but does anyone see any concern with this idea?
Thanks...I appreciate the advice.
--Stacy
