# Pick your local petstore cricket catcher carefully



## *GREASER* (Apr 11, 2004)

So after getting more and more frogs these days that need crickets I have noticed that pet stores and there sales associates that bag crickets are not all created equally. 

If I go to petsmart I am guaranteed that they are going to count EVERY single cricket. Do you know how small two dozen crickets actually looks? So I dont even mess with them.

The independent store gives a little better deal and charges 20c less a doz and they dont count them as well. 

Now the best deal so far in town is Petco. But I also go for this one girl. If I ask for two doz crix I swear I get at least FIVE. There is an old lady there who gives you a ton also but that other chick loads you up! She isnst dumb either cause I saw her getting crix for herself one day and she said they were for her bearded dragon. She is just about givin ya a good deal I think. If I go there and I dont see her I wont even buy them alot of time its really worth it to wait till she is there. 

I just thought the rest of you might have similar stories


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## zaroba (Apr 8, 2006)

*GREASER* said:


> She isnst dumb either cause I saw her getting crix for herself one day and she said they were for her bearded dragon. She is just about givin ya a good deal I think.


out of curiosity...how can you base her intelligence on the fact she owns a beardie?


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## sbreland (May 4, 2006)

zaroba said:


> out of curiosity...how can you base her intelligence on the fact she owns a beardie?


... wait a minute, you mean to tell me YOU don't know...jk :lol:


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## Corpus Callosum (Apr 7, 2007)

Greg, maybe the chick just likes you and doesn't give that many crickets to the other customers


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## Hakkamike (Aug 19, 2007)

Or maybe she gives him more so he does not have to come back as often


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## Otis (Apr 16, 2006)

i know what you are saying, it's important to find a good place to get crix. i get mine from this guy and his son and they always give good deals. plus now i just trade ff for crix and everybody is happy!


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## *GREASER* (Apr 11, 2004)

Corpus Callosum said:


> Greg, maybe the chick just likes you and doesn't give that many crickets to the other customers



Nah mike I think Hakkamike hit it on the head. Either way its a good deal and I hope she doesnt quit or get fired!


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## superjalami30 (Mar 28, 2007)

I always get them from two different people from a local store here, they always give me "dozens" when I ask for 2.
I've bought from others before and actually watched them DOUBLE CHECK to make sure only 24 were in the bag.
Even at 7 cents a cricket I'm cheap!


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## *GREASER* (Apr 11, 2004)

superjalami30 said:


> Even at 7 cents a cricket I'm cheap!



all the places here sell them for 10 cents and depending how many large cricket eating frogs you have it can add up rather quick and I would wind up not being able to eat lunch a couple days a week if i actually had to pay 10 cents for every cricket.


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## MJ (Jun 16, 2005)

Order bulk man or breed your own tho they STINK or try roaches they rock!


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## superjalami30 (Mar 28, 2007)

Before I was able to get my fruit flies I was getting them a 1000 at a time for free.
Well, I was bartering with the pet stores, offering them fish that I breed and freshwater plants I grow.
It worked great, except that by the time I fed out 200-300 of them the rest were to big or already dead.
Then I tried culturing them myself and after a couple of weeks I said forget it, they stink and make too much noise.
Thankfully I was able to get fruit flies and never looked back.
Now every now and again I'll buy a couple dozen.....get a few more thrown in for free.... and feed them out over the course of a couple of weeks.


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## johnnymo (Jul 20, 2007)

I'm guilty of bagging more crickets than what was asked for. Usually its just 12-20 extra and it depends on how long they have been waiting for their crickets. It's better to give customers a little bit more than what they asked for opposed to giving them less..


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## lacerta (Aug 27, 2004)

MJ got it right. Order bulk. If you are paying 7 - 10cents per cricket you are getting ripped off. I buy them by the thousand. For $11 it comes to 1.1 cent per cricket, and they always throw in a extra couple hundred. I buy them at 1/4 inch size and my Phyllobates can eat them for the next three weeks. When they get around a half inch then the tree frogs get them. Full growns go to my toads and my son's beardie. I often put a margarine tub of damp soil in with the adults and I'll get a million pinheads in about 3 weeks. 
Another source of crickets are stores that sell them for fish bait. Usually 100 for about $3.50. These are adults. Sometimes I use them to lay eggs in margarine tubs. 
Petstores are the worst places to buy crickets. 

George


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## Mac (Aug 14, 2007)

I have actually found that breeding crickets is rather easy, I buy about 50 adults, put them in one of those 32 gallon garbage barrels with damp soil in a Tupperware, water, rabbit food, and in about 2 weeks I have hundreds of pinheads, I can then vary the foods I give to my frogs. Only thing I have to do is put more water and food.

And if you only want the adults for larger frogs, you can fill the whole bottom of the barrel with dirt, and they will lay them in the dirt and you can have an endless supply of Crickets!


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## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

Tips:
1. go get her number... dont' wait, what can you lose?
2. oder crickets and save a buck, or breed your own.


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## dragonfrog (Feb 16, 2006)

A little off topic here, but how many of you tried to squash the bug flying around on your screen? The one that is MJ's avitar. I usually have a gnat or two flying around my computer screen and I thought it was another one!!
LOL,LOlL


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## Otis (Apr 16, 2006)

every time i see that i crack up. except for the first time, cause i thought it was real.


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## superjalami30 (Mar 28, 2007)

My wife freaked out on me shortly after getting my fruit flies.

"Look, they're even on your computer screen, they're everywhere!!"


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## Otis (Apr 16, 2006)

lol, i want to make that my avatar.


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## *GREASER* (Apr 11, 2004)

kyle1745 said:


> Tips:
> 1. go get her number... dont' wait, what can you lose?
> 2. oder crickets and save a buck, or breed your own.


SShhhhh my g/f lurks the board. And this petstore chick isnt really doin it for me.


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## siples (Aug 14, 2004)

*Crickets*

That is one respect where I have always been lucky, a friend of mine has a cricket farm about 10miles from me. I always get 1500 for $30,which in turn there is no way he even remotely wants to try counting them out so he just boxes up a bunch. Generally enough to cover the bottom of a coleman cooler about a half inch thick. I also can hand pick the size that I need.
Kieth


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## Obliv79 (Oct 31, 2007)

I don't think I'd breed them personally. They smell like SHAT and they are noisey. I just get them for my leopard geckos anyway so if i have to pony up 5 dollars a week to feed my guys then thats fine by me, but I might check out the bait shop that does sound like a pretty good idea.


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