# Giving this method of Breeding Crickets a try



## RedEyeTroyFrog (Jan 25, 2008)

tell me what you guys think?

YouTube - best way to breed crickets!


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

yeah it works just keep in mind that they will keep you up with all the chriping and they do smell rather bad if you don't keep up with the regular maintenance of the culture.


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## RedEyeTroyFrog (Jan 25, 2008)

well this method only requires the female crix, which dont chirp.... so that made it even more appetizing . i hope it works!


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

well you need a male to fertelize them though, so is the key, i would breed them and have a ration of 20:1 when i did.


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## RedEyeTroyFrog (Jan 25, 2008)

well i believe i have a couple males in there anyways, but are you sure that the male needs to fertilize them? and i just read somewhere that the cricket enclosure needs to be around 88 degrees? is this true? or could it be a bit cooler?


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

it could be a little colder but they wont' hatch as fast or produce as much as when they are kept warmer


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## RedEyeTroyFrog (Jan 25, 2008)

ok cool, i have mine around 78-83


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

should work just fine, what are you feeding the adults? i woudl feed them a mixture of flake fish food like tetramin and carrots


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## RedEyeTroyFrog (Jan 25, 2008)

well, i have hammered up some dog food to a fine powder, calcium, oatmeal, i pretty much have the same exact setup as the video from youtube...only i have mine in a large Tupperware box, id say 20 gallons or so, they really seem to like the dog food, they have been smashing on it the past 2 days


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## kamazza (Sep 2, 2008)

I have had the worst time breeding crickets. I used to have a bearded dragon and the crickets would breed in the potted plant in his tank. Now I have a 10 gallon tank just for the crickets with a moistened soil filled container and hiding places and I feed the crickets potatoes, lettuce, fish food, gut load cricket drink, and other random veggies and fruits and still no babies?? I have probably around 20-30 crickets, plenty males and females. I dont understand why I dont have any pinheads yet? It kills me how when I dont want to breed them, they breed like crazy, but when I want to, they dont do a thing! Im thinking I'd better just line the whole bottom of the tank with soil like in the video.


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

what temp are you keeping them at? also how moist is the soil they are breeding in? i woudl also add a bunch more females as well.


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## RedEyeTroyFrog (Jan 25, 2008)

julio - the soil is just suppose to be damp correct, not like wet? right?

and i agree kamazza - more females i counted mine yesterday i have 45 females and 3 males

45 x 100 is potentially 4,500 babies considering every female usually lays around 100 eggs


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

yeah just damp otherwise you will drown the eggs


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## RedEyeTroyFrog (Jan 25, 2008)

thanks thats what i thought


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## kristy55303 (Apr 27, 2008)

here is a good thread that kyle wanted to start breeding crix and still had some reluctance to: http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/food-feeding/32292-cricket-ideas.html

read my thread which was authored by robert aka(seaduck) on this board. great advice. I am going to do crix breeding this way myself, as i am very weary of diseases and robert is a very critcal as i am i would venture to say, on keeping darts clean. great breeder, wonderfully intelligent when it comes to darts. kristy


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## gary1218 (Dec 31, 2005)

My understanding on the female crickets is that they will only lay eggs once. Is that correct? So you continually have to be swapping out the females.


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

not true! they breed only once but will continue laying for a while


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## kristy55303 (Apr 27, 2008)

they dont have the longest lifespans either 2-3 weeks and once breeding age, they are almost raedy for their last shed.....so in saying that, if you read my post troy you'll see how to keep some of the babies and raise them up in another tank....therefore eventually keeping breeding going and the supply and demand up. kristy


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## RedEyeTroyFrog (Jan 25, 2008)

yeah ive got the other tank already, after like two weeks or until i see a bunch of eggs im going to remove the females and put them in the other tank, or feed them out to my larger tree frogs... then im gonna go get more females to start the other hatchery, that way ill have a little cycle going, so by the time the second hatchery is thriving the first one will have 2 week old crickets ready to feed out...and im thinking that each hatchery will last a while as long as i can keep the crix alive...


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## kristy55303 (Apr 27, 2008)

sounds like a good plan now i need to go out and buy me a couple tanks to start myself. good to have back-up sources of food. great that you can also feed them to your tree frogs. mine i can feed extras to my sons firebelly toads. kristy


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## RedEyeTroyFrog (Jan 25, 2008)

fire belly toads handle crickets that big? actually im not sure ive ever seen a full grown fire belly to be honest?


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## kristy55303 (Apr 27, 2008)

yes they do. as adults and fat ones. lol i gave them the chytrid fungus treatment woith lamisil and am deworming them now.....so when they are in their permanent viv( i must have spent 400.00 on!!!! for my son lol) i'll post pics...unless you want to see them in q-tine though they arent as appealing than when in a viv. they are also the greener backed ones. i order online and payed shipped..,.grrr ...for 6 dollar fbt's 13 of them ...6.7 group. i must love my son

EDIT: i would say a little less big than almost near end of crix stage life. but those i can save for breeding. they will take them. they say no bigger than between the eyes, but i have had an emergency and they have had no probs with adults. kristy


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## kristy55303 (Apr 27, 2008)

oh and i can tong feed them to my sugar gliders too. just in case. they love meal worms and crickets. its like heaven to them


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## RedEyeTroyFrog (Jan 25, 2008)

sounds cool, yeah id like to see pics when they are in the viv


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## kristy55303 (Apr 27, 2008)

ok but in the lounge where it can be posted they still are in treatment, much of the viv costs came from the rock filter, landingh areas, java moss, plexiglass splitting the land and water area cut and sanded to prevent any frog cuts , substrate, and of course the big whammy the actual tank, screen lid, lamp, caves, and drilled hole with bulkhead. i dont feel like siphoning all the time kristy


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## RedEyeTroyFrog (Jan 25, 2008)

well i saw a bunch of them laying eggs yesterday, so this is a good sign.... now its just up to me and the substrate


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## kristy55303 (Apr 27, 2008)

good stuff. keep them warm kristy


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## kamazza (Sep 2, 2008)

Julio said:


> what temp are you keeping them at? also how moist is the soil they are breeding in? i woudl also add a bunch more females as well.


my soil is only moist and it is around 85ish , the crickets are in my garage, i thought they did better in warmer temps?


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## moothefrog (May 16, 2008)

There production is faster in warmer temps.I have talk to the guy who made the video,and am trying this cricket breeding method.I have all the aquariums,and 1,000 adult crix are on there way.


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## Bcs TX (Sep 13, 2008)

I bought a cricket breeder kit on bigapplepetsupply.com. Anyone tried a kit?
Also, how loud are they when they chirp? Enough to keep you up at night?


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## jubjub47 (Sep 9, 2008)

Yeah, they'll definitely keep you up at night. They are also really stinky.


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## Bcs TX (Sep 13, 2008)

Oh well will give it a try anyway. Maybe the upstairs closet, only people to hear them will be house guests.


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## Bcs TX (Sep 13, 2008)

Hey all would like a response to this thread about cricket breeding kits. The breeders I have talked to encourage pinheads and even tell me their 3 month old juvies are eating 1 week old crickets. While I will be feeding FF as well, like to vary their diet.
-Please respond with thoughts and or suggestions.

Thanks,
Beth


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## Bcs TX (Sep 13, 2008)

Ok no more responses need more.
-Beth


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