@@chloehunt7536 cat food is high in salt so probably better to use dog food. Fish flakes are another thing you can use cause its has protein, vitamins and minerals.
*My secret to not losing any crickets:* Transfer crickets to breeding bins outside around chickens When there is only a few left clinging to the box, give box to the chickens
I did this and it’s bern very successful it was fairly expensive. I have my crickets breed put the breeding box into the incubator after a week then I immediately feed the breeding crickets to my lizards, frogs, turnantulas, and salamander. After 5 days I put the pin head crickets into the breeding area again empty the top soil into a trash can and repeat the process. Self sustaining breeding!!
If you dont want escaping crickets do this: Put the crickets in the fridge for a few minutes (around 10 or so). This wont kill them at all, they will just go into dormant (slowing down its movment). then take the box of crickets and put them in the tubs your keeping or breeding them in.
vermiculite is actually really good for planting mediteranian herbs. Its made by subjecting mica (a flakey shiny mineral) to heat in a kiln until it explodes.
Thank you. I am glad to know how to do this and especially the time frames involved which are surprisingly quick and the 90 F temperature for hatching.
what would be a great method of monitoring the temperature of your container holding the baby cricket eggs? Are there specific thermometers that you would recommend? Thank you for this content by the way!
Great video. Simple, cheap, and really easy to get a rolling breeding cycle going. It would've been good to know what kind of temps these tubs need to stay at (I'll just have to look it up). Thanks!
I use a microfiber duster (the kind with the dreadlocks, lol) for water distribution. I put it in a dish and soak it every day. The crickets love it. I give them orange slices, too, for a treat.
The vermiculite will soak up moisture from the fruit. You should put the pieces in a small plastic dish. I use the jello containers my kids eat. You can cut the sides to make the container more shallow.
You can try placing a screen over their bin. That would keep them from entering the bin. But a better method would be to have a small desk fan blowing across the bin. Flys will avoid fans because it's difficult for them to maneuver. And just practice good husbandry: clean out dead crickets and finished food products.
Could you put buffalo beetles with crickets since they like to die off a lot? I was thinking the beetles would eat the dead ones and like reduce the smell
Mealworms and their beetle forms are good for that. They eat decaying plants and animals in the wild and are good for eating the dead bugs. Keep in mind though that this may mean needing a little extra food for everyone, but if offering a little extra is worth not having the smell or dead ones in the way, then I recommend it. Tbh I use mealworms to keep the bioactive enclosures for my hissers clean and I almost never worry about the uneaten food going bad. Idk if this is still a relevant question for you but I figured I'd answer just in case.
How long should we let the original crickets breed for before we go ahead and feed them to our pet and replace with new breeder crickets? Also wondering if there is recommended temps that the breeders need kept in also? Thanks so much for this video.
@@Spyros_Mazarakis Gryllus assimilis for example will normally dig into the soil when you do not have such a cover. They searching for the eggs and eat them. When you take a flat plastic box e.g. 15 x 15 centimeters and about 5-8 cm hight with a cover - and then cut out a square of 13x13 centimenter out of that cover you have the basis. After this you cut a 14 x 14 square of aluminium moskitomesh and use a soldering irion to weld it to the cover your box is ready. Then fill the box with moist NOT WET Cocugravel or not fertilized earth and make it such full that when you try to close the box with the cover the soil is pushed against the aluminium. Put that box into a larger breeding box and give the Crickets the chance to be able to climb onto the box so that the females can lay the egg through the hole of the Mesh. Benefits: Your crickets do not eat the Eggs, you crickets do not bite trough plasti mesh!!
Very informative. Thanks for the video. I live in Fl. Fishing! Go through a lot of crickets. The closest place from me to get crickets is a 30 min ride. Not in a few weeks once I get them to start. Nope nope nope.
I added an aquarium of crickets to my city apartment for the noise they make at night, it worked, but noticed they were cannibalistic, seeing this the threw in a piece of steak, yes steak....OMG they loved it, I was shocked.
Nice observation. Crickets are ominvores and will eat nearly anything as long as their mandibles can break it down. The only drawback form using actual meat is that it'll attract other creatures that you probably don't want in your apartment, like flys and maggots.
Raising crickets is an interesting journey. Let us know if you have any questions. FYI - we do have a monthly contest where we give away a year supply of free feeders. Just post a pic of your tarantula, and if the pic gets the most votes from the community, you can win. Here's where you can read about it: critterfam.com/
10 gallons (40 quarts) should be enough. It does depend on the dimensions of the container. So as long as it has enough horizontal space, and it is well ventilated, the crickets will do well. I'm guessing your leopard gecko is eating about 30 crickets in a 15 minute time frame?
@@TheCritterDepot what leopard gecko can eat 30 crickets unless you are feeding them feeders too small???? An adult leopard gecko will eat maybe 8 sub adult crickets every other day. Holy cow
@@joltjumps you raise roaches pretty much the same way you raise crickets. With roaches you don't need substrate on the bottom. They need a heat source, egg crates to climb on and food and water. I would put the water in a dish with a few rocks in the dish so the roaches don't drown. I wouldn't mist the cage with water because mold will grow. The temperature should be between 82 to 90 degrees but not above 90 degrees. They can eat anything you would feed the crickets. Roaches have every advantage over crickets. Roaches live longer, breed faster and aren't susceptible to any viruses. Red runners are the fastest breeder of all the feeder roaches. I feed fruits and vegetables, dog food, cat food and fish food and they breed explosively.
Thank you so much for the video, but so far I have not had any luck after trying four fresh batches of hundreds of crickets from two separate sources. I am using a heat mat rather than an overhead lamp, otherwise, I am doing everything you suggest. I do find I need to mist the soil daily so it doesn't dry out. I could really use some advice on how to be successful at this. Cheers from Brisbane, Australia.
I love ordering from you guys! But my beardie is a growing boy so he eats A LOT of them and sometimes run out. This'll be so much more convient and looks like fun!
Good luck, Mark! Shoot us an email if you have any questions on how to raise them. We do have a monthly contest, where we give away a year supply of free crickets. Entering the contest is free, and is probably easier than raising crickets. Here's where you can learn more about the contest: critterfam.com/forums/topic/win-a-year-supply-of-free-crickets/
@@SuperJmcnabb I do put lids on them, but I drill holes just to give them air! And it varies how long they live. Since my comment I’ve had multiple colonies and they thrive for about a year before I need to get new crickets. I take care of them like pets as crazy as that sounds! But they will last you a while! Big $$$ saver too, hope this helps!
I just use moist coco-coir eco-earth style substrate throughout the entire tub so they can lay their eggs wherever they want I also use Repashy bug burger gel food which acts as both their food and water source.
I briefly worked in a shop that turned loose feeder geckos in the store to " get all the crickets" 😂😂. Also I've only ever used stachy water source foods. Apples, potato, and carrot,; all work pretty well.
I cut a small hole in the box about 4 inches around. And then shake the box till you get must out 90% and shake the rest out after opening box. But if your breeding I would worry about it
I don’t have any reptile or anything to eat them, I just like crickets😀. I’m also a little short for space so heat lamps a bit of an issue for me, do you need heat lamps though?
Hi Karen - you won't need to use lids for the size suggested in the video. We always recommend open tops for the bins because it provides greater air flow in the bins, which does improve the quality of life for your crickets.
Unfortunately not all reptiles will take dubia. I have Geckos that will and geckos that refuse and so I breed both dubia and crickets... Aswell as other inverts. Having a variety of insets is an excellent idea if you have animals that aren't terribly picky.
Would possibly building a giant set up for them and use sand mixture and vermiculite 50/50 with leaf litter on top, and with a Bigger portion of top soil?? Like 55 gallon tank with little heating pads under the top soil side ?? 70/30 with the mixture and top soil ??
What does the ambient temperature of the air need to be? I'm wondering if I can keep the tubs in my garage comma but I live in florida and I don't want them to overheat.
I’m trying to learn how to keep crickets healthy and thriving so I can feed my veiled chameleon. Any kinda of helpful tips would be very much appreciated!
The transit was rough on them
Him: BLAM BLAM BLAM on the box 😂😂
I thought the same thing😂😂
Lol I know right?!
lettuce is also good to use as its 85% water. I use lettuce and shaved carrot for my crickets. Also crushed up dog food is very good as well
Jesus Rivera yup
I give my crickets a lettuce leaf and water bug gel x 🤗
Does cat food work?
Chloe Hunt probably. It’s pretty much the same as dog food so it should work.
@@chloehunt7536 cat food is high in salt so probably better to use dog food. Fish flakes are another thing you can use cause its has protein, vitamins and minerals.
*My secret to not losing any crickets:*
Transfer crickets to breeding bins outside around chickens
When there is only a few left clinging to the box, give box to the chickens
Meme Machine now time to buy some chickens
Osvaldo Perdomo 😂😂
Oh thank god. I have 3 chicken coops 🤦♀️😂
Meme Machine yea because everyone just has chickens sitting in their yards 😂
@@thatstheteasis8721 chickens have been landing on my backyard lately
I don’t have a lizard why am I here
Austin Pierce to get a lizard
@@phillipharris2831 yes
Just In case you are in short supply at home.
I have a lizard
@@XDxenya i have things that eat lizards
I did this and it’s bern very successful it was fairly expensive. I have my crickets breed put the breeding box into the incubator after a week then I immediately feed the breeding crickets to my lizards, frogs, turnantulas, and salamander. After 5 days I put the pin head crickets into the breeding area again empty the top soil into a trash can and repeat the process. Self sustaining breeding!!
Caleb Smith.official that’s great, Caleb. What are you feeding the crickets and what temps are you rearing them?
What size cricket did you use?
@@TheCritterDepot have you made a video breeding turtles
Is it safe feeding your lizard crickets that may be covered in vermiculite?? Or are they strictly for breeding??
I have absolutely no interest in raising crickets but this was a very interesting and well done video. Thanks for posting it.
If you dont want escaping crickets do this: Put the crickets in the fridge for a few minutes (around 10 or so). This wont kill them at all, they will just go into dormant (slowing down its movment). then take the box of crickets and put them in the tubs your keeping or breeding them in.
Now I have crickets inside my fridge 🥰 at least they will be crunchy
Or just lower your box into the bigger box. And then get them out. If they escape they escape into your holding bin.
Thank you big smoke
6:14 bye!!!
Master escapest
@@pheonix5487 i wonder how many escaped before that
@@Adam-TheLiftedKing ah so you think they are a group of all master escapists
Fortnite must be erased ZA HANDO
Currently I am doing research on cricket. Your explanation is clear and up to the point. Keep it up
Great video 👍🏼👍🏼 but I just have one question! How often should I change the vermiculite and soils?
Me spending my days breeding crickets when the world is ending like:
Not a bad thing. Get prepared learning how to make them tasty great skill for the end of the world as we know it
I'm in it for the fishing!
You can eat crickets! ;-) ...the world isn't ending!
I never said it was ending right now!: life as we know it has most certainly changed right now though!
...
How not to get runaway crickets = Put the tubs in the bathtub before opening the box and emptying the crickets. Works for me. 😂
Charlie Guppy or you can just pop a small hole in the bag they’re in and they go one by one
Gio G not all crickets come in bags
6:13 who else saw the cricket jump out???
6:14 your box now has 999 crickets.
vermiculite is actually really good for planting mediteranian herbs. Its made by subjecting mica (a flakey shiny mineral) to heat in a kiln until it explodes.
Not only that, but after being in the cricket bin, it is very nutrient dense for plants. Or add to your compost bin for a lighter, fluffier mix.
The great escape 6:14
6:05 anyone notice that cricket pop his head out of the box?
Thank you. I am glad to know how to do this and especially the time frames involved which are surprisingly quick and the 90 F temperature for hatching.
How do you keep it 90
Great video: followed these steps exactly and found instant and awesome results
what would be a great method of monitoring the temperature of your container holding the baby cricket eggs? Are there specific thermometers that you would recommend?
Thank you for this content by the way!
Great video. Simple, cheap, and really easy to get a rolling breeding cycle going. It would've been good to know what kind of temps these tubs need to stay at (I'll just have to look it up). Thanks!
This depot is amazing 😉
PLUS free shipping ‼️ WOW!
How would you clean this sort of setup? And how often?
13:45 egg incubators from tractor supply can hold any temp
I use a microfiber duster (the kind with the dreadlocks, lol) for water distribution. I put it in a dish and soak it every day. The crickets love it. I give them orange slices, too, for a treat.
6:14 IM FREEEEE!!!!! MUAHAHAHAA
My OCD sparked when you put the soil in over the original substrate and some of the dirt fell in LOL. Love the video though. You speak very clearly.
did you know - CRICKETS MAKE WONDERFUL ACTORS!! ua-cam.com/video/V1Q6VcMsmS8/v-deo.html
The vermiculite will soak up moisture from the fruit. You should put the pieces in a small plastic dish. I use the jello containers my kids eat. You can cut the sides to make the container more shallow.
Any tips on keeping flies away? I’ve tried this before and I had flys and their larvae in my bin 😭
You can try placing a screen over their bin. That would keep them from entering the bin. But a better method would be to have a small desk fan blowing across the bin. Flys will avoid fans because it's difficult for them to maneuver. And just practice good husbandry: clean out dead crickets and finished food products.
take out your trash you filthy pig!
Wow that was really all I wanted to know packed in one video! Great job mate
Could you put buffalo beetles with crickets since they like to die off a lot? I was thinking the beetles would eat the dead ones and like reduce the smell
they eat the live ones too.
Mealworms and their beetle forms are good for that. They eat decaying plants and animals in the wild and are good for eating the dead bugs. Keep in mind though that this may mean needing a little extra food for everyone, but if offering a little extra is worth not having the smell or dead ones in the way, then I recommend it.
Tbh I use mealworms to keep the bioactive enclosures for my hissers clean and I almost never worry about the uneaten food going bad. Idk if this is still a relevant question for you but I figured I'd answer just in case.
@@jilliancrawford7577 well then the mealworms will start breeding in there.
@@CosmoniYT Perhaps, but usually the pupating stage is long enough to allow for a good grace period of removing them before they overbreed.
How long should we let the original crickets breed for before we go ahead and feed them to our pet and replace with new breeder crickets? Also wondering if there is recommended temps that the breeders need kept in also? Thanks so much for this video.
do you COVER your containers while doing all of this? it only shows the inside of containers when you are setting it all up
Simple, to the point, thanks. Planning to raise some for my chickens.
Nice looking at the wall
Do you put a lid on the bins?
6:05 Should i do it? Should i do it? Should he do it? I'm FREEEEE
The plastic tub needs to be transparent?
30 to 50 if what pet eats crickets a day? Curious how loud is a 1000 crickets? Garage only type venture?
you are amazing man
i want to make a farm in egypt to use it as fish food and chickens food
your video helps me a lot
thank you so uch
Do they need ventilation in that tub? You didn’t mention air holes or anything.
Providing an Cover with aluminium moskitomesh to the egglaying box will raise your results a lot!
What does it offer? What's your experience?
@@Spyros_Mazarakis Gryllus assimilis for example will normally dig into the soil when you do not have such a cover. They searching for the eggs and eat them. When you take a flat plastic box e.g. 15 x 15 centimeters and about 5-8 cm hight with a cover - and then cut out a square of 13x13 centimenter out of that cover you have the basis. After this you cut a 14 x 14 square of aluminium moskitomesh and use a soldering irion to weld it to the cover your box is ready. Then fill the box with moist NOT WET Cocugravel or not fertilized earth and make it such full that when you try to close the box with the cover the soil is pushed against the aluminium. Put that box into a larger breeding box and give the Crickets the chance to be able to climb onto the box so that the females can lay the egg through the hole of the Mesh.
Benefits:
Your crickets do not eat the Eggs, you crickets do not bite trough plasti mesh!!
Wow!!! Thank you for your time to write all these. That was very very informative. Thanks again for sharing your experience. Have a nice day!!!
@@Spyros_Mazarakis Youre welcome!
How often do you clean or change the vermiculite?
ellie tucker i guess when it looks like it needs to be cleaned/changed
probably when the smell gets bad.
Best video i have seen so far thanks👍🤗
At 6:05 the little cricket pooped out and and was like ladies we have arrived it’s party time
Great video, I plan on doing this to go fishing with them.
Very informative. Thanks for the video. I live in Fl. Fishing! Go through a lot of crickets. The closest place from me to get crickets is a 30 min ride. Not in a few weeks once I get them to start. Nope nope nope.
Do you put lids on the bins?
Yes
I added an aquarium of crickets to my city apartment for the noise they make at night, it worked, but noticed they were cannibalistic, seeing this the threw in a piece of steak, yes steak....OMG they loved it, I was shocked.
Nice observation. Crickets are ominvores and will eat nearly anything as long as their mandibles can break it down. The only drawback form using actual meat is that it'll attract other creatures that you probably don't want in your apartment, like flys and maggots.
6:04 that lil cricket got lucky!
Nah, our army of geckos caught him off screen.
Thanks for this tutorial! I plan to breed crickets soon, for my tarantulas
Raising crickets is an interesting journey. Let us know if you have any questions. FYI - we do have a monthly contest where we give away a year supply of free feeders. Just post a pic of your tarantula, and if the pic gets the most votes from the community, you can win. Here's where you can read about it: critterfam.com/
I only need enough crickets to feed one full grown leopard gecko, will a ten gallon tank be a good enough breeding space?
10 gallons (40 quarts) should be enough. It does depend on the dimensions of the container. So as long as it has enough horizontal space, and it is well ventilated, the crickets will do well. I'm guessing your leopard gecko is eating about 30 crickets in a 15 minute time frame?
@@TheCritterDepot what leopard gecko can eat 30 crickets unless you are feeding them feeders too small???? An adult leopard gecko will eat maybe 8 sub adult crickets every other day. Holy cow
@@joshuahull9982 thanks any info on raising bugs in general?
@@joltjumps you raise roaches pretty much the same way you raise crickets. With roaches you don't need substrate on the bottom. They need a heat source, egg crates to climb on and food and water. I would put the water in a dish with a few rocks in the dish so the roaches don't drown. I wouldn't mist the cage with water because mold will grow. The temperature should be between 82 to 90 degrees but not above 90 degrees. They can eat anything you would feed the crickets. Roaches have every advantage over crickets. Roaches live longer, breed faster and aren't susceptible to any viruses. Red runners are the fastest breeder of all the feeder roaches. I feed fruits and vegetables, dog food, cat food and fish food and they breed explosively.
@@joshuahull9982 thanks brother
at 6:12 the cricket is like peekaboo now i fly weeeeeee
Could you add a paper layer at the bottom of the box before shipping and then put that into the habitat?
To get every last cricket...
My secret would be patience and persistence
Thank you so much for the video, but so far I have not had any luck after trying four fresh batches of hundreds of crickets from two separate sources. I am using a heat mat rather than an overhead lamp, otherwise, I am doing everything you suggest. I do find I need to mist the soil daily so it doesn't dry out. I could really use some advice on how to be successful at this. Cheers from Brisbane, Australia.
I love ordering from you guys! But my beardie is a growing boy so he eats A LOT of them and sometimes run out. This'll be so much more convient and looks like fun!
Good luck, Mark! Shoot us an email if you have any questions on how to raise them. We do have a monthly contest, where we give away a year supply of free crickets. Entering the contest is free, and is probably easier than raising crickets. Here's where you can learn more about the contest: critterfam.com/forums/topic/win-a-year-supply-of-free-crickets/
Do not use citrus fed crickets for your BD :)
Maybe these are silly questions...but any help is appreciated!
Do you put the lids on the tubs?
How long do crickets live?
@@SuperJmcnabb I do put lids on them, but I drill holes just to give them air! And it varies how long they live. Since my comment I’ve had multiple colonies and they thrive for about a year before I need to get new crickets. I take care of them like pets as crazy as that sounds! But they will last you a while! Big $$$ saver too, hope this helps!
Been looking for this
How much do you charge for 500 crickets to a buyer?
We sell 500 crickets for $20. Free shipping. www.thecritterdepot.com/products/bulk-crickets-for-sale
6:04 cricket was saying hi!
Awesome video, I’m on board for my chickens👍
Do you know where to buy separate female crickets for breeding?
I just use moist coco-coir eco-earth style substrate throughout the entire tub so they can lay their eggs wherever they want I also use Repashy bug burger gel food which acts as both their food and water source.
Thank you so much
Awww, just found two crickets in my backyard! I named them Laura and Tiny Tim(:
Great video. You did a great job! Thank you! You are appreciated!
I just ordered crickets and super worms from you without knowing I have been watching your videos 😂
Thank You so much!!!
Miracles and Blessings Beautiful Souls
I briefly worked in a shop that turned loose feeder geckos in the store to " get all the crickets" 😂😂. Also I've only ever used stachy water source foods. Apples, potato, and carrot,; all work pretty well.
I cut a small hole in the box about 4 inches around. And then shake the box till you get must out 90% and shake the rest out after opening box. But if your breeding I would worry about it
Here because I’m tired of buying crickets for my bearded dragon and green anoles
Same my bearded dragon is so expensive that is what I am here
Same and I'll be selling the extra to local pet store they can't keep them in
Would a few cleaner beetles in the rearing bins be beneficial? I believe I've seen that they eat the skin sheds and cricket poo.
I have a tarantula would crickets be fine to feed them
Cloned_GlowZ yes
Just make sure the tarantula actually eats them, because the crickets can eat the tarantula if it begins to mold.
You forgot to say that crickets will eat each other’s babies
Great video!! Thank you! Also their website has great information!! Just got my daughter a bearded dragon and I’m a little lost. Thanks guys!
Fantastic video detailed and patient
What about lids for the containers. So no other insects or animals get into it
Where did you order your crickets? My local pet shop is always sold out I really need to breed them for my beardie
www.thecritterdepot.com/products/bulk-crickets-for-sale
@@TheCritterDepot Perfect thank you so much!
I’m glad seeing this me and my gf gonna buy 500 very soon for the 23
He guys I bought 1000 crickets for breeding they come today do they come with female and make crickets?
Great video thank you
Awesome vid. Thank you for sharing!
I don’t have any reptile or anything to eat them, I just like crickets😀.
I’m also a little short for space so heat lamps a bit of an issue for me, do you need heat lamps though?
So once the little ones are bigger do you put them into the container with the adults again? I dont have alot of room for like 4 or 5 containers
No lid?
Looks like "Cool Hand Luke" got away again.
Do you not have to put lids on top of the Home Depot containers to keep the older crickets from jumping out?
Hi Karen - you won't need to use lids for the size suggested in the video. We always recommend open tops for the bins because it provides greater air flow in the bins, which does improve the quality of life for your crickets.
Do you put hole in the lids our is there enough air in there???
Everyone thats thinking of breeding crickets. No breed dubia they are much more healty for reptiles and are easier to breed
Unfortunately not all reptiles will take dubia. I have Geckos that will and geckos that refuse and so I breed both dubia and crickets... Aswell as other inverts. Having a variety of insets is an excellent idea if you have animals that aren't terribly picky.
I will look into that
Where’s your lid? Did you make one?
Super awesome video! One thing I may have missed... How long do you wait to put the baby crickets back in with the rest? Thanks again!
Will pin head crickets & adult crickets still need to be kept at 90 degree temperatures aswell?
Do I leave the lid of the plastic container will they get out
6:13 cricket escaped :D
Can you use 5 gallon buckets instead of those tubs?
Would possibly building a giant set up for them and use sand mixture and vermiculite 50/50 with leaf litter on top, and with a Bigger portion of top soil?? Like 55 gallon tank with little heating pads under the top soil side ?? 70/30 with the mixture and top soil ??
With a humidifier…😂
Thx 4 info
did you know - CRICKETS MAKE WONDERFUL ACTORS!!******************** ua-cam.com/video/V1Q6VcMsmS8/v-deo.html
Saga of a Crew shut up
What does the ambient temperature of the air need to be? I'm wondering if I can keep the tubs in my garage comma but I live in florida and I don't want them to overheat.
Ohh I hear they were very smelly ! So I’ll definitely try that but what else should I try to do to keep the smell down?
So when the pen head crickets hatch do o need to move them to a new bin seperate from the 1/4 inch crickets?
I’m trying to learn how to keep crickets healthy and thriving so I can feed my veiled chameleon. Any kinda of helpful tips would be very much appreciated!