If you have reptiles or invertebrates as pets, you might be interested in breeding your own crickets to feed them. Crickets are a nutritious and inexpensive food source for many animals, and breeding them at home can save you money and ensure freshness. In this blog post, I will show you how to set up a simple cricket breeding system and give you some tips on how to maintain it.
What you will need:
- A large plastic container with a lid. This will be your cricket breeding bin. Make sure it has some ventilation holes on the sides and the lid.
- A smaller plastic container with a lid. This will be your cricket egg-laying bin. It should fit inside the larger bin, leaving some space around it.
- Some egg cartons or cardboard tubes. These will provide hiding places and climbing surfaces for your crickets.
- A shallow dish or tray. This will be your cricket water source. You can use a sponge, cotton balls, or paper towels soaked in water to prevent drowning.
- A small dish or jar lid. This will be your cricket food source. You can use commercial cricket food, dry cat food, or a mix of grains, seeds, and vegetables.
- A heat source. Crickets need a warm environment to breed and grow. You can use a heat mat, a heat lamp, or a sunny spot near a window.
- A thermometer and a hygrometer. These will help you monitor the temperature and humidity inside the bin.
How to set up your cricket breeding system:
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- Fill the smaller bin with about 2 inches of moist soil or peat moss. This is where the female crickets will lay their eggs. Poke some holes on the lid and place it inside the larger bin.
- Arrange the egg cartons or cardboard tubes inside the larger bin, leaving some space for the smaller bin and the dishes. These will provide shelter and surface area for your crickets.
- Place the water dish and the food dish inside the larger bin, near the edges. Make sure they are always clean and full.
- Place the heat source under or near the larger bin, depending on what you are using. The ideal temperature for cricket breeding is between 80°F and 90°F (27°C and 32°C). The ideal humidity is between 50% and 70%.
- Place the thermometer and the hygrometer inside the larger bin, where you can easily read them. Adjust the heat source and the moisture level as needed.
How to maintain your cricket breeding system:
- Check on your crickets daily and remove any dead ones. Dead crickets can attract mold and mites, which can harm your colony.
- Replace the soil or peat moss in the smaller bin every two weeks. This is when most of the eggs will have hatched. You can either discard the old substrate or sift out the unhatched eggs and reuse it.
- Transfer some of the newly hatched crickets to another container or feed them to your pets. This will prevent overcrowding and cannibalism in your colony.
- Keep your crickets well-fed and hydrated. You can supplement their diet with fresh fruits and vegetables, such as apples, carrots, lettuce, or kale. You can also dust them with calcium powder or vitamin supplements before feeding them to your pets.
Benefits of breeding your own crickets:
- Breeding your own crickets can save you money in the long run. A single female cricket can lay up to 100 eggs in her lifetime, which means you can have a steady supply of food for your pets.
- Breeding your own crickets can ensure freshness and quality. You can control what you feed them and how you store them, which can affect their nutritional value and taste.
- Breeding your own crickets can be fun and rewarding. You can learn more about these fascinating insects and their life cycle, and enjoy watching them grow and multiply.
I hope this blog post has given you some useful information on how to breed crickets for your reptiles and invertebrates. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Happy breeding!