A better way to keep crickets?

[JagersMom]

So, I need a better way to keep crickets.

We live in an apartment, so I'm sort of tight on space. I use the large cricket keepers, for two different sizes of crickets. (Large and medium/small). They just get so disgusting so fast, it's unreal. I clean them every couple of days, but it's awful. They attract flies and it's just..gross.

I need to know a better way to keep crickets. I can do rubbermaid bins, but can't they climb the sides?

Suggestions please.

 

[healthybeardie]

I'm rather new at this but I keep 500 crickets in a 10 gallon tank with screen lid, several egg cartons so they don't stomp on each other, the food sprinkled on bottom of tank and water-soaked papertowels (need to be re-wet daily).

 

[romanfj]

The best way to keep crickets is to keep them out of your house. Get some dubia roaches instead. They're 10 times cleaner.

Frank

 

[Kacymyree]

Yes you can use a rubbermaid bin, thats what i use. I have an 18 gal rubbermaid bin. They can climb the sides though, so make sure you put a strip of packing tape (the clear kind) about 6 inches from the top of the bin.

 

[techdave]

Instead of using paper towels, you could toss a couple of carrots pieces or slices of potatos.That way they will get vitamins and stuff along with getting hydrated. Or you could use water crystals. I do the carrots myself.

 

[Krik]

Seriuosly, why do you want to keep funky crickets? I buy 24 every so often because its fun to dump a bunch in and watch him hunt, but keeping them is for newbies. Get a dubia colony (or 2) and stop spending a fortune to stink up your house. As a bonus, Dubias can be used as garbage disposals for vegtable/fruit scraps (if your an enviornmentalist). My dubias get keps as well as any pet I have ever had right up until feeding time for the draggon that is.

 

[techdave]

My dubias get keps as well as any pet I have ever had right up until feeding time for the draggon that is.

Hahahahaha

 

[sithcdw]

Ok, hands down, crix are the absolute worst feeder... in terms of stench and cleanliness...

the best way to keep them though, is in a very well ventilated rubbermaid container. they do just fine at room temperature, but if you decide to keep them outside make sure it doesnt get too terribly cold. the crix will also not be able to climb the smooth sides of the container.

its very important that the crix remain very well ventilated, the gases produced from the dead crickets creates a chain reaction, killing the rest of the crickets, make sure to clean the dead crickets out everyday, and sanitize their enclosure at least once every two weeks.

i recommend getting rid of crickets though, a better alternative are roaches, specifically dubia, and phoenix worms.
ask anyone, roaches far outweigh crickets

 

[mistybugs]

I have a cabnet with doors on the front of it and I keep a 10 gallon tank on the bottom and keep all my crickets in there. I have put vent holes in the back so that they can breath and keep a screen top on it so they will not get out. It seems to work very well for me.

 

[healthybeardie]

I'm getting more proficient at this...

Collect toilet paper rolls, put them in the enclosure with the crickets. This way you can get the crickets out of the enclosure easily (rather than shaking the egg cartons & have cricket poo fly everywhere). I then shake the t-paper roll into a sandwhich bag that has the calcium and shake. Then I bring the bag to Luther and he goes after the crickets as they crawl out of the bag. It was so humorous watching him stick his head in the bag to go after his dinner! No more chasing crickets!

 

[mistybugs]

I never thought about TP rolls that is a good idea. Does anyone know how to start a cricket farm. The only reason that I would like to do crickets instead of roaches is because I can not even think about putting roaches in my house I think that is so gross. The idea of them grosses me out. More power to the people that can handle it though.

 

[Ronzie]

If your worried about smell, get those odor pucks from a hydroponics store.
My buddies daughter has a hamster and you know what that room smells like. He put in an odor puck and it cut the smell down 90%.
I plan on getting one and put it just outside my feeder bin.
Not sure who makes them.

 

[suzuki4life]

paper towel rolls work better because then the crickets don't run out of them as quick when you are wiping the ones off the outside before removing from your container.

 

[mistybugs]

I just ordered crickets from reptilefood.com and I was just wondering howlong 250 crickets last and average beardie. My beardie has been eating a lot more crickets since she has stopped eating mealworms and regergatating everything up. I notice that know I feed her anywhere from 12 - 16 crickets. She is only about 3 months old measuring at around 9 inches. I am trying to keep a stock load so that I do not have to buy any while I am on maturanity leave and not working. Any suggestions about how many I need to last me through 2 months?

 

[healthybeardie]

Depends on how much your beardie eats. Luther went through 500 crickets in 2 weeks so I just ordered 1000.