How to keep crickets

[DeenosMama]

I happened across a post saying that you can buy crickets online rather than getting them from the petstore... which I had no idea about!! I have a few questions about buying from online and crickets in general if anyone is willing to answer.

1) I currently have a critter keeper (it's kind of small)... how do I store the crickets that my lil guy isn't going to eat that day?
2) When I'm ready to feed the crickets to him, how do I get the crickets from the keeper into the bag to add calcium to them and then into his cage?
3) Are there certain places that are more reccommended to buy from online?

I'm sure I'll have more questions but that's all I have for right now. Thanks for any help!

 

[KDK241]

I kept my crickets in a 10 gallon tank with screen lid for 1,000 and they stayed for about 6 weeks with minimal losses. You can also use a plastic storage bin. I had egg crate/cardboard tubes on one side and a food and water dish on the other. To get them out I just picked up a tube or piece of egg crate and shook them into the bag until I had what I needed. You can do the same with a critter keeper, just don't keep as many in there or they will start eating each other. You also have to clean the cage once a week or they will stink terribly.

 

[DeenosMama]

You mean just like a regular storage bin I can get from Target or where ever? Will the crickets be okay in a bin that is dark? I don't want them all to die from lack of su light?

Also, I have those orange Fluker's Cricket Feed cube things, how many of those should I put in there? I just bought 500 small crickets from Fluker's Farm.

 

[KDK241]

Yep the regular storage bins, clear or dark, will work. You have to cut part of the lid and put aluminum screening over it for ventilation and with small crickets I'd put a line of packing tape about 3" from the top so they can't climb up.

I've never fed the cubes but I would start with 2 and see how fast they go.

 

[DeenosMama]

Where do I get aluminium screening? And how do I apply it so that it will stay?



Also, Deeno just ate a fly outside.... is that going to cause him any harm? He swallowed it before I could stop him....

 

[KDK241]

You can get aluminum screening at any hardware store. Its regular window screening but it has to be aluminum, they can chew through the fiberglass screen. You can use hot glue, liquid nails or something similar to attach it. I used hot glue because it drys fast and I'm not patient

I don't think one fly is going to hurt him.

 

[miloandrufusdragons]

Get a cricket keepercbut tape the holes above the tubes. I use it for my crix. I try to give em a good life be before they get eaten by my beardies.

 

[DeenosMama]

I have a critter keeper but it's much too small for 500+ crickets. I use the critter keeper to bring baby Deeno outside currently beccause his leash hasn't arrived in the mail yet.