millions of crickets

[slantedii]

Thats what id like to have without spending millions. Anyone know of a really good "raise ur own" crickets guide? All mine keep dying..

 

[bigmac1]

i ahve you ever thought about starting a roach colony they really dont smell and breed like crazy so you dont have to buy many feeders. i think roaches is the way to go. but its up to you and the roaches dont die that fast like crickets.

 

[slantedii]

yah...but i would REALLY hate for them to get loose and breed in my condo...neighbors wouldnt be pleased either

 

[Ryan Maguire]

yah...but i would REALLY hate for them to get loose and breed in my condo...neighbors wouldnt be pleased either

The only way Dubia would get loose is if you were shaking egg cartons full of them around your house. I have had my Dubia for over a year now and only had 2 escapes, which were my fault because I was carrying egg cartons full of them around lol. Also usually they freeze when they are scared so I was able to catch both of them

 

[bigmac1]

it all really depends on what species of roach you get but either way I don't think they will be breed if only one gets out. Right now I have about 2000 Turks Iand about to start a dubia colony roaches will save a lot of money in the long run

 

[patrickb]

Thats what id like to have without spending millions. Anyone know of a really good "raise ur own" crickets guide? All mine keep dying..

Well, like the others have said, the roaches will fix all your problems, I guarantee that. Most species won't ever live very long outside of their tote if they were to escape, and even if they did they would most likely not breed very well. Dubias in particular have about a 0.0000000000% of infesting any home, unless you live in a mud hut in the middle of South America. Dubias are the best by far and once you get them going, you can say goodbye to the evil crickets and all the hassle associated with them. Crickets are a total pain and will require more work, they will stink to high heaven, and they will escape and though they may not "infest" they will eat any and everything, including your carpet if you have any.

With that being said, if you still are set on raising and breeding crickets, then a description of what you are doing currently would help. There are lot's and lot's of caresheets on the internet for raising crickets. They are not hard to raise and breed, but they do require quite a bit of attention. The other major difference between crickets and roaches is their total lifespan. Crickets only live for about 2 months total, from the time they hatch to the time they die naturally of old age. The more common feeder roaches live anywhere from 12 months up to 2 years. As a result, you have to breed a much larger number of crickets to keep your production high enough to meet your needs. The roaches will produce month in and out for up to one year (maybe even two with certain species) so they require much smaller amounts of breeders. The crickets grow to around 6 weeks of age and only lay eggs for 2 weeks max, then they are gone, so you have to have another batch to replace them to keep the supply flowing. The crickets are very sensitive to food and water levels. If there is not enough of either, they eat each other, or die off which creates a domino reaction amongst the whole colony and it is a total wipe. Roaches are much less susceptible to these factors and if you do neglect them (which they seem to thrive on at times) you will not lose your whole colony overnight like you would with crickets.

Again, if you still want to do the cricket routine, post your current methods of housing, care, feeding etc... It can be done.

 

[MALIBUSMOM]

I get my crickets from Mikes premium crickets for fairly cheap.I empty the whole contents of box into 15 gallon aqurium w/ screen top & put cricket drink & cricket feed in.They are good for about a month 250 at atime.
When i want to feed i have a seperate 10 gallon i lift egg carton material out shake in to the 10 gallon or catch crickets w/ empty paper towel or TP roll.
I then put malibu directly in to 10 gall & she gobbles away.

 

[haleygirl272]

All u need to do to breed crickets is:

Put a dozen crickets in a rubbermaid container. Leave a small container of moist soil in with them for 7 days. Put that container in another rubbermaid container with a heat lamp. Keep it in there another 10-14 days at 90 degrees. You should have baby crickets. Stick in some veggies and water gel. REMEMBER!!! ALWAYS KEEP SOIL MOIST! :mrgreen:

 

[slantedii]

Well im just trying to feed my beardy for the lowest cost. If dubias are easier and more hearty, and just, well, (based on what you said) way freakin better in every way. So like where do i buy them? or someone wanna send me some trial roaches?

 

[clear]

A crickets life span is only a few weeks, so they die really fast. Roaches can live for a year or more!
Get some dubia!

 

[slantedii]

OK...new subject, where is the best place to buy them? lol

 

[bigmac1]

You can buy the dubias from theroach guy and best roach just google them and you can find their webpages I never ordered from them but I heard nothing but good stuff from them.