Raising Crickets (for the less Squeamish Pet Owner)

A Guide to Raising your own supply of Crickets

(for the less Squeamish Pet Owner) To raise crickets you will need:

a small aquarium
some empty toilet paper rolls, or an old cardboard egg crate
a spray bottle with a gentle spray nozzle
aluminum mosquito netting or some sort of metal mesh lid

Step 1.)

Place some sandy soil (crickets like to burrow into sand) in the aquarium.

Step 2.)

Put the toilet paper roll or cardboard egg crate inside (they like to hide in it).

Step 3.)

Keep one area of the soil moist everyday by spraying this area with water (preferably not just out of the tap...put some water in an open container for at least two days so that the chlorine can evaporate out of the water).
This is where the crickets will lay their eggs.

Cover the aquarium:

You'll want to make sure the tank has a good lid, or you'll end up with thousands of bugs in your house. (ick!) Use a screen lid- the crickets need the ventilation, but be sure the holes aren't too big or the little bugs get out through them. I've seen commercial lids, and have also heard that metal mosquito screening secured with duct tape works well too. Note: don't use fiberglass or plastic--crickets WILL eat their way through this.

Add crickets to their new home and voila! Cricket tank.
Also, these guys are pretty stinky, so keep it someplace where you don't have to smell them all the time.

Feeding:

Feeding is easy. Crickets need a slice of orange to get moisture (they would drown in a water dish), they also eat small hunks of lettuce and a small pile of oatmeal. You will need to replace the orange slice and lettuce about twice a week.
You can also purchase some "gut load" at the pet store to fatten up your crickets for your frog. (This part is highly recommended for the health of your pet frog! This stuff adds extra needed vitamins to your frogs regular bug diet.)

In a couple of months you will see very tiny ant-like creatures running around when you spray water in your moist area. You will not be able to make out the newly hatched crickets for some time, but with a magnifying glass they become visible.

Good luck with your crickets!

More details on cricket and bug care:

Cricket Care and breeding by Tricia Power. Good resource!
Breeding and Raising the House Cricket This is a good cover-all care sheet for dealing with large cricket breeding projects.

Special thanks to Tammy Routh for providing Frogland visitors with this useful information!

Back to Dealing with Crickets for the Squeamish Pet Owner
Back to Frequently Asked Questions About Pet Frogs.
Back to FROGLAND.