How To Breed & Raise Crickets - The Critter Depot
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ค. 2024
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We use Vigoro Vermiculite for bedding, but there are other options - amzn.to/2S3ZYHY
Breeding your own crickets is a simple way to build a never-ending supply of feeders for your pet. And contrary to popular belief, breeding crickets is easy, and can be done with simple supplies. Most of the supplies in this video were bought at the dollar store.
The transit was rough on them
Him: BLAM BLAM BLAM on the box 😂😂
I thought the same thing😂😂
Lol I know right?!
If anybody is here to learn how to breed crickets for leopard geckos DO NOT use citrus fruits to feed and water the crickets as citrus fruits are bad for leopard geckos
Chris Joyce what do you recommend as a replacement?
Virtually any veggies, salad greens and none citrus fruits, I'd avoid tomatoes and strawberries as they'll mold quick.
What about Jackson chameleons?
@@NikolausMotorsportsall fresh veggies and salad greens and but don't leave tomatoes longer than 24hrs. Critters love spinach, sweet potatoes are brilliant for them.
@@Fitted5hundreds couldn't tell you for jacksons chameleon sorry I don't keep them.
If you feed your crickets orange it makes them more citric acidic in nutrients which is poisonous to bearded dragons, For people reading this comment if your planning on feeding a beardy with this method of bred crickets feed then pepper as a moist alternative, Possibly dusted with calcium as everything you feed your insects is past onto their consumer 😊
ohhh thanks
JandK Meidal I'm only here to find out how to feed my green tree frog for free
WEED! The best for feeding...
What about the the yellow cricket quencher because it doesn't have citric acid in it. It's just used as basically the crickets water source, but reinforced with calcium
@@Subswithnovideos-ve6zc I'm using the same stuff it seems to be alright but I also drop Bak choi or whatever and asperagus as well to gut load nutrients. the dragons love it lol
6:04 cricket pop's out of the box like: "did you say breeding?"
Lmao
That was perfect lmao
I ain't paying no child support
He's right about the thirst ... whenever I feed my reptiles crickets they spend more time licking up moisture from the walls and floor rather than escaping the massive lizard behind them
You're supposed to gutload before feeding them to your animals
Zeke Austen they never said they didn’t...
Wym escaping the massive lizard behind them 🧍
@@EmoPrincxss666 lizards eat crickets
@@TuberoseKisser imma be honest I think I wrote that comment in the middle of the night and my brain wasn't working but I get it now 💀
Thanks! I’m 10 so I can’t really buy my own crickets, and my parents complain on how much they can cost for so many! And thanks to this video I can breed my own crickets without waiting for my 2 dollar allowance 😂😁👍
SAME! ikr
Your like 14 now, but that was a really wholesome comment
How did your breeding go?
@lordjenny94 for real interested
@@themoistestwaffle me too why hasn't he said anything
*My secret to not losing any crickets:*
Transfer crickets to breeding bins outside around chickens
When there is only a few left clinging to the box, give box to the chickens
Meme Machine now time to buy some chickens
Osvaldo Perdomo 😂😂
Oh thank god. I have 3 chicken coops 🤦♀️😂
Meme Machine yea because everyone just has chickens sitting in their yards 😂
@@thatstheteasis8721 chickens have been landing on my backyard lately
Put the box in the fridge for 15 minutes and they will go dormant so you can transfer them easily.
Awesome!!!! I will use that thank you
use furnace instead
I was not looking forward to moving them on at all. Thanks.
Just don't forget them in there XD
Cool.
lettuce is also good to use as its 85% water. I use lettuce and shaved carrot for my crickets. Also crushed up dog food is very good as well
Jesus Rivera yup
I give my crickets a lettuce leaf and water bug gel x 🤗
Does cat food work?
Chloe Hunt probably. It’s pretty much the same as dog food so it should work.
@@chloehunt7536 cat food is high in salt so probably better to use dog food. Fish flakes are another thing you can use cause its has protein, vitamins and minerals.
I just found 4 crickets in the backyard so here I am.
Do you catch them?
Do you feed them?
Do you make them as your pet?
Sundae Ü we could be VERY good friends😂
That's actually not good. Plus you shouldn't take animals out of there habitat. It's illegal in most areas. Plus they can have diseases, parasites and more. Just by 10 or 20 from a petstore. They are pretty cheap. :)
I really like them air fried, before that it was all about freezing them & it's awesome with magic shell, or chocolate syrup w/ ice cream. Better than granola, more nutritious. May sound gross but so is Life! Lol
@@amaii.1948 How do you know thats what shes doing lol. I mean I guess after a few generations of them it should be fine. And they are breed in captivity:)
So just a tip for any one you can use a test tube for water.
1 fill test tube with water
2 push a cotton ball in tube where it is tight. (Try to keep air bubbles to a minimum. Also its a good idea to make certain that it dose not drain from the tube when upside down.)
3 lay tube on its side and be sure the cotton is fully wet.
watch as the crickets drink from the cotton
I use a medicine cup. Same method and they can't drown... It's cool to watch them drink lol
in addition, you can also take a jar get a lid that is slightly bigger than the jar opening place a few cotton pads down in the lid, and secure it with rubber bands or whatever holds it tight to avoid leaking.
I have used this many times in my crickets and mill worm farm it seems to work best for crickets as they don't disturb the cotton pads.
You could use a sponge but I don’t recommend it because I tried it and it grew mould, I don’t think a sponge is necessary if you just feed them food with moisture. You can also use water gel.
Is anyone else so bored in self-isolation that they looked up cricket breeding "just because"? (I enjoyed the video BTW!)
same
Searched because I heard one outside
Besides being bored, very bored I can't find crickets to feed my Chameleon. The pet stores here are out of them.
Im tired of running out of crickets all the time. 2 hungry bearded dragons, I think this is the route I will take. might help me overcome my fear of the creepy bugs. LOL, however I do enjoy the music they make its so soothing.
Need food for my beardies and yes.
I did this and it’s bern very successful it was fairly expensive. I have my crickets breed put the breeding box into the incubator after a week then I immediately feed the breeding crickets to my lizards, frogs, turnantulas, and salamander. After 5 days I put the pin head crickets into the breeding area again empty the top soil into a trash can and repeat the process. Self sustaining breeding!!
Caleb Smith.official that’s great, Caleb. What are you feeding the crickets and what temps are you rearing them?
What size cricket did you use?
@@TheCritterDepot have you made a video breeding turtles
Is it safe feeding your lizard crickets that may be covered in vermiculite?? Or are they strictly for breeding??
6:04 “Am I on yet?” 🦗 😂😂😂
Me spending my days breeding crickets when the world is ending like:
Not a bad thing. Get prepared learning how to make them tasty great skill for the end of the world as we know it
I'm in it for the fishing!
You can eat crickets! ;-) ...the world isn't ending!
I never said it was ending right now!: life as we know it has most certainly changed right now though!
...
I don’t have a lizard why am I here
Austin Pierce to get a lizard
@@phillipharris2831 yes
Just In case you are in short supply at home.
I have a lizard
@@XDxenya i have things that eat lizards
499 crickets after 6:13 when the ninja escapes
Yo im dieing right now
If you dont want escaping crickets do this: Put the crickets in the fridge for a few minutes (around 10 or so). This wont kill them at all, they will just go into dormant (slowing down its movment). then take the box of crickets and put them in the tubs your keeping or breeding them in.
Now I have crickets inside my fridge 🥰 at least they will be crunchy
Or just lower your box into the bigger box. And then get them out. If they escape they escape into your holding bin.
Thank you big smoke
thank you, i needed this as my frogs recently just had babies and this is definetly a cheaper way of getting food then buying tons of crickets.
wow that's great. a proud new parent. we're glad these are helpful. we do have a monthly contest where winners can win a year supply of free crickets. If interested, all you'd have to do is post pictures of your pets, and see if you can get the most critter gold. Here's the link: forum.thecritterdepot.com/
6:14 bye!!!
Master escapest
@@pheonix5487 i wonder how many escaped before that
@@Adam-TheLiftedKing ah so you think they are a group of all master escapists
Fortnite must be erased ZA HANDO
I have absolutely no interest in raising crickets but this was a very interesting and well done video. Thanks for posting it.
@6:10 , a cricket peeked out :D
lol good eye
I have a tarantula
Na he dipped
Alpha Cricket survived
Lmaooooooo he got yeeted hahaha
Thanks for a video that was very informative and to the point and done with a stationary camera!
How not to get runaway crickets = Put the tubs in the bathtub before opening the box and emptying the crickets. Works for me. 😂
Charlie Guppy or you can just pop a small hole in the bag they’re in and they go one by one
Gio G not all crickets come in bags
Great video 👍🏼👍🏼 but I just have one question! How often should I change the vermiculite and soils?
Currently I am doing research on cricket. Your explanation is clear and up to the point. Keep it up
I just won the cricket contest for August. This video is super helpful! I am going to try breeding my own. Thanks for the free crickets! ☺️
6:13 who else saw the cricket jump out???
Thank you. I am glad to know how to do this and especially the time frames involved which are surprisingly quick and the 90 F temperature for hatching.
How do you keep it 90
Great video: followed these steps exactly and found instant and awesome results
Best advise I have seen on raising crickets and I have watched a bunch. Thank you
Such an awesome video! Thank you for the help, I had no idea it was so simple! I can't wait to try this myself!
Thank's for posting this informative video. I have backyard chickens, In the summer months I catch those giant water bugs, the chickens eat them like popcorn. However in the winter there are no bugs in my yard. I usually buy the dry crickets for the winter months but I think there are not much nutrients in them. Your video hands down is the best how to for growing crickets I have seen.
I'm going to do this for my lizard, it really helps, thank you!
Excellent video! Best I’ve seen of how to do the process successfully. Thank you for making it.
Wow that was really all I wanted to know packed in one video! Great job mate
This is awesome, I will have to give it a go, I keep ants and frogs, and I have a good system were if the mealworms or crickets get too big for the frogs, the ants will eat them (ironically, the smaller animal prefers the bigger meal lol).
For fluids for the mealworms I keep, I use the blue watergel things for them, I assume for crickets they are good too.
10:14 I love how you're demonstrating how you're gonna LIFT them up. 😆😆😆
Simple, to the point, thanks. Planning to raise some for my chickens.
I came here coz out of nowhere a cricket was in my room. Turned my lamp off, was about to sleep and this critter started chirping. I have had plants in my room (quite alot) for a little over a year now and i know it is said that plants attract lives. But I have never seen a single cricket before plus, I live in a 27th floor of an apartment.
6:14 your box now has 999 crickets.
First video game reviews... then breeding crickets. THANKS TH-cam
TH-cam be like: Oh the places you’ll go!
Me! But I am a nanny to 2 turtles this Summer & Pet Store never has them. So considered starting a farm. Very detailed info. THANKS SO MUCH!
I did it!! I finally got pinheads!! They are so tiny!! Thanks for the video!!
Extremely informative, Excellent!!
I have an idea for no run away, and a good splitting 50/50 idea :)) Maybe you can have them custom made, or do it yourself. You could package the boxes so theres 2 sections, place a divider in the center, but do not have the divider come all the way to the top, leaving a gap between the top of the divider and the top of box, glue tiny cardboard protruding tabs 2 on each side,all level with the divider, making sure all 4 walls have tabs, tabs only come out far enough to support a top piece of cardboard that will cover the top, almost as if its a ''false bottom'' the top cardboard cover will have 2 holes cut out, one over the center of each chamber, but placed near the edge of box for ease of sliding and moving crickets out of box. you then cut a toilet paper roll in half or as high until you reach the height of the top of the box. These "tunnels" will have a plastic cap, or plastic wrap tie held with rubber band. Essentially you will just have to open the main box send out from you, you will look inside and be presented with a flat piece of cardboard with 2 tunnel systems protruding equally spaces from the edges, with the covers over them. Sides of box still has mesh for breathing. All your customers will have to do is decide to either open both tunnel vents at the top and pour them like a funnel into the container, or they can choose to open one at a time, for placement of 50% into each container. Then either tap the box upside down till they are all out, leave it like that for them to come out in their own time, also this may eliminate any stressors from the travel. Not sure if this works for you, but I would have a funner time doing this if they were not jumping all over the place frantically, I envisioned this after watching your video, I loved it by the way, very informative. Thank you.
Thank you soooooooo much! First vid I watched. Not the last. Super informative and helpful.
I was breeding crix for animals and then ended up breeding them for a research project at the university. This is similar to my process. My steps were:
1. I also used vermiculite as the base and I also used moistened vermiculite in the plastic laying container. Over the laying media, I fit a close fitting layer of wire mesh with a 3-5mm openings. This kept the crix from burrowing into the laying media and making a mess, they simply laid the eggs through the mesh into the damp vermiculite with their ovipositors.
2. I changed out the laying containers every week and stacked the relidded individual weeks in groups so same week hatched together. When I saw pinheads, all that week lays were boxed up together.
3. They were fed cheap fish flakes, chopped carrot and watered using large testtubes stopped with cotton wool.
The project required aged matched cohorts of virgin females and males introduced at different ages so they had to be sorted through into sexes once they developed visible genitalia etc so this was the best way to breed this native species of cricket. I figure this would work for nearly any species though.
Edit: they had egg cartons to hide in too.
Do they need a heat lamp?
@@GeckoTech_Engineer Mine didn’t because i am in the subtropics and was in a heated room. I imagine if you can’t provide some heat in cold areas it may not be very successful.
@@58Kym do the pinheads need vermiculite and a carton?
@@GeckoTech_Engineer The adult females lay the eggs in the damp vermiculite then every week (more or less) take that container out and relid and put in a warm place. It was usually about mmmm. 10days maybe less that they would start hatching, (tell the truth its hard to remember having been a few years) put the containers in a larger container with chopped carrot, fish food, egg carton etc, and let them hatch over the next week. Then discard the vermiculite, clean and refill and reuse for the next laying cycle. Keep the pinheads fed and warmish, with carrot for moisture until you use them up. You will need a few large containers and a few more small ones to keep the cycle going. I use to cut out the middle of the larger lids and glue on insect mesh otherwise the containers get too wet and your young crickets will die and stink.
@58Kym any chance to get a schematic of the test tube feeder rig?
I think keeping insects as pets is neat, and crickets have to be a great candidate. They make sound, hatch as miniature versions of adults(instars), easy to keep track of in their later life stages, and are a delight to observe.
The first species I had, were the usual House Crickets. A long domesticated cricket, with average characteristics and somewhat passive in nature.
But, my favorite would be Banded Crickets. They have come onto the market not too long ago. Their defining features, would be longer antennae, and dark bands around their body and legs. Just as passive as House Crickets, from my time observing them.
Both types can eat dog food, having raised a new generation fully off of dog food and a water tray(basically, a wet paper towel in a reptile bowl to prevent drowning). They grew normally, but, I did observe something noteworthy. These new adults, in contrast to their parents, had more winged individuals.
To clarify, I know males have noise making wings. But, both males and females in this generation had large wings that could enable them flight. Be it the dog food, or, the environment. These dog food raised crickets seemed healthier, and casualties from stress, disease, and cannibalism were minimal, or, nonexistent.
What I hypothesize, is these crickets must be well fed and had little to no nutrient deficiency. I’m not saying the dog food brand was great, but, it shows this generation had a better start than their more, “unfortunate” parents’ start. I believe getting the crickets young, would ensure their development is secured early. Making the likelihood of winged adults almost certain.
I had great interest in bugs and plants from a young age. And, I hope to inspire others to try raising crickets or other bugs for fun, or, to discover any similar physical manifestations that I have.
It is for lizards!
I love ordering from you guys! But my beardie is a growing boy so he eats A LOT of them and sometimes run out. This'll be so much more convient and looks like fun!
Good luck, Mark! Shoot us an email if you have any questions on how to raise them. We do have a monthly contest, where we give away a year supply of free crickets. Entering the contest is free, and is probably easier than raising crickets. Here's where you can learn more about the contest: critterfam.com/forums/topic/win-a-year-supply-of-free-crickets/
Do not use citrus fed crickets for your BD :)
Maybe these are silly questions...but any help is appreciated!
Do you put the lids on the tubs?
How long do crickets live?
@@SuperJmcnabb I do put lids on them, but I drill holes just to give them air! And it varies how long they live. Since my comment I’ve had multiple colonies and they thrive for about a year before I need to get new crickets. I take care of them like pets as crazy as that sounds! But they will last you a while! Big $$$ saver too, hope this helps!
thank you so much!!!!! we have been trying other methods now we are trying yours
this is the prettiest setup ive ever seen
vermiculite is actually really good for planting mediteranian herbs. Its made by subjecting mica (a flakey shiny mineral) to heat in a kiln until it explodes.
Not only that, but after being in the cricket bin, it is very nutrient dense for plants. Or add to your compost bin for a lighter, fluffier mix.
the box of crickets was absolutely horrifying
Archer960 deadass
Archer960 can you use potatoes
Lori Northern yes potato’s are very good for them
yes even a box of 30 or 50 smells and makes me gag and grosses me out.
literally, I wasn't expecting them to be free in there, I thought they would be in some sort of container or bag lmao freaked me out for sure
Thanks for the Awesome pictorial/film/video. I'm gonna give it a try.
This depot is amazing 😉
PLUS free shipping ‼️ WOW!
I have two questions, 1. Why put the egg trays in a different kind of box, why not just an empty rearing tray? 2. How do you harvest the crickets for consumption.
Grab em
A couple more tips for smell control: add baking soda to this substrate & add more air holes to the container
This particular container seemed to not have a lid. So I doubt air holes matter unless you mean for the substrate? Baking Soda is probably for neutralizing the Acid from excrement I reckon?
I heard activated carbon works for odor control
Thank you very informative and straight forward
Thanks for the video. Right to the point and full of info.
6:14 IM FREEEEE!!!!! MUAHAHAHAA
6:05 anyone notice that cricket pop his head out of the box?
Thanks for this. Just the kind of video I was looking for
Great video, I plan on doing this to go fishing with them.
The great escape 6:14
thanks! i’m tired of having to go to the pet store and buying crickets for my toad all the time!
VERY HELPFUL VIDEO!!!
Thank you for sharing ❤. Normally a business would not do this as they would rather you continously buy from them instead of you being able to do for yourself. I have alot of chickens and plan to buy 1k each of crickets, soldier flies, & superworms from you this week so I can try to start breeding my own.
This is so insightful! I buy crickets for my A. avicularia but on average half of the usually 10 crickets I buy at my local petco die within 48 hours. I want to raise crickets so I don’t have to constantly buy them. Amazing video and awesome store!
I had this problem when I first started getting getting crickets and keeping them in a little plastic insect enclosure. Even with keeping fresh carrots available, no matter how many, there'd be no more after a few days. After a while I started including a little piece of egg crate in the same container with fresh carrots kept available, then all of a sudden the cricket started surviving well past 2 days.
Wow this video is awesome man thanks alot bro
anytime son
Great video. You did a great job! Thank you! You are appreciated!
Best video i have seen so far thanks👍🤗
What do you use for a lid to keep them in the tub during this process.
So helpful! I have 150+ tarantulas. So I can really use my own cricket farm.
Hi
150 is insane!!!
Dang bruh is you a breeder or sum cuz you do not need that much
Fantastic video detailed and patient
Thanks for this tutorial! I plan to breed crickets soon, for my tarantulas
Raising crickets is an interesting journey. Let us know if you have any questions. FYI - we do have a monthly contest where we give away a year supply of free feeders. Just post a pic of your tarantula, and if the pic gets the most votes from the community, you can win. Here's where you can read about it: critterfam.com/
In order to supply water, I have been using the same system as ant breeders do ... I use little plastic tubes, and fill them with water, and plug the end with cotton wool. There's always a supply of water without the risk of drowning!
Jessica Aidley the fuckers always find a way to drown
@@imainblastergeb lmao
I just use potatoes or apples
@@whitneybuxton6162 They seem to like pears too!
Yep, the tube and cotton wool, my ants love them, esp if I put sugar in there too lol
using a paintbrush works to move most bugs. i use a brush to move my isopods that are easily squished
utalis47 thanks for the tip!
Never would have thought to use that. Thanks
Whenever my isopods have babies and I need to move them I just plop a stick in there and bingewatch Netflix for a few hours. When I come back all the babbies are hugging the stick and ready to go for a ride and I just plonk that stick in their next container. It's kinda cute actually. I never would have thought to use a brush
Excellent tutorial
Awesome video, I’m on board for my chickens👍
Watching this with headphones made that transfer terrifying. They were in my ear
DatDudeTrent and now they’re in your head muhaha
@@TheCritterDepot Jesus Christ..
@@jakewisbey5712 jEsUs ChRisT shaddap
what would be a great method of monitoring the temperature of your container holding the baby cricket eggs? Are there specific thermometers that you would recommend?
Thank you for this content by the way!
Great info and video. Ty
I have a breaded dragon and my quite young so I don’t buy my crickets, but my parents complain all the time, so I bought a breeding set, some water and food, and 5 boxes of baby crickets! This helped so much! Thanks! 😊
This was really helpful all my crickets kept dying. I have got a red eyed tree frog
TOP TIP: You can't do this with Elephants, I've tried. 😁
Wish someone would have told me
MN Ts 😋
@Asrath Qathreth r/woooosh
Some Random Stuff no ur the r/woooooosh
@@jaketapley7803 r/ihavereddit
Super helpful video - thanks!
I live in an area with hard water with a high PH, so I use water treatment to get rid of the chlorine & a PH reducer to keep it from being toxic to the crickets and my other critters. For moister source which will not drown your pinheads - slices of squash seem to be a win. The pinheads need an egg crate to boot. I save my water beads for the adults crickets and my mealworms. The crickets are actually good with rabbit fodder food, like the Dubai roaches. Thank you for the video, I will see what I can do to start breeding my own. I've heard it is not easy due to how dry we are around here in NV. Here is hoping it works out.
do you COVER your containers while doing all of this? it only shows the inside of containers when you are setting it all up
can you please do a how to video on how to breed and raise dubia roaches? they are by far the best protein for reptiles next to superworms.
Saitama One Punch Man ,there are videos on how to breed roaches,I breed my own and learned from TH-cam,very easy to breed.
Watch exotics lair. He's done a couple of videos on them
Very imformative! Thanks!
I use a microfiber duster (the kind with the dreadlocks, lol) for water distribution. I put it in a dish and soak it every day. The crickets love it. I give them orange slices, too, for a treat.
I have white’s tree frogs. What would I be able to feed the crickets so that they are properly gut loaded for my frogs?
I'm starting breeding mealworms and crickets for breeding for my bearded dragon, and I'm using lettuce for my crickets for their food as well as water, the mealworms will take potatoes and oranges as well for vitamin C for your pet, now for frogs I assume this will work as well
My lizards love crickets!!!
ramon Puerto then don’t be a stranger to our cricket contest. Every month we’re giving away a year supply of free crickets. forum.thecritterdepot.com/forums/topic/win-a-year-supply-of-free-crickets/
this was awesome, very informative. Thank you.
Awesome vid. Thank you for sharing!
Thought the title said chickens, this helps too though.
Any tips on keeping flies away? I’ve tried this before and I had flys and their larvae in my bin 😭
You can try placing a screen over their bin. That would keep them from entering the bin. But a better method would be to have a small desk fan blowing across the bin. Flys will avoid fans because it's difficult for them to maneuver. And just practice good husbandry: clean out dead crickets and finished food products.
take out your trash you filthy pig!
I loved this video. It's very informational and helpful thank you
Great video!! Thank you! Also their website has great information!! Just got my daughter a bearded dragon and I’m a little lost. Thanks guys!