Keep Crickets Alive
Keeping crickets alive can be easy to do if you have the proper tools and know-how. Helping crickets thrive can be an important part of making sure that they live as long as you need them to. Read the following tips to learn how to keep crickets living while under your care.
Steps
- Provide housing with adequate space.
- Find a glass or plastic container to serve as the crickets' habitat. You can use an aquarium, a {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} bucket, or even a garbage can, although this is not advisable.. Use a screen to function as a lid. Good air circulation is necessary for the crickets to thrive. If there are any holes in the lid, cover them in tissue paper. This makes the tank more breathable. Remember that crickets can climb vertically, and are amazing escape artists.
- It's important to give your crickets enough space to live. If you overcrowd the housing apparatus with crickets, you will find that they will literally eat each other. Providing enough space for each cricket to stand comfortably is necessary for their survival.
- Offer your crickets something to perch on or hide in/under. You can use crumpled balls of newspaper, empty egg cartons, or cardboard tubes that have not been treated with dyes or fragrances. You can use old paper towel or toilet paper rolls as cardboard tubes.
- Give your crickets food and a water source. Keep in mind that crickets can drown very easily, so do not put standing water. Instead, wet a paper towel and place it in your enclosure. Or, purchase special water gels/crystals made to satisfy crickets thirst and naturally hydrate them. You can find these in most pet stores.
- Food that has been specially formulated for crickets can be bought at pet stores. However, you can also feed them fish food flakes, dry dog kibble, carrot slices, and oats. You can also try adding cornmeal into the habitat. Buying food for made specifically for crickets has the added advantage of providing your crickets with high amounts of vitamins and nutrients.
- Providing water for crickets can be tricky, since any amount of standing water can be dangerous to crickets. Give your crickets water by dampening sponges or pieces of cotton and placing them into the habitat. Some manufacturers make dry gel crystals that can take care of crickets' water needs.
- Clean the crickets' habitat once a week.
- You must also clean the habitat each time that you want to add more crickets to it.
Tips
- If you are keeping crickets to feed another pet, know that the more protein you feed your crickets, the healthier and more nutritious they will be for your pet.
- Keep your crickets warm and sheltered. Ideally, the crickets habitat should be about 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit, or about 25-30 degrees Celsius. Also, crickets should always be dry and never in rain or direct sunlight.
- When feeding your crickets, try to give them as many options as possible. A varied diet can keep them healthy.
- Keep water and food offerings in a shallow dish that you can regularly take out, clean, and refill.
- When searching for a screen to use on top of the crickets' habitat, look for a screen made out of aluminum. Other materials might be able to be chewed through by the crickets, allowing them to escape.
- When buying or collecting crickets, only take home as many as you plan to use within a few days.
- Use a big jar for them to live in so they feel a little bit free. Also, make sure they can jump in their house.
Warnings
- Check your crickets' habitat for dead crickets on a daily basis. If you find them, take them out of the habitat. Decaying crickets can result in the rest of your cricket population suffering the same fate since decaying crickets are toxic to other crickets.
- Keep your crickets in an area that is not subject to extreme temperatures or direct sunlight. Similarly, you'll want to house your crickets somewhere that is not wet. Putting your crickets under any of these conditions can result in cricket loss.
- Insecticides used in or around your home can negatively affect your crickets.
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