{"id":7628,"date":"2022-05-06T13:33:19","date_gmt":"2022-05-06T13:33:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keepingbugs.com\/?p=7628"},"modified":"2022-05-06T16:08:03","modified_gmt":"2022-05-06T16:08:03","slug":"keep-feeder-crickets-alive-much-longer-with-3-simple-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keepingbugs.com\/keep-feeder-crickets-alive-much-longer-with-3-simple-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"Keep Feeder Crickets Alive Much Longer [With 3 Simple Steps]"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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So you bought a box full of feeder crickets at the pet store or online breeder to feed your pet animals. But, by the time you want to feed them some of the crickets died already. And within a few days, the rest of them died as well. This happens to many keepers that want to start feeding crickets (and for almost any feeder insect for that matter). Now, let me tell you three simple steps to keep your feeder crickets alive much longer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To keep crickets alive much longer you need to provide moist food so they can rehydrate as soon as possible, keep them in a bigger container than the transport box and feed them with other healthy food. Optimize and provide a clean environment and avoid overpopulation<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we will focus on how to house crickets before feeding them. It is just a matter of some small changes that keep them healthy and make them live much longer. If you found this article but you want to breed your own crickets, I recommend you to read this breeding guide for feeder crickets<\/a>. It is packed with tips and tricks on how you can make the perfect breeding setup. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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#1 Rehydrate your crickets right away<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the first things you should do when you bought or received new crickets from the store is hydrate them. Imagine that they don’t have any water source since they left the cricket breeder. They are kept dry in a box and it may take up to two weeks from the breeder to your home. Most time your crickets are completely dehydrated and without a source for water, they will die within a few days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dehydration is the number one reason your crickets die sooner than you can feed them. So you’ll need to provide a water source right away when you have them home. The best way is to provide moist food such as banana peels, an orange slice or a piece of apple. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t place a water bowl or bottle cap filled with water in the container. Crickets can’t swim and although attracted to the water will quickly drown, especially the smaller ones. Don’t spray the cricket enclosure either. They need a dry environment and spraying makes the container pretty wet which is unhealthy and bad for crickets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have moist food in the container at all times so your crickets are kept well hydrated. With this simple little trick, your crickets will survive already much longer. However, you can improve their well being even further. Let’s talk about tip #2. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Keeping your crickets hydrated is the number one way to keep them alive longer before feeding them to other animals.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#2 House your crickets in a bigger tank<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The second thing you should do, especially when you don’t feed them all within 5 days, is place them in a bigger container. Now I always recommend placing them in a bigger container because they just stay better that way and for you, it is much easier to work with them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second cause that reduces feeder cricket lives is overpopulation \u2014 or in other words too many crickets on a small surface. On one hand, you can place them in a larger box. So-called ‘Faunariums’ work really well to keep crickets. The one that I personally recommend is Lee’s Kritter Keeper<\/a> that you can quickly order on Amazon<\/a>. They just work perfectly and are not that expensive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the size of the container, the general rule of thumb is that you have at least 1 gallon for every 100 crickets. However, I personally go bigger to make sure overpopulation is not an issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You could also use plastic storage containers with semi-transparent smooth walls and a lid that closes off perfectly without space for them to escape. But keep in mind that crickets need good ventilation and you have to make some ventilation holes and cover them with a fine metal screen mesh. Without proper ventilation, they won’t survive for long. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, it is best to increase the surface space in the container. Use some paper toilet rolls, folded cartons, egg boxes or egg flats to increase the surface area for them to crawl away. They like dark spaces and with a lot of shelters, it is less likely overpopulation within the container results in problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Avoid using ‘cricket keepers’ or ‘cricket pens’. <\/strong>On first hand they look easy and perfect to use, but after a while you find out that those tubes mounted in the container is not working well. Crickets tend to all crawl in these tubes where the furthest crickets don’t have much ventilation and can’t access food easily. You actually create mini overpopulated areas. Besides that, crickets are cannibalistic and when they don’t have easy access to food in combination with overcrowded areas they tend to eat each other. <\/div>