Raising crickets
1 Sept 03
I start with about 3 doz. adult crickets from the local pet store. I set them up in a 2 1/2 gallon aquarium with some torn up egg cartons and a dish with some fish food and some cotton-balls soaked in water. I put a regular light bulb,60 watt, over their tanks so they are in the 80-90 degree range. I have some small Ziplock containers, they are used for jello for kid's lunch or something, and in them I add a chunk of bed a beast to it and add some ro water to it. When it has expanded, take out enough so the container is about 2/3rds full. I add it to the crickets and it seems the really get after it. I have had the containers to the point that you couldn't squeeze another cricket into it. When I can see there are a lot of eggs in the containers I put the lid on them and punch some holes into it and date it then put them in a place that gets to 85-90 degrees, actually close to the light over my leopard geckos tank. In about 2 weeks, I try to check it after about 1 1/2 weeks, you will start to see them hatching and then I put the whole container into a plastic shoebox with some egg carton material. They can dry out quickly so I don't put any holes in the top of the shoebox. Once I see they have all about hatched I either start feeding them right away to my thumbnails and small froglets or raise them with the same foods for the adults for a week and feed them to my adult frogs. This method doesn't raise a lot of them, maybe 200 or so, but they are a good food for them and are a break from the usual fruit flies I feed mine. The adults that have laid will die soon after so I feed mine to my geckos and bearded dragon so I get 2 uses out of them.
Mark Wilson
_______from the notes and contributions of Frognet Patrons_______