Cricket's Diet

Crickets can be found in the wild and kept as pets in households.

Although sometimes seen as pests, crickets are insects that serve important roles in indoor and outdoor environments. In the wild, crickets break down plant material and renew soil minerals, and they can be kept in households as food for exotic pets. If crickets are kept in homes as pets or food for other animals, they need to be properly taken care of and given the correct diet.

Identification

Crickets are insects that can be brown or black and are found in homes, barns and gardens. They are nocturnal insects, and their predators include spiders, wasps, ground beetles, birds, small rodents and lizards. Crickets are most commonly known for the chirping sound they produce by rubbing their forewings together. Different species have their own sound.

Cricket Diet

Crickets are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and meat. Their diet includes fungi, seedling plants, decaying plants, stale bread, poultry mash, cornmeal, powdered dog and cat food, tropical fish flakes, pond fish pellets and rabbit food. Crickets require a high-protein, balanced diet to remain healthy or they will eat each other. To properly feed and care for crickets, food should be placed in a small shallow plastic dish that is cleaned regularly to prevent mold and maintain cleanliness.

Crickets and Water

Crickets should also be given fresh water. The easiest way to do that is to soak a cotton ball or small sponge in water and place it in a small water dish. Another viable option for providing water to crickets is water gel crystals. Cricket water dishes and sponges should be cleaned or replaced weekly to prevent odors. Also, no standing water should be left in your cricket's water dish, as crickets can drown easily.

Habitats

To keep crickets healthy, their habitats should be kept clean and dry. They should be housed in a container that will provide them adequate space, such as a glass aquarium, wide-mouth jar, large plastic container or 5-gallon bucket; overcrowding is a cause for cricket deaths. The container should be covered with an aluminum screen. Crickets prefer temperatures of 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Uses

Crickets can be kept as pets or used as live food for lizards and other amphibians, and crickets make great food for small birds. To kill crickets humanely for bird food, it is recommended that you place them in a freezer.

References

• New York Worms: Cricket Care and Feeding
• University of Arizona Center for Insect Science: Cricket Information