Breeding adult crickets
Step1
Purchase or catch two dozen male and female crickets each. Female crickets have long egg-laying tubes, making them a bit longer than male crickets.
Step2
Place an old aquarium in a warm place (75-80 degrees F,) and cover the top with screen wire. Place the bottom portion of cardboard egg cartons in the cage.
Step3
Stack a few cartons, if possible, depending on the size of the cage and the number of crickets. This will give the crickets a place to hide and rest.
Step4
Cut an "X" in the lid of a yogurt container, and feed a piece of cheesecloth through the "X" to act as a wick for water from which the crickets will drink.
Step5
Fill the yogurt container with water, making sure the wick is touching the bottom, and replace the lid. Then put the yogurt container into the cage.
Step6
Place a breeding dish, or a one-pint plastic tub filled with 2 to 3 inches of damp sand, in the box. The female will lay her eggs in the sand.
Step7
Place 1/4 cup of dog, cat or rabbit food, or a few fresh vegetable scraps in a lid in the aquarium. Feed them only what they will eat in a couple of days.
Step8
Place adult crickets in the cage, and keep the cage covered with screen wire.
Caring for Baby Crickets
Step1
Remove the breeding dish from the aquarium after four to seven days.
Step2
Place a lid on the breeding dish and keep it warm (between 80-90 degrees F) by placing it on a heating pad to maintain a constant temperature.
Step3
Know that pinhead crickets will begin to hatch in 7 to 10 days.
Step4
Place the dish in a small, covered box about 16 x 8 x 4 inches when crickets start hatching. Make sure to punch holes in the box for ventilation.
Step5
Keep the lid on the breeding dish inside the box, but leave a small crack so the baby crickets can get out and the sand won't dry out.
Step6
Place a few small sections of the bottom of a cardboard egg carton, a jar lid full of food (same as that for adults), and a jar lid with cotton soaked in water in the box after all eggs have hatched.
Step7
Remove the breeding dish after the crickets have stoped hatching. Discard the sand or nesting material.
Step8
Leave the baby crickets in the small box until they're about a 1/4 inch in size. Then move them to the adult aquarium.
Comments
irishscott said
on 8/28/2007 great article and easy instructions
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 Crickets make a good source of food for certain types of toads. My science teacher raises crickets for his toads the way it is described here.