cricket husbandry

Discussion in 'Feeder Forum' started by btcowboy, Mar 30, 2006.

  1. btcowboy

    btcowboy Member

    Messages:
    267
    Hi I order my crickets in bulk 1000 every two weeks. I keep them in a big rubbermaid tub with vents. My dragon was just diagnosed with eggs of some sort and 3 types of protazoan in his poop. I have been told that maybe my cricket husbandry is the reason for this. Any suggestions on keeping my crickets and avoiding a repeat of the parasites.
     
  2. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

    Messages:
    5,483
     
  3. shrap

    shrap ReptileBoards Addict

    Messages:
    5,002
    Just clean the tub every other day. You do not need to scrub it, but remove all sheds, poop and dead crickets. If you are using a large enough container it is easy to do. Here is my tub:

    [​IMG]

    All I do is remove everything (egg crates, food/water dishes) from the tub except the crickets. I will then lift up on one end and make a slide basically to get everything (crix, sheds, waste, deads, etc) down to the other end. I will then replace the egg crates on the clean end an walk away for about 15 minutes so all (95% anyway) of the live crix will migrate back to the egg crates. That just leaves all waste down at one end. I use a small hand held broom and a undersized dust pan to sweep the waste up. Done.

    In between each shipment I do completely clean the tub with soap and water and Nolvasan and replace the egg crates and completely clean the food and water dishes.
     
  4. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

    Messages:
    5,483
     
  5. Dragon_Girl

    Dragon_Girl Member

    Messages:
    257
    wow, i clean mine every wk. but i dun walk away. i nock all the crick off the egg crates, and then dump them all to one end and slightly tilt the container into a smaller container. so only the live ones slide down into the smaller one. some times i have to nudge some with my finger to get them going then i dumb whats left into the trash and rinse and wash the container. then put every thing back clean and fresh food and water jell. clean egg crates and clean container. my container has no top. its a big 66 quart container. no need, they cant jump out.
     
  6. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

    Messages:
    5,483
     
  7. btcowboy

    btcowboy Member

    Messages:
    267
    Thanks we will give that a try
     
  8. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

    Messages:
    5,483
     
  9. james_sherlock

    james_sherlock New Member

    Messages:
    126
    hi i have just bought like a big container, like a rubbermaid, and i was wondering what air vents i should need and basically how i should prepare my cricket house and what should go in it
     
  10. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

    Messages:
    5,483
     
  11. csangel

    csangel New Member

    Messages:
    72
    how do you get the crickets out of there to feed to your dragon?
     
  12. btcowboy

    btcowboy Member

    Messages:
    267
    I use a ziplock baggie. I pick up an egg crate full of crix and shake it out into the baggie. This way there are no escapee crix. Then dust them in the baggie, pretty easy.
     
  13. Klare88

    Klare88 New Member

    Messages:
    127
    How much of a better deal do you get online then just at a petstore?
     
  14. btcowboy

    btcowboy Member

    Messages:
    267
    I get 1000 crickets for 32.00 incl tax ordering bulk. As opposed to 10 cents a cricket which would be 100 dollars at a petstore. Looks like no question
     
  15. Liquid_Squelch

    Liquid_Squelch New Member

    Messages:
    169
    I was looking for a thread just like this...... I just got my first bulk order of crickets in. (1000 1/2") I was going to the local shop and getting 100 crix every two days. No problem keeping them in a cricket hut. Now I have a big Tupperware container, with a bunch of holes cut in top for vent. I throw green scraps in from the iguana and BD, a sliced up potato, and water gel.

    My tank is a mess, and it hasn't even been a week yet. The entire bottom is covered in waste. All the egg crates are covered. Obviously, it stinks.

    I wiped down the tank last night (disgusting), but I feel it was not enough, and a waste (no pun) of time. I don't want to put paper towels on the bottom of the bin, since the crix will obviously just use it as a hide, and not for bedding....

    Can I use regular egg (for real eggs) crates to replace the dirty and soggy crates that came with the crickets?? I've also been throwing in the cardboard centers of paper towels and toilet paper for the crix to hide in. Also known as "doo-da-doooos"..which would be the sound you'd make with them if you put them up to your mouth like a horn :roll:
    I'm pretty happy though, so far, everything is alive. I don't have any shells or deceased. Just a whole lot of waste...and stink.

    I was going to pick up a second bin, and just dump all of the crickets into the 2nd bin, and just keep replacing bins every few days.... but i like SHRAP's method..

    Any assistance? I can't even put my hands in that tank with out getting poo all over them... I'm actually embarrassed to be sharing this.

    Thanks
     
  16. Cira

    Cira Member

    Messages:
    971
    You definetly want to keep your cricket bin as clean as you possibly can. You need to be taking as good care of your crix as you do your reptiles. The health of the feeders directly effects the health of your reptiles.

    If the bin is that bad, you may want to get a second bin, transfer all the crix to the second bin, and completely scrub the first bin. It sounds like you have a big mess at the moment. Sort of 'starting over' would probably be a good thing to do at this point.
     
  17. Sassy_Tiva

    Sassy_Tiva New Member

    Messages:
    186
    What size tub do you reccomend for 1000 crickets?
     
  18. jayhay

    jayhay Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    2,884
    I personally find that the bigger the bin, the easier the clean up and the less the "gooey mess" lol. I have used smaller bins in the past, and in a day or two, it is chaos. I am currently using a bin that is like 3 feet long by about 2 feet wide, and it is great. I buy between 100-500 crix at a time. I change the eggs cartons every week, and I use the tip method Shrap does, but I use an old car vaccume to suck the yuckies up.
     
  19. Sassy_Tiva

    Sassy_Tiva New Member

    Messages:
    186
    hummmm yeah cuase i usually buy 1000 2-3 week old crickets about once a month....I was keeping them in a 10 gallon and I'm thinking that was way to small - worked when I was ordering 500 LOL Anyway I really want to try to make the crickets happy.....well as much as I can and I don't want to get a bin that's to short....so should I go 2' tall?

    Thanks!
     
  20. jayhay

    jayhay Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    2,884
    Re: RE: cricket husbandry

    Then maybe you really shouldn't be feeding them by the hundred to the hungry beardie! LOL, k, I had to say that!

    Mine is about 1 1/2' high, and it works just fine.
     
  21. Sassy_Tiva

    Sassy_Tiva New Member

    Messages:
    186
    RE: Re: RE: cricket husbandry

    I order 1000 because I have 3 adults and 1-3 mo. old male :0) Thanks for letting me know the height though :0)
     
  22. CheriS

    CheriS Is well known here

    Messages:
    3,324
    RE: Re: RE: cricket husbandry

    Please note, depending on where the crickets come from, they can have not only gram negative and gram psotive bacteria on them when they arrive to you, but also mold and fungus.

    We and some other breeders had crickets tested at IDEXX labs and what was found on some of the companies crickets, was really upsetting.... the pet stores tested was nothing short of disgusting!

    Of about a dozen tested that I know of now, only 4 companies crickets were clean of any bacteria or fungus/mold. one company was so bad it had 4 gram neg bacteria, 1 gram positive and a mold fungus that can be deadly over time as it builds to toxic levels in the reptiles that eat the crickets carrying it (it does not bother the crickets)

    We only use ArmstrongCrickets.com or ArmstrongCricket.com or Reptilefood.com now and you can but 1000 for $18 or under shipped
    [​IMG]

    You can use a screen top or superglue screen into a cut out top
     
  23. Sassy_Tiva

    Sassy_Tiva New Member

    Messages:
    186
    RE: Re: RE: cricket husbandry

    LOL yeah - I went out and bought 2 tubs and I didn't know - wasn't told that the crickets could climb the tubs..I freaked out.....so I ended up dumping them into a 36" tank....oh well - I at lease tried the tub thing.

    I get my crickets from american cricketranch.com and they seem very healthy....anyone had bad experiences with their crickets? I had ordered from Bassets Cricket Ranch one time and that was a horriable experience - gross crickets and very poor customer service.
     
  24. CheriS

    CheriS Is well known here

    Messages:
    3,324
    RE: Re: RE: cricket husbandry

    We want our crickets climbing the side, that is where they go when we clean them. Just add some clean plactic packing tape as a border around the top, about 4 inches down and they can not clmb up it or jump from the side

    the tub above is a rubber maid and the sides are scratched to they do climb, the the last 3 or so inches is smooth
     
  25. Sassy_Tiva

    Sassy_Tiva New Member

    Messages:
    186
    RE: Re: RE: cricket husbandry

    ahhhh - I see - Well I guess I need to get some packing tape......or just keep them in the tank they are in.....seems like the bigger tank is easier to keep clean..... thanks for the info!
     

Share This Page