How to Breed Crickets for Lizards

How to Breed Crickets for Lizards. If you own a reptile that eats crickets, you usually have to go to the pet supply store each week and purchase some. It can get to be a nuisance and if you have many pets to feed, you might fare better with a home supply of crickets. Once you get your cricket farm started, you should have a constant supply of crickets available to you. Alternately, you can raise crickets in your home to sell to other people with pets, or to the pet store.

Things Needed

• Heating pad
• Large plastic tub
• Approximately five egg cartons
• 2 empty margarine containers
• Cotton balls
• 2 pieces of cardboard, approximately 1 inch by 2 inches
• Small plastic container
• Dirt
• Cricket food or cat food with cut-up vegetables
• 50 crickets

Step 1

Place a heating pad on top of the area where you plan to keep your cricket farm. It could be on the floor if you don't have small children and pets, or you can place it on a table. Place a large plastic tub on top of the heating pad for the cricket habitat.

Step 2

Place about five egg carton bottoms vertically in the container. Stand them up on their sides, standing next to each other in a row. The crickets will use the egg pockets for homes.

Step 3

Fill a small margarine tub with cotton balls and pour water onto them so they are soaked. This will allow the crickets to drink water without drowning. Place this tub into the cricket habitat. Place a strong piece of cardboard leading up to the top of the margarine container from the floor of the habitat so the baby crickets can walk up and drink the water.

Step 4

Place soil from outside into a medium-sized plastic container about the size of a plastic sandwich holder. Put this in the habitat for the crickets to lay eggs in.

Step 5

Place commercially prepared cricket food into another margarine dish, or use cat food along with some chopped green vegetables. Put the container into the habitat and place another ramp so the baby crickets can get to the food.

Step 6

Place at least 50 crickets into your container. They will naturally breed within a few weeks. Keep the food and water fresh, changing it daily.

Warnings

• Apple slices also give crickets water.

Warnings

• Crickets should be kept at a temperature of around 88 degrees.
• Crickets will make a good deal of noise so consider this before you choose a location for your breeding environment.

References

• Miami University; Breeding and Raising the House Cricket; Ian Hallett;
• Sky Lab; Raising Crickets; Jeff Mucha
• WormMan's Worm Farm; Live Cricket Care, Breeding and Feeding