Keeping crickets for your reptile or amphibian is a great way to provide them with an alternate food source. But, you may not be able to find crickets all the time, and storing them can be a bit challenging. Crickets won’t last long in a normal aquarium or terrarium because they have a tendency to escape and hide everywhere. There are special cricket containers available on the market, but if you don’t have one at hand, you will need to improvise with things you probably already have around the house. Crickets require very little space and almost no maintenance, which means that it is easy to keep them in your home as long as you know how to store them effectively. Here are some tips that will help you keep crickets for your reptiles successfully until their next feeding session.
How To Store Crickets For Reptiles?
1. Store Crickets in a Dry Place
The first thing you need to do is to ensure that your crickets are stored in a dry place. If you don’t do this, they will die very soon, and it will be very difficult for you to find them. They are fragile creatures, so the slightest moisture can kill them. Therefore, it is essential that you store your crickets in a dry place where there is no humidity at all. If you have some paper cups or plastic bottles that would hold crickets, these can work just fine. But if you don’t have any containers at hand, make sure to use something else like cardboard boxes or paper bags that are completely empty and free of any moisture at all.
2. Keep Crickets away from Moisture
The next thing you need to do is to keep your crickets away from any moisture whatsoever around the house or anywhere else where they might find themselves. Moisture will cause mold and fungus growth on them which will make them rot very quickly and die shortly after that. So try not to keep your crickets near any water source, such as buckets of water or ponds if possible as this can result in their death. Keep the area around your cricket container dry at all times so that the crickets won’t be affected by any moisture or humidity at all while they are there being stored for later use when needed by your reptile pets (or amphibians).
3. Use a Cricket Cage
If you have no cardboard, plastic bottles, or paper cups at hand, you will need to improvise with something else. You can use any small cage that is completely empty and free of any moisture at all but make sure it is big enough for your crickets to be able to move freely around. If they can’t move around much, they will be uncomfortable and might even die from stress. So try not to use a small cage if possible as this can result in their death as well.
4. Store Crickets in an Air Tight Container
The next thing you need to do is to store your crickets in an air-tight container that has been properly sealed and won’t let any moisture enter it. As mentioned before, moisture will cause mold and fungus growth on the crickets which will make them rot very quickly and die shortly after that. Therefore, try not to store the crickets in anything that is not air-tight, or else they might die from mold or fungus growth inside them which would be very difficult for you to find out because it can happen inside the container itself without anyone noticing it (or even knowing what happened). Try using a glass jar with a lid if possible so that there are no openings where water could get into your cricket container; otherwise, this can also kill them very quickly after being stored inside the glass jar for a few days.
5. Keep Crickets Cool at All Times
Another thing that you need to do is to keep your cricket container at a temperature of no higher than 70 degrees Fahrenheit all the time. If possible, try to keep it as cool as possible so that the crickets don’t get too hot, or else they will die very quickly due to heat stress.
6. Feed Crickets on a Regular Basis
Feeding your crickets on a regular basis is very important for their health and well-being. A cricket cage can only hold so many crickets before it starts to become overcrowded and affects their health in some way or another. So if you don’t want this to happen, try feeding your crickets every other day or even twice a week instead of feeding them every day because this will help keep them healthy and happy without any problems at all. As mentioned before, if you feed them too much they will die due to their high metabolic rate which is needed for their bodies to grow at an accelerated rate and also help them reproduce faster when they are in good health and well-being (and not being overfed).
Cardboard Box
- Cut a piece of a cardboard box so that it fits tightly in the container.
- Place the crickets inside the box and close it tight. The crickets will be able to move around, but they will not be able to escape easily.
- Put the cardboard box in a place where you can easily access it without having to open the container all the time. You can put them on your desk or a kitchen table, for example, or even if you want, you can put them somewhere else in your house and check on them from time to time.
- If you need to feed your pet often, make sure that you take enough boxes with you so that your pet always has some fresh food available for him/her to eat!
Aquarium Tank
- If you have an aquarium, you can use it for storing crickets. If you don’t have a tank, you can use a large plastic bowl or container. Just make sure it is not too deep for the crickets to hide in. You can also cover the lid of your container with something like tissue paper or an old towel to be sure that they can’t escape.
- Put some cricket food in the container and make sure that they are not disturbed while they eat their food. If they do not find their food source soon enough, they will become hungry and may even die of hunger.
- Keep the container in a place where your reptile or amphibian cannot access it as much as possible because if he tries to get inside, he may end up eating your insects and causing problems with his digestion system and health overall.
- If you want to keep the crickets in a container without putting them in water, you can cover the container with some plastic wrap so that they cannot escape.
Fly Cup Or Bowl
- Start by placing your cricket container inside of a fly cup or bowl. The fly cup works best because it is at an angle and can accommodate a good amount of crickets without them escaping. The downside to using the fly cup is that you need to remove the lid from the bowl every once in a while so that the crickets can escape.
- In order to keep your crickets, you will need to feed them every day or two, depending on how many you have in your container. This also depends on how much they are eating, so it is important that you give them enough food at each feeding session.
- You will then need to place some water in the bottom of your container and cover it with a lid or screen lid to prevent any insects from escaping.
- Some people have reported using plastic wrap, but I would only recommend this method if you are having trouble keeping crickets for your reptile because plastic tends to trap insects inside of it and make it difficult for them to escape.
Conclusion
Crickets are a great food source for many reptiles and amphibians, but it can be challenging to find them at all times of the year. Keeping crickets at home is an easy way to ensure you have always had them available. Crickets don’t require much space or care, but you have to make sure you store them properly. Crickets are sensitive to light and sudden changes in temperature and humidity. This means that you have to choose an appropriate container and protect it from these elements.
