How to keep feeder crickets so they live longer
Container, temperature, food and water — simple rules that keep crickets alive for weeks and make them a better meal for your reptile.
Container
Move the crickets out of the transport box as soon as you get home — it quickly becomes cramped and stuffy. A plastic box or faunarium with good ventilation is enough: a mesh lid or a few holes. Lack of airflow is the most common reason crickets die.
Put egg cartons or rolled-up cardboard inside. The crickets get places to hide and more surface area, so they are less crowded and bite each other less. Don't overfill the container — the more space, the fewer losses.
Temperature
Crickets do best at 22–28°C. In the cold (below about 18°C) they weaken and die, and in heat or direct sun they dry out quickly. Don't keep them in the fridge or next to a radiator.
What to feed crickets
Above all, crickets need protein — without it they start eating each other. Good options are:
- crushed fish flakes or dog kibble,
- oat flakes or bran,
- spirulina.
Add vegetables and fruit — for example carrot and courgette, and apple or banana. Avoid citrus fruit (too acidic) as well as onion and garlic. Replace them daily, before they go mouldy.
If you want the crickets to be even more nutritious for your reptile, you can give them a ready-made gut-loading mix 1–2 days before feeding.
Water
A water dish is a bad idea — crickets drown in it and wet substrate quickly rots. They get most of their water from fresh vegetables and fruit, mentioned above.
When you keep a lot of crickets or keep them longer, a water gel is a convenient extra — they drink from it without any risk of drowning.
Cleaning and feeding time
Remove dead crickets and leftover food every day — decaying leftovers and ammonia quickly harm the rest. The container should stay dry; if it gets damp or starts to smell, move the crickets to a clean one.
Right before feeding, dust the crickets with calcium — especially important for young reptiles and females.
Common mistakes
- leaving the crickets in the transport box,
- a water dish or wet substrate,
- too cold a spot and too many insects in one container,
- no protein in the crickets' diet,
- not removing dead crickets.