The Ultimate Guide to Raising Crickets for Reptile Food Breeding your own feeder insects is the best way to save money and ensure high-quality nutrition for your reptiles. Crickets are an excellent staple diet for bearded dragons, leopards geckos, and many other insect-eating pets.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through setting up, maintaining, and harvesting a productive cricket colony. Why Raise Your Own Crickets?
Cost Efficiency: Buying crickets weekly gets expensive; breeding them costs pennies per generation.
Nutritional Control: You control exactly what your crickets eat, which directly benefits your reptiles through gut-loading.
Constant Supply: You will never run out of the right-sized feeders for your pets. 1. Setting Up the Habitat
A proper enclosure keeps your colony secure, clean, and odor-free. The Enclosure
Use a large plastic storage bin (at least 60–80 liters) with smooth walls to prevent crickets from climbing out. Ventilation is Critical
Crickets need excellent airflow to prevent moisture buildup, which causes deadly mold and bacteria. Cut a large opening in the bin lid.
Hot-glue a fine aluminum or stainless steel insect screen over the opening. Do not use fiberglass or plastic mesh, as crickets can chew through it. Interior Structures
Crickets need vertical surface area to feel safe and avoid overcrowding. Fill the bin with clean, cardboard egg crates stacked vertically. Vertical stacking allows waste to drop to the bottom, keeping the living space clean. 2. Environment and Climate Control
Crickets are tropical insects that require specific temperature and humidity ranges to thrive and reproduce.
Temperature: Keep the colony between 29°C and 32°C (85°F to 90°F). Lower temperatures slow down growth and stop breeding. Use a ceramic heat emitter or an under-tank heating pad hooked up to a thermostat.
Humidity: Maintain low humidity (around 40-50%) in the main bin. High humidity triggers die-offs and foul odors. 3. Feeding and Hydration A healthy reptile starts with a healthy feeder insect.
Provide a dry, high-protein diet at all times. Excellent options include: Commercial cricket chow Wheat bran or oats High-quality dry cat or dog food (ground into powder) Calcium powder supplements
Never place an open dish of water in the bin. Crickets drown easily, and open water spikes the humidity. Instead, use: Water gel crystals A saturated cotton ball or sponge in a shallow dish
Fresh slices of carrots, squash, or potatoes (remove uneaten pieces within 24 hours to prevent mold) 4. The Breeding Process
To get a continuous cycle of baby crickets (pinheads), you must provide a dedicated space for females to lay eggs. Identifying Adults
Adult crickets have fully developed wings and make chirping sounds. Females are easily identified by a long, spear-like tube extending from their rear, called an ovipositor. They use this tube to inject eggs into the dirt. The Laying Box
Place a small, shallow plastic container filled with moist, organic potting soil or coco coir into the bin. Ensure the soil is damp but not soggy.
Place a piece of plastic mesh over the soil. This allows the females to stick their ovipositors into the dirt but prevents the crickets from digging up and eating the eggs. 5. Incubation and Hatching Leave the laying box in the adult bin for 4 to 7 days. Remove the box and replace it with a fresh one.
Move the egg-filled box into a separate, smaller “incubator” bin equipped with its own heat source (kept at roughly 29°C/85°F).
Lightly mist the soil every couple of days to keep it barely damp. Do not let it dry out.
In 7 to 14 days, hundreds of tiny pinhead crickets will emerge. 6. Colony Maintenance and Cleaning
Regular upkeep prevents odors and diseases from wiping out your colony.
Weekly Cleaning: Remove dead crickets, shed skins, and frass (cricket poop) from the bottom of the bin. A hand-held vacuum or dustpan works well.
Rotate Egg Crates: Replace soiled or sagging cardboard egg crates every few months.
Keep It Dry: Ensure food dishes stay dry. If food gets wet, remove it immediately to stop mold growth. If you want to optimize your setup, let me know: What species of reptile are you feeding? How many reptiles do you need to feed regularly?
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