Crickets have been a staple food for many insectivorous herps for years. Crickets are relatively cheap, easily to acquire, and cared for properly, can be an easy to keep, nutrient rich part of your pet’s diet.

Cricket Care Sheet – video of how to take care of crickets, and written care sheet

Storage
Remove the crickets from the shipping box as soon as you get them. Keep the egg crates or partitions from within the shipping boxes to use within your own cricket container. These egg crates provide a climbing area for the crickets, allowing them to spread out, de-stress, and enjoy their new home.  Crickets ½” and larger need to be kept in an 18-20 gallon container that is at least 15″ tall. You’ll need a container that’s slick enough on the inside to prevent the crickets from climbing out. Also, cricketsrequire a good amount of ventilation. If you use plastic tubs or aquariums as a cricket enclosure, don’t use a lid. Remove any potato used in the shipping box. Crickets don’t need bedding material; using it can actually harm their health and life span.

Ideal Temperature
The ideal temperature range is between 70°-75° F. Avoid temperatures above 80° and below 65° F. The cricket container should never be exposed to high humidity, direct sunlight, or cold drafts. Keep the container dry, and provide plenty of ventilation. Crickets shipped during cold weather might arrive looking dead; just release them into the container and allow them 3-4 hours to warm up. Cold temperatures can cause them to become dormant, but a few hours at room temperature usually perks them right up.

Food and Water
Always make fresh Food and Easy Water available in shallow containers. Keep no more than a two-day supply in the container at any time, replacing the supply of food and water every two days. Following this rule will decrease your cricket mortality rate.  Avoid fruits, vegetables, or a bowl of water, which can cause bacteria growth, increased mortality, and a bad smell.

Cleaning
Keeping the cricket container clean will ensure a longer, healthier life for your crickets. To clean the container, remove any dead crickets, shed skins, and waste material. Wash the container out with hot water (you can also use a very mild bleach solution) between cricket shipments. Thoroughly rinse the container and allow it to dry before adding a new batch of crickets. Never expose your crickets or cricket container to any kind of pesticides or cleaning solution other than a mild bleach solution.