Basic rules for breeding crickets at home

The content of exotic animals already surprise anyone. Some lovers of fauna chose cricket breeding at home as their hobby. Surprisingly, back in the 12th century, the Chinese grew up in the cages of these creatures in order to listen to their melodious chirping and to arrange fights between males. Today the situation is a bit more prosaic: feed crickets are often bred for feeding reptiles, spiders, and amphibians. But there are lovers who breed insects "for the soul" and their trills.

Types of crickets and creating the necessary conditions for them

The success of breeding crickets depends on how successfully the conditions have been created and the content organized. Insects should receive enough nutrition and be in an environment close to their natural habitat. In this case, we can expect that crickets will lead an active lifestyle and increase their population. If the conditions are not suitable, then the pets can completely kill each other.

Ideally suited for home content:

1. House crickets are the most common in captivity. They are small in size and are often bred for food. With the onset of the evening and until the morning they can make voiced trills.
2. Banana The species is distinguished by a high breeding rate and a love of heat.
3. Two-spotted. A dry microclimate and a relatively low air temperature are suitable for them: 23 ° C for insects will be quite enough.

The content of crickets implies attention to the characteristics of each species. But there are general recommendations that are universal in any situation.

Over time, a person involved in the breeding of crickets at home can draw conclusions and derive their own rules based on experience and observation.

Container

First of all, you need to take care of a container for growing crickets. The role of the insectarium can be performed by any capacity made of plastic, glass and particleboard. The main thing is that its area is at least 60 × 40 cm, and its height is more than 30 cm. In this space, insects will feel comfortable.

People who know firsthand how to breed crickets at home are advised to lay boxes with cells intended for eggs on top of each other in a cage. This trick increases the usable area, and the number of pets will increase. In addition, the cells remind crickets of the hole - shelters that they dig in life in the wild. For young individuals recently born, crumpled paper is suitable. Dry fish food mixed with oatmeal, peat, sand, bran is suitable as a soil. But you can not pour it.

You need to clean the cage at least 1 time per week. Dirt and waste products of crickets inhibit reproduction and are a substrate for parasitic ticks.

To illuminate the container using incandescent lamps with a power of 25 to 40 watts. They will not only create light, but also be a source of heat. For the successful existence of crickets, a 16-hour light day is sufficient.

Microclimate

A microclimate suitable for crickets consists of two important indicators:

1. The optimum temperature depends on the species.For example, a thermophilic banana cricket feels good when it is above 26 ° C, although it is preferable for it to be from 28 ° C to 37 ° C. For brownie and two-spot crickets, temperatures from 23 ° C are suitable. The higher the air temperature, the better the health of stray pets and their growth is more intense. But at the same time, they need more feed and a more frequent change of litter.
2. Humidity should be at least 40-50%. This value is especially important for cricket eggs, which in dry soil can simply die. Therefore, the substrate with the masonry should be constantly moistened. If the humidity is too high, then insects will get ticks, and this will mean the possible death of crickets.

Once suitable conditions are created, the first tenants can be launched into the container.

Feeding crickets

In the wild, cricket feeds on plant pieces, small insects, dead arthropods. Some individuals do not disdain cannibalism and the ruin of the clutches of their relatives. But how to feed crickets at home?

When kept in captivity, crickets use the following as feed:

• finely chopped vegetables and fruits;
• greens, tops, leaves of burdock and dandelion;
• milk in the form of a powder, including infant formula;
• oatmeal and bran;
• food for cats and dogs;
• boiled chicken egg;
• boiled lean meat.

A very important component of the diet of crickets is protein. If it is not enough, then the insects will begin to eat each other. Females that eat only plant foods lay eggs, which will soon die. And the lifespan of adults will be much shorter. Therefore, it is necessary to add fishmeal, egg white and gammarus, used to feed aquarium fish.

Dry feed must be freely available at all times. Wet foods are recommended to be given in portions, 1-2 times a day. This will help avoid rotting and breeding bacteria.

How to water crickets? Some experts offer to put a drinking bowl, but this is not entirely safe: young individuals drown in them, females lay their eggs, and turning it over is quite simple. Another option - spraying one angle from the spray gun - entails a steady increase in humidity, and, as a result, the appearance of mites. Therefore, in order to save yourself from problems, you just need to give enough juicy and moist food, forgetting about drinking bowls and spraying. But we must not forget: a lack of moisture will lead to death or cannibalism.

Breeding

Reproduction of crickets occurs when the insects create comfortable conditions and an abundance of food. In a population of 1 male, there must be at least 4 females, otherwise mortal struggles and deafening cracking are guaranteed. A small container (depth 4 cm) is placed in the container, into which moist peat, sand or plain earth is placed. Soon, females will lay their eggs here. To avoid the ruin of masonry by males, this container should be covered with a fine mesh or strainer. Soon larvae will appear, which in a few links will become adults.

Breeding crickets at home is a fairly simple task. The main thing is to create suitable conditions - temperature, humidity and refreshment, and then give pets the necessary amount of food: dry and wet. Females are rather undemanding to the conditions, so very soon the population will begin to grow rapidly.