My "Criketarium" - Cheap rubber made.

Cpt.nemO

Arachnobaron
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Hey ya all checkout my cricket farm. It was made inside a very cheap rubber made like 10$ or so. I used toilet paper roles to make the shelters. Moreoveri put some layers of towel paper in the ground and that makes a large shelter for the crikets too as the go under it.

Any ways, i put a small plate with some dirt. I was wondering if they will lay eggs in that dirt or must it be sand ? How long does it take for the eggs to hatch, how many eggs does a female cricket normally lay at each pregnancy ??

There is another detail. My crickets don't chirp like the common ones, i don't know why, any suggestions ???
 

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BlkCat

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Thats kool. But I used to use paper towels in mine. I had to stop. Not only did it stink more, they also started to eat it. I didnt see that as very healthy for my ts.
What is the white and blk stuff?
 

Cpt.nemO

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BlkCat said:
Thats kool. But I used to use paper towels in mine. I had to stop. Not only did it stink more, they also started to eat it. I didnt see that as very healthy for my ts.
What is the white and blk stuff?
the white bulk stuff on the floor is paper towel. So what are you using now ??

Up to know i have only seen crickets eating their ration. Or carrots. And i haven't seen one single hole in the paper towel.

Thanks for the observation !
 

BlkCat

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Cpt.nemO said:
the white bulk stuff on the floor is paper towel. So what are you using now ??

Up to know i have only seen crickets eating their ration. Or carrots. And i haven't seen one single hole in the paper towel.

Thanks for the observation !
i mean in the white stuff in the bowl. And the pile of blk stuff on the floor. I dont use substrate. I just scrub the bottom of the aquarium when it gets empty. They get under the paper towel anyway and mess the bottom.
I dunno if there is any way to prevent the smell no matter what u do... :rolleyes:
 

Brando

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thats why you replace the paper towel rolls every once in a while, when they get smelly and messy just take em out and put in a new one.
 

Fred

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I used peat and vermiculite for a substrate and I used old egg cartons.
 

Heartfang

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That white stuff in the bowl looks like water with some dead crickets in it.
 

JohnxII

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Got a few suggestions for ya.

1. Need much more ventilation. They do smell, but with enough vent it'd be kept at minimal level. Also lowers the death rate. The easiest would be not using the lid. If you use a bigger box (at least 2' high) even (most) adults can't jump out.

2. Drop the water bowl with cotton, if that's what it is. Just refresh the carrots/potatoes/apples. If you really want a constant water source, try agar-agar jelly or "water bites".

3. Drop any substrate. They don't need any, and less work for you. I assume they are just feeders after all?

4. You might want to consider using egg crates instead of the toilet/kitchen rolls. More surface area. However, they are a good substitute when I run out of egg crates.

5. They lay eggs in any moist substrate (including their own faeces). If you want to make sure, keep everywhere else dry, and use a deeper container with one inch of moist (but not soaked) peat/soil/dirt. (See how long the ovipositors the adult females have?)

BTW, I don't see any adult males in your picture. Probably that's why you can't hear the "normal" mating call chirps?
 

Dark Raptor

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I can agree with JohnxII. I use the same method for breeding crix.

-Don't use any substrate (only some in box where females can lay eggs).
-Put some egg crates.
-And make ventilation, because crix can be very smelly (especially Gryllus bimaculatus, but I can't tell you which species you have, maybe it is Gryllus assimilis).

Here are pics of my Gryllodes sigillatus colony.
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showpost.php?p=390672&postcount=9
 

Cpt.nemO

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Hey ya all, yep the white bowl has humid cotton for maintaining the humidity in the cricketarium. What looks like dead crickets in it its only shed skins from moulting. Those who moult prefer to do it so on the cotton, probably due to the high humidity.

Should i leave it or take it out ??

I am using toilet / kitchen roles because i have no egg cartons (the only ones i have are made out of plastic therefore transparent), i don't think those would do the job right.

I am using that little plate with dirt on it (humid) for the eggs to be layed upon.

As for the paper on the ground, i could remove it, however its providing a large surface area shelter for the critters. What do you guys think ???

How long do you think these smaller critters will take to become adult critters ??

Any other suggestions ????
 

Zorack

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i just buy in my feeders, i wouldent breed them because they really so smell very very bad
 

Sheri

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A friend of mine had success minimizing the stench by having a strong fan blowing above the cricket enclosure.

I still wouldn't keep them though, I cannot stand them. I'm rearing roaches for feeders.
 

Dark Raptor

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Cpt.nemO said:
How long do you think these smaller critters will take to become adult critters ??
In 28 - 30 degrees C, development takes 6-8 weeks.
 

bugsnstuff

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the reason they don't chirp is because they aren't adult yet, therefore won't breed yet.

i buy a dozen adult roaches once in a while so i can use them to lay eggs and produce pinhead crickets for my small spiderlings, other than that i use roaches
 

Cpt.nemO

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ok thanks you all. :)


BTW i am not having trouble with the smell so far.
 

Dark Raptor

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Cpt.nemO said:
Hey ya all, yep the white bowl has humid cotton for maintaining the humidity in the cricketarium.
They can live in dry environment, if you can provide them enough water in food (fruits, vegetables etc.). And it will protect them from mould (very dangerous for crixs).

Cpt.nemO said:
I am using toilet / kitchen roles because i have no egg cartons (the only ones i have are made out of plastic therefore transparent), i don't think those would do the job right.
Everything, which provide crix more hideouts is good. But you should remember that they should be able to walk on it (plastic is not good).

Cpt.nemO said:
I am using that little plate with dirt on it (humid) for the eggs to be layed upon.
Use something better. Plastic box with 1 cm of humid substrate is good enough. I add metal net (just on surface of substratum). Crix can lay eggs, but they can't dig them out and eat (and they can't throw out substratum from the box).

Cpt.nemO said:
As for the paper on the ground, i could remove it, however its providing a large surface area shelter for the critters. What do you guys think ???
Egg cartons are the best, but if you add more paper roles, it would be much better.
 

JohnxII

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Dark Raptor said:
Use something better. Plastic box with 1 cm of humid substrate is good enough. I add metal net (just on surface of substratum). Crix can lay eggs, but they can't dig them out and eat (and they can't throw out substratum from the box).
Good idea! [post=329613]Here's[/post] my earlier attempt...
 

Cpt.nemO

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great idea , where can i finda a metal mesh such as the one in the fotos ??? I am going to recieve some roachs too. I was wondering whether their captive breeding is similar to the crix, food and hide outs (basicly the whole tank)
 
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