Guide · live insects
Keeping feeder crickets alive until feeding day.
Most cricket losses come down to four things: air, space, water and cleaning. Get those right and far more of your crickets make it to the dinner plate.
How do you keep feeder crickets alive?
Keep them in a ventilated bin with egg crate, at room temperature, without overcrowding. Give them cricket feed and water gel or vegetables, never open water, and remove dead crickets daily. Most keepers use them within one to two weeks.
The container
- Ventilated. A lidded bin with mesh or plenty of air holes. Humidity and stale air kill crickets fast.
- Egg crate. Gives them surface area and keeps them off the floor, where waste collects.
- Room to move. Overcrowding is the most common cause of die-off. Use a bigger bin for bigger counts.
Food and water
Crickets need to eat and drink, and what they eat is what your animal eats. Feeding them well for a day or two before feeding them off is called gut-loading.
- Food: a dry cricket feed in a shallow dish.
- Water: water gel or fresh vegetables. Never a dish of open water: crickets drown in it.
Temperature
Keep them at normal room temperature, away from cold windows and drafts. A cold room slows them down. A hot one shortens their life.
Daily care
- Remove dead crickets every day. They spoil fast and take the others with them.
- Replace food and water gel as it runs low.
- Clean the bin between batches.
How many to buy
Crickets are best fed off within one to two weeks. Buy what you’ll use in that time, and use a standing order to keep a steady supply instead of buying a big batch and losing half of it.