# Need help with locust breeding



## Swifty02 (Nov 10, 2011)

Hi i have recently gotten a bearded dragon and shes amazing but the locust get quite expensive so i decided to try and breed them i have them in a fish tank with a 100w bulb that i used to use for the dragon i have them on soil brought from a pet shop thats chemical free and was told that locusts love it for laying eggs i have egg cartons in there also Long with the pro rep bug gel but i see no mating oregg laying after 5 days am i doing something wrong plz help


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## markhill (Sep 22, 2006)

I do belive there's a very good sticky on Locust breeding 4th thread from the top of the feeder section:whistling2:


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## Pleco07 (Aug 15, 2007)

I started with a 2ft fish tank on its end with a 100w household bulb in there, the opening was covering with a cotton sheet. I have 4 pint glasses in the bottom filled with sand that was every so slightly damp. I had an array of branches and I fed them on dandelion leaves and spring greens. Bulb was on for about 14hrs a day. They need as much ventilation as possible, it needs to be dry and hot....and they eat loads!!!
I eventually upgraded them to a 3foot tank of a similar set up, except the tank was horizontal and I added an extra bulb.
I had a BD at the time and they fed him and I was still over run so was selling them to friends and family too.










And before you know it...


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## Swifty02 (Nov 10, 2011)

So are they ok on the compost or do i have to remove it


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## Pleco07 (Aug 15, 2007)

Swifty02 said:


> So are they ok on the compost or do i have to remove it


I had compost in one of the pots but it didn't last long as I found they laid more in sand.


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## Swifty02 (Nov 10, 2011)

Pleco07 said:


> I had compost in one of the pots but it didn't last long as I found they laid more in sand.


But i have compost covering all of the bottom of the tank so the theory was they could lay anywhere and hatch naturally


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## Pleco07 (Aug 15, 2007)

Swifty02 said:


> But i have compost covering all of the bottom of the tank so the theory was they could lay anywhere and hatch naturally


Oh right, I would be worried about covering the whole base with soil, it needs to be at least 6" deep so how much room are you leaving for the locust to moult etc. Plus cleaning it out means taking out the whole substrate instead of wiping out the bottom (Altho I just used the thin vacuum cleaner nozzle to clean mine out :whistling2. Or trying to scoop out the top layer trying not to disturb laid eggs, its easy to see locust dirt on yellow sand. I would also worry about humidity, compost holds moisture pretty well and may raise overall humidity too much.


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## Swifty02 (Nov 10, 2011)

I have got about 2-3 inches of peat in there ivebuilt them a wooden bridge as well im about to move them to a bigger tank today actually but the problem i have is that the tank needs to look good otherwise my lass moans lol so if i was to put calcium sand as a substate then put child sand in plant pots on top of a heat mat and then just filled the tank with branches and stuff would thatbe good for them sorry if i sound clueless but i am new to this lol and im grateful for everybodys help


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## Pleco07 (Aug 15, 2007)

Laying substrate needs to be quite deep or they just wont lay. However you set it up, having deep pots of sand will be better. I never bothered with a heatmat, I got enough heat from the bulb. Post a pic when you've got it set up.


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