# best way to keep crickets



## mudskipper (Jan 4, 2015)

What is the best way to keep crickets. Have read other people having trouble with cricket containers made by well known companies like exo or reptile 1. 
I have never bought crickets so have no experience of them, can they climb smooth surfaces. Do the cricket containers need adjusting or should I just by a RUB and keep them it that.


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## thoir (May 12, 2014)

They can escape though tiny holes.. They might not be able to climb smooth surface I can't remember but they can jump fairly high.. Had lots of them escape from my cricket keeper..


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## CloudForest (Nov 27, 2013)

they cant climb smooth surfaces very well - but they are a pain in the backside to keep imo, smelly, noisy, cannibalistic and bitey

If you are only buying a few, its best to keep them in the container they come in, usually a well ventilated plastic tub, remove any dead ones every day, or the bodies will increase the humidity and kill off all the rest; and give them small piece of fresh veg every day too, very important for them to be gutloaded before feeding off

a rub isn't a great idea, you want the humidity low, and the enclosure well ventilated, but escape proof


Dubia roaches are much better, simple to look after and slightly better in terms of nutrition - RUB with egg boxes, grain in the bottom, fresh veg every day, and a well ventilated lid, sorted


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## mudskipper (Jan 4, 2015)

CloudForest said:


> Dubia roaches are much better, simple to look after and slightly better in terms of nutrition - RUB with egg boxes, grain in the bottom, fresh veg every day, and a well ventilated lid, sorted


Have a starter colony of Dubia roaches but I haven't had them very long.toads


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## ISkicko (May 31, 2014)

I keep a bunch of crickets in a lab population. If you have a lot you can keep them in a RUB-like container but as mentioned you need to give it a huge amount of ventilation. We cut a section out of the lid and back of the box and glue on a sheet of wire mesh. 

To cut down on humidity you can give them rodent or fish pellets. They do pretty well on these, you just need to supplement their water. We use little tubes filled with water and stoppered with cotton wool. Works really well.


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## MikeO233 (Sep 14, 2014)

I use the exo terra cricket pens without problem.

I think the issues really come about when you don't put the right things in the pens with them.

I avoid water because of drowning and they eat the sponges for the water troughs, so I use bug gel.

I put bug grub on the bottom, then also put in a carrot and some lettuce.

Some people advise leaving in the egg crate from the tub as they will eat this before eating each other, however I prefer to have veg in since cardboard isn't exactly a healthy diet and find they don't eat each other if there is a supply of veg in there.

The tubes are useful to get the crickets out into a tub to dust - The only issue, which isn't really an issue, is keeping the tubes clean. I soak them in hot water, spray in some viv cleaner and then use a paintball marker barrel cleaning pipe to keep them clean. I also use my pens on a rotation basis, so I can make sure I have a clean empty one to put the next weeks supply into, so I can then properly clean and dry out last weeks.


Locusts is a different matter though. I use the same exo terra pens but I dont use the tubes - Just take them out. Also no bug grub and no bug gel. I do put in a small lettuce leaf to give them some hydration, although some people will say use nothing at all I am sure.


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## mudskipper (Jan 4, 2015)

thank you all for your replys, was really hoping someone had an opinion on the exo terra pen, thank you MikeO233 for you help


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