# keeping crickets alive



## lcpete (Dec 8, 2015)

Hi I'm feeding no 1 black crickets to my juvenile house gecko 
He's doing really well almost double in size since I got him in December 
I have always struggled to keep the crickets alive for more than 2 or 3 weeks tho
I'm now feeding them on arcadia insect fuel and occasionally tropical fish food
I add 2 small slices of carrot which I change daily
The last lot I bought about two weeks ago and about half of them have died which is better than before the previous ones were all dead by 2 weeks before I changed to the insect fuel and carrots 
I buy them in a lot of about 500 and split them into 2 12 inch square cricket houses which have good ventilation 
I try to remove the dead ones but it's a bit tricky to do 
I do keep the humidity as low as possible 
Am i doing anything wrong ?
Thanks


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## casuk (Oct 12, 2015)

Add a water source but they don't last long for me either about the same amount of time, a few last past the month


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## lcpete (Dec 8, 2015)

casuk said:


> Add a water source but they don't last long for me either about the same amount of time, a few last past the month


Thanks I have tried adding water to some insect fuel feed and also water in a sponge but the crickets didn't last very long doing this so I'm trying the carrot slices changing daily which is for moisture for the crickets


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## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

I presume they have similar needs to brown crickets and locusts. If so, slices of apple and orange, which will also provide water, carrot, greens etc, and keep them warm. Don't forget, they are "cold blooded" like reptiles. A reptile won't last long without a heat source. Inverts are the same.


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## lcpete (Dec 8, 2015)

ian14 said:


> I presume they have similar needs to brown crickets and locusts. If so, slices of apple and orange, which will also provide water, carrot, greens etc, and keep them warm. Don't forget, they are "cold blooded" like reptiles. A reptile won't last long without a heat source. Inverts are the same.


Thanks Ian I do give them carrot slices which I change daily 
I will look at finding a warm place for them at the moment I keep them in a warm room under my computer desk


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## Sm1thson (Dec 3, 2011)

Ive found "Bug Balls" to be really good at keeping them alive longer, its so much easier to throw some of the balls in than mess about with the gell (it seems to work better, but that may be in my head). I think it was about £6 for a packet but it lasted ages (6 months using them on livefood for 2 small lizards)


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## lcpete (Dec 8, 2015)

ian14 said:


> I presume they have similar needs to brown crickets and locusts. If so, slices of apple and orange, which will also provide water, carrot, greens etc, and keep them warm. Don't forget, they are "cold blooded" like reptiles. A reptile won't last long without a heat source. Inverts are the same.


I realise now that you are dead right the crickets are doing much better now that it's warmer I will have to sort something out before the winter, a way of keeping them warm
Thanks again Ian


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## lcpete (Dec 8, 2015)

Sm1thson said:


> Ive found "Bug Balls" to be really good at keeping them alive longer, its so much easier to throw some of the balls in than mess about with the gell (it seems to work better, but that may be in my head). I think it was about £6 for a packet but it lasted ages (6 months using them on livefood for 2 small lizards)


Thanks I will have at look at Bug balls not seen that before


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