# Gecko food black or brown crickets ??



## becky11 (Jan 29, 2009)

I have just got my first leopard gecko (yesterday), and so far i have fed him meal worms. I have been told to feed him 4 meal worms and 4 brown crickets every other day. I am going to the pet shop tomorrow and need to know what the difference is between brown and black crickets.
I feed my white tree frogs black crickets, but have been told to give my gecko brown crickets, is there a major difference between the two?


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## marcgroovyge (Apr 3, 2008)

Browns are less aggressive than blacks :2thumb:


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## funky1 (Jun 18, 2008)

Blacks are far slower (easier for both you and the leo to catch), far less jumpy, far less zippy, tend to be bigger (when adult), have more meat in them, are often more visually appealing/stimulating to leos, less smelly.....loads of pluses!!! It could just be me, but I`d advocate blacks over browns any day of the week. 

Tbh, if I`ve gone short on food for some reason, and there`s only browns left at the shop (I normally get food online - mainly mealies too) then they stay in the shop!!! Honestly, IMO browns just aren`t worth the hassle - they`re a nightmare to try and dust, and even worse if 1 manages to escape, whereas blacks will often just let you pick them up if you approach them calmly. 

And 1 escapee brown cricket - somehow - always turns into a chorus of them, usually under the bath as well!!! As said, it could very well just be me, but I can`t stand browns!


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## spotz (May 10, 2009)

Are the brown ones the 'silent' ones? Because I've found they're actually alot noisier then the Blacks.

As above and mine prefer blacks.

Dubia roaches are great though - mine love them and they're easy to keep, clean, catch, dust and they don't smell! :no1: only problem is they're a bit more expensive. But I'm trying to establish a colony as we speak!


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## SleepyD (Feb 13, 2008)

spotz said:


> Are the brown ones the 'silent' ones? Because I've found they're actually alot noisier then the Blacks.


depends a lot on which brown crickets and how big they are ~ there are two types that I find are available ~

Noisy ...









not so noisy ~


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## funky1 (Jun 18, 2008)

SleepyD said:


> depends a lot on which brown crickets and how big they are ~ there are two types that I find are available ~
> 
> Noisy ...
> image
> ...


Hun - that`s the classiest post I`ve seen in a long time. It`s refreshing to see someone getting straight to the point, and describing things in true terms to the question on hand - and it making sense! 

None of these Latin names that don`t make much sense, no describing their origins or dietary requirements. Just a description that, deep down, is the only thing of any importance to a leo keeper. Crickets come in 2 forms: noisy and not so noisy!!! excellent :lol2:


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## SleepyD (Feb 13, 2008)

thankyou :lol2:
oh and I gave up trying to say latin names years ago ~ my teeth kept falling out


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## snakeprint (May 29, 2008)

I'm sure I've read somewhere that black crickets are harder than brown ones.... crunchier to eat if that makes sense. That sounds a bit strange but I can't think how else to put it. They definitely look like they take more chewing than the brown ones, but to be honest I've never tried one.


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## Rukmini (May 27, 2007)

I have always used brown. The cresties like the speed of them. I have got dusting them down to an art. I have the dust in a tub pour some crickets in and 'shake shake shake, shake shake shake, shake your bootie, shake your bootie' got a bit carried away there.  and then pop them in the tank. *I* have never had one escape. the OH had tho :devil:

Also I like the noise they make when they get bigger as it reminds me of holiday.


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## kirstyink (Mar 6, 2009)

id reccomened leaving a bowl of mealworms in the tank at all times as they just help themselves when they want some, and if it is young it will want feeding everyday and way more than 4 crix every other day.

depending on size some leos will eat upto 30 a day!!!

and as for the cricket debate i get silent browns


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## JRoss (Aug 31, 2009)

I feed both browns and blacks. The blacks when gut loaded are really big and juicy. However they are more chitinous so would be more suitable for older geckos rather than hatchlings. The browns are alot more agile and give the geckos more of a challenge and therefore more exercise.


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## becky11 (Jan 29, 2009)

Thanks for all of your help, your advice is very gratefully recieved, my gecko is an adult, he is 72g in weight,


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## serpentsupplies (Sep 4, 2009)

brown definetly. don't bite either


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