Cricket Care Guide
Banded crickets are definitely the easiest crickets to keep alive in your care. But to help with that, here is some information to ensure they live better for your reptile's needs. Answering questions common on google.
Crickets should be kept between 65-75 degrees for optimal lifespan.
**Crickets do NOT live long at all with calcium. The best way to make crickets full of calcium for your reptile is 3 days with a high calcium diet. BUT the outcome is death two days after. (Research done with a Zoo's help.) So optimally, powdering just what you need daily is best.
**The BIGGEST mistake I've heard people make is trying to keep crickets from smelling by spraying air freshener. DO NOT do this or have any type of air freshener around their enclosure or box. Crickets die fairly quick that way, and it's why my delivery van isn't even allowed to have a car air freshener.
Crickets can be kept from smelling by keeping enclosure as dry as possible. Potatoes make a good water and food source. ANY fruit will end up attracting gnats and flies.
To keep your feeder crickets from escaping, keep them in a tall plastic rubbermaid, with egg cartons on the floor of it, without the lid on top, as long as it's truly a tall rubbermaid. There's other cricket keepers you can purchase, but there not great for large amounts at all. BUG HQ will be producing our own custom box in the next year to fix this issue. You could also use the screened cricket box provided with your order and just re-tape the box after feedings. (There's a hole that you will see taped shut, that once open can help the box act as a shaker.)
You should feed your crickets every few days. They can last several days without food, especially in the air conditioning of a house. BUT they MUST be watered daily. They will die rapidly if they get dehydrated. One way to water them instead of potatoes or the common "gel" people order, is to buy a chicken water jar and stuff the lid with paper towels. (Something else BUG HQ will provide in the near future.)
Banded crickets tend to be less noisy than normal crickets, but the 3/4" size will still be chirping as they're adults ready to mate. They chirp a lot less in cooler temperature, just don't go under 65 for long.
Crickets live quite a while in captivity, under proper circumstances. I've had 1/2" crickets with water and food live 90 days in the air conditioning of a house. Now, the crickets you receive will already have lived some of their life. 3/4 are the oldest when sold, and they will live easily for 7 days. Under good care, they can live 14 days or more. But I recommend only buying what you need for 7-10 days at a time.
Feel free to call or text me and ask any questions. I have over 24 years experience raising crickets, and will take care of my customers as best as I can. Thank you so much for your business!