Cricket Bin?

[Andy1270]

Anyone know where I could obtain a cricket bin like the one pictured here? I've seen these in pet stores and they are really convenient for keeping crickets.

[cricket george]

Nope, I built one that holds 3,000 to 4,000 crickets 25 years ago and still works fine today.

[Shoemoo]

Check with the large cricket breeding operations that supply pet stores and zoos if you want something premade. They will not be cheap.

I used to order crickets by the 1,000 when I owned a lot of lizards. What I did was get a large Rubbermaid or Sterilite bin and cut windows in the top and cover them with screen. Make sure you get one that has a tight fitting lid and high enough sides so the crickets can't jump out when you open it. Stack square egg crates vertically in one side, leaving the other side bare. Do not put any substrate in the bottom.

You must provide food and water because they are cannibalistic and will start to nosh on one another otherwise. Feed and water the crickets on the bare side of the enclosure. Feed them ground up dry dog food, the cheaper the better. Use cut oranges or grapefruit for water. Crumple some rough paper into a circle and sit the fruit in the middle peel side down. This is so the crickets can climb up onto the cut surface. Throw out the paper and fruit when it gets moldy.

When you get ready to clean the bin, mix up a solution of a couple of tablespoons of bleach to a gallon of water and wet a paper towel. Take out the fruit and any remaining food and shake the cage so all the crap falls to the bottom. Wipe down the bare half and slide the egg crates over. Shoo the crickets into the cartons and repeat for the other side.

I don't see how a commercial cage would be any more convenient.

One more word about crickets if you want to keep them alive for awhile. Once a cricket goes through its final molt and gets wings, their life is very short. Only a week or two at best. Most bulk suppliers will let you order crickets by age and size. Buy the next smallest size below adults. They are almost as big as the adults and will live a lot longer. Another advantage is they can't chirp until the adult stage

[Andy1270]

Check with the large cricket breeding operations that supply pet stores and zoos if you want something premade. They will not be cheap.

I used to order crickets by the 1,000 when I owned a lot of lizards. What I did was get a large Rubbermaid or Sterilite bin and cut windows in the top and cover them with screen. Make sure you get one that has a tight fitting lid and high enough sides so the crickets can't jump out when you open it. Stack square egg crates vertically in one side, leaving the other side bare. Do not put any substrate in the bottom.

You must provide food and water because they are cannibalistic and will start to nosh on one another otherwise. Feed and water the crickets on the bare side of the enclosure. Feed them ground up dry dog food, the cheaper the better. Use cut oranges or grapefruit for water. Crumple some rough paper into a circle and sit the fruit in the middle peel side down. This is so the crickets can climb up onto the cut surface. Throw out the paper and fruit when it gets moldy.

When you get ready to clean the bin, mix up a solution of a couple of tablespoons of bleach to a gallon of water and wet a paper towel. Take out the fruit and any remaining food and shake the cage so all the crap falls to the bottom. Wipe down the bare half and slide the egg crates over. Shoo the crickets into the cartons and repeat for the other side.

I don't see how a commercial cage would be any more convenient.

One more word about crickets if you want to keep them alive for awhile. Once a cricket goes through its final molt and gets wings, their life is very short. Only a week or two at best. Most bulk suppliers will let you order crickets by age and size. Buy the next smallest size below adults. They are almost as big as the adults and will live a lot longer. Another advantage is they can't chirp until the adult stage

Thanks for all the information about keeping crickets. This will come in very handy.

[Shoemoo]

The herp people have keeping and raising crickets down to a science. One thing I forgot to mention is it's easiest to put the food on a plastic lid, like a cottage cheese container lid. That way you can take it out for cleaning. There's a really good guide complete with pictures here:

Frog Forum - Culturing Crickets - Care and Breeding of the Common House Cricket

It goes into breeding quite a bit, but I would avoid that if you just want crickets to fish with. They live about 8-10 weeks and do not reach fishing size until around week 7.

[cricket george]

I use wild game bird laying mash because it does NOT contain pesticide like chicken laying mash does. You normally can get it at your feed store pretty cheap. A couple pounds will last you all season.

[joshmc]

Cricket George, could you please post pictures of your cricket box?

[cricket george]

Sure, will do.

[joshmc]

Thank you!

[cricket george]

Ok, here are three pictures of my cage that will hold 3,000 crickets. The first picture shows the measuring tube and scoop, as well as the metal funnel that I also use to collect the crickets. The 60 watt light bulb is to keep the crickets warm during the early season. Picture 2 shows the food dish and water container with gravel. The gravel keeps the crickets from climbing into the water bottle and drowning.. Picture 3 shows a pile of paper towel tubes I use for "hiding holes" for the crickets. I just pick up a tube and dump its contents into the scoop and measure out the crickets for sale. The box measures 45" wide X 23" deep X 17" high in front X 24" high in back with a 7 " shelf on the top to hold cages. I scrape dead crickets and dropping every 2 - 3 days.