# buying crickets (Chicago)



## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

hi all,
are there any cheaper ways to get crickets in Chicago? i tried ordering them online but the packaging was so bad that many escaped and we got a warning from the building manager. :roll: 

any ideas? anyone local breeds them?


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## anthylorrel (Nov 9, 2011)

If you can;t find crickets, will your hedgehog eat meal worms? I got a shipment of meal worms from some lovely folks named Jeff and Camille at Vita Mealies. The worms all arrived alive and squirming, and were packaged very carefully. The prices on the website includes 2-3 day shipping. I can't recommend them more. They were also super nice and prompt about answering any questions I had about their product.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Have you tried the local pet stores? The major chain stores carry them around here... Although not all stores are created equal when it comes to cricket care. I have Petcos I won't buy from and others that their crickets are healthier. Call around to some of your smaller petstores too. Sometimes you find a more interesting variety of insects at the smaller stores, especially if you can find one that caters to reptile people.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

Kalandra said:


> Have you tried the local pet stores?


i meant cheaper.


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## calisphere (Oct 29, 2011)

I think the average price is $0.10 a cricket. I only buy large adult crickets though and I'm out in Colorado. I'm sorry I can't be more help. How many crickets do you go through a week? One hundred crickets for roughly $10 isn't too bad. Though if you go through more than that a month, it does get expensive ($40 plus tax). Have you ever considered breeding the stupid evil little noisemakers? Can you tell I'm a roach person?

Mealies are fairly easy to breed. I generally have anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000, but keep having a lull in stages because I don't remember to stuff a few thousand in the fridge to stagger growth stages. I can generally work my way through 2,000 mealies a week, but I have 15 animals who eat them on a consistent basis, plus the dog who thinks she wants to eat them.

I'm not sure if hediges can eat roaches or not, but I breed dubia as well. Once you get past the whole "it's a roach" thing, they are really lovely feeders. I don't have many at the moment, but I'm working on coming up with a few thousand dollars to start a feeder bug business. At that point, I would offer some of the lowest prices around, if I did my math right.

Until then, consider roaches if hedgies can eat them. Or mealies. Crickets are easy to breed as well (though not as hands-off as the other two). Juts be aware that they make a ton of noise and do stink. It will save a lot of money in the long run to breed feeders instead of buy. With 15 animals here eating feeder bugs, I could easily spend over $100 a month on food, but because I breed most of my feeders, I spend about $20 on salad mix from the reptile store. Part of that $20 goes to feeding the non-bug eaters like the cats, dog, and guinea pigs. Thankfully, I still have a ton of frozen mice in my freezer for the snakes.

Remember, buying bulk or breeding your own is usually more cost effective and you can always sell your extras on Ebay for a little extra cash.


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