# Raising Insects



## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

I can't believe that little rotter Sumo has got me to the point of asking this :roll: 

We have a large aquarium (about a three foot cube) that is just sitting there empty, taking up space. (Don't get me started.) I thought I would be it to good use and raise mealies and crickets in it.

So...the mealie thing I pretty much have figured, tho' I feed the beetles too soon and no one every lays any eggs but I just buy another 500 mealies and keep going

The crickets: how hard are they to raise/maintain? It'd be great to have a true farm where they do their thing then lay eggs and grow into food, etc etc but even if i can just keep them alive for a for a few weeks I'd be thrilled. Sumo eats about 300 a month (10-15/night); I usually buy a box of 500 and gut-load then freeze them. I would really like to have live ones on hand - Sumo is never happier when he's chasing down crickets! :lol: 

If I can get past the annoying chirping, is it feasible? Can I raise both mealies and crickets in the same tank? 

Any help would be great...even a good website to check out. There are a gazillion sites but if someone could narrow it down for me, I would be verrrrry thankful!!


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

I don't have anything to say except... :shock: :roll: :roll: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

PJM said:


> I don't have anything to say except... :shock: :roll: :roll: :lol: :lol: :lol:


I KNEW you'd be the first to respond, yet offer little in the way of real help. I just KNEW it. :roll:

Whenever you find a mealworm or beetle where it shouldn't be, think of me. :twisted:


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

OMG! A 3 foot cube full of bugs? Im not visiting you anytime soon. :shock: :lol:


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

I used to think that about the beetles too but they do lay eggs kinda fast, the thing I was messing up at is I wasn't saving their bedding. Even if you have the beetles on the bedding for a little while they will lay eggs on the bedding but it may take weeks before you can even see the worms cause they are so tiny and blend in. It sounds really creepy but there is times I can't even see the worms yet but there is so many that the bedding actually moves around like waves when disturbed...creepy I know lol This may not be the case and maybe they aren't really on it long enough it just made me think back to some of my first attempts and what I learned from it 

One thing I do so that the mealworms stay around the same size per container is I will move the beetles into a new container every few weeks to a month and leave the old bedding in there. That way my worms are spaced out in development. Right now I have a container that the majority turned to aliens but the other ones are still at the larger mealworm stage. I know this is an extra step since they do eat them in any stage but as gross as it sounds it is helpful to have them in different stages, like aliens are great for hiding, mealies are great for me to use when bonding


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Never raised crickets, but as far as what I've read and heard at the pet store...They're annoying to raise just because of the noise, smell, and possibility of escape. I did find this site on breeding requirements and guidelines - http://www.wormman.com/breeding_crickets.cfm I don't think you could raise them in the same container as mealworms. The crickets would probably eat the mealworms, considering they'll even attack lizards if you have too many of them in the tank and the lizard's not eating them. I know they also have a pretty quick lifespan (the website's info about female egg laying insinuates that they would only live 10-20 days) which requires lots of cage cleaning (besides the fact that they're messy/stinky anyway). I think you could definitely raise crickets in the aquarium, but would suggest something else for the mealworms. I've already decided I never want to raise crickets, mostly because of the smell...Just the small container of them that I have gut-loading on veggies is horrible!


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## Hissy-Fit-Hazel (Jul 15, 2011)

Crickets bahahaha  I picked up our first meal worms today to start a farm (Hazel LOVES them!). Gal from Reptile rescue just told me a nightmare story about 500 crickets getting loose at one time in her house....I never brought any crickets home with the mealies lol


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

I personally would not recommend raising crickets unless you have a LOT more animals to feed. They produce so much, smell so bad, chirp so much... Once I realized how great ****roaches are I NEVER used crickets again.  The hard part with crickets is they need moisture, especially the eggs, but then it causes mold and issues... very hard to keep perfect. They smell awful and it's not a smell that goes away for long when you clean...

As for mealworms, they are the best thing on earth. :lol: You won't need to use that tank though - that'd be troublesome. Just a small shoebox sized tub would do, and produce way more than you could probably ever use. 

And then finally, no, can't raise them together. The crickets would eat the eggs as soon as they were laid, poop in the bedding and the mealies would eat it, and overall just can't imagine that working out right...


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Thanks, everyone ('cept for PJ and SP, as usual :roll: ). The stink out of the bucket of 500 mealworms is enough to convince me that raising crickets is a BAD idea.

Lily...I will NEVER forgive you. I checked out the worm site you linked, which led me to others, where I read this 'fun' fact :?

The average human inadvertently consumes one pound of insects per year. :shock: 
:shock: 
Most of it in whole wheat bread. :shock: 
:shock: 
Some while you're sleeping. :shock: :shock: :shock: 
:shock:


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## cylaura (Jan 13, 2011)

MissC said:


> Lily...I will NEVER forgive you. I checked out the worm site you linked, which led me to others, where I read this 'fun' fact :?
> 
> The average human inadvertently consumes one pound of insects per year. :shock:
> :shock:
> ...


ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhdsrqstdqgrswewdcvaf blech blech blech blech.

You cannot imagine the look of disgust on my face right now. :shock: Clearly never eating bread, or sleeping, ever again. Ew ew ew ew ew. :?

*deep breath*

To the topic at hand, I don't have any advice really, since you are a much braver woman than I am, or ever will be. My vet recommends those dubia roaches a lot (I think that's what they're called... are you thinking of the same ones, LG?) - my vet's office sells them but I haven't been able to find them at a lot of other places. Maybe those would be easier to raise than crickets? Supposedly they can't fly, and they are (relatively) small, so less chance of escapees. :lol:


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

> My vet recommends those dubia roaches a lot (I think that's what they're called... are you thinking of the same ones, LG?)


Dubias are good, I personally raise madagascar hissing roaches, no wings.  The hissers are really docile and slow, and are good for me since believe it or not, I'm fairly intolerant of bugs. Can only handle the few feeder insects I have, and butterflies and ladybugs - every other bug scares me to death. :lol:


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## MomLady (Aug 14, 2010)

Here's something that may be way less disgusting.

I have a friend (in another state) that has snakes and she said that you may want to connect with someone that raises bugs or worms for their snakes or lizzards because chances are that they have way MORE than they need. 

She said I could probably contact the local herp society. I just now thought of it after talking with her when I was on vacation. She had said if I was local, she'd just GIVE me any I needed.

Just a thought!  

Donna


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

That is very true, forgot about that! That's actually how I got started with my roaches...


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## RalphsMum (Oct 14, 2010)

ya know, i just hopped on the forum to see how everyone was doing and "this" thread is where I end up :roll: 

Serves me right i guess :lol: 

*throws whole wheat sandwich in garbage....* :shock:


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Oops. >.> Sorry 'bout that... :lol: :lol: :lol: Guess I better lock my door and wait for the mob with pitchforks and torches now, huh? :shock:


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