# Cricket questions



## Skittles (Aug 2, 2012)

My little girl doesn't use her wheel, but absolutely loves to explore and check out her toys and new things. So i like to give her lots of variety and try new things. I hate crickets, but I wonder if she'd love to hunt them, she hates the canned ones so I've been debating buying a couple live ones. For those of you that feed live crickets, how do you keep them? Can they just stay in the bag that they come in from the pet store for the night. (I'm determined my hedgehog is broken, I love her so much don't get me wrong, but she seems to prefer being awake during the day and always has been like that, so she would get them first thing in the morning) how well can crickets jump, I figured I'd use a Rubbermaid bin, but if a cricket gets out I may have to move out of my house... Any help with this is really appreciated as I'd rather not move out.. Also I sorry if this should have been in toys, I couldn't decide as it kind of falls into both categories


----------



## swahf24 (Jan 23, 2013)

they won't last very long in the bag u brought them home in. You're better off keeping them in a critter keeper for a few days with some apples, bananas, carrots, potatoes, or any other fruits/veggies you have around to make sure they have lots of nutrients for your hedgie. A cricket shouldn't be able to jump outta one of those containers unless u have something they can literally climb to the top.


----------



## Alex (Dec 7, 2012)

I actually leave them in the bag they come in and store them in the fridge. At a low temperature they go into a cryostasis of sorts (I'm not sure what the proper term is for it), and they just stop moving, almost like they're dead. But once you take them back out and warm them up, they come back to life. I don't know how long these last vs. keeping them and caring for them, but I only buy small amounts at a time anyway, so I don't need them to last that long.  Hannibell loves them both when they're cold and hunting them when they come back to life, and I don't have to touch them (I'm actually horribly afraid of crickets and can't stand actually touching them. I actually cry and my boyfriend had to go get a stray live one that hopped away. I thought I was going to lose it! lmao) I hope this helps.


----------



## Skittles (Aug 2, 2012)

Thanks for both replies, Alex what do you put your hedgehog to let it hunt that the crickets can't get out of?


----------



## RondackHiker (Jan 21, 2013)

You could do it in the tub.

There are also plastic tweezers you can buy to handle the crickets and they make these nifty bug vaccuum type things for kids. You turn it on, suck up the bug, and it lands unharmed in a container. You could then empty the container into the tub for hunting, with no touching.

Why don't you like crickets? They're amusing little bugs. I used to catch them and keep them over the winter to listen to their songs.


----------



## momIImany (Oct 14, 2012)

I personnally get the small brown ones that don't chirp. I can't stand listening to that all night long. I get them by the 1000 and keep them in a 20 gallon tank with screen lid. I put in gut load food, carrots/potato, water (cricket safe container so they don't drown) and toilet paper rolls/paper egg crates to hide in. This works great because of all the money I save - BUT they stink. It's not like raising mealworms. I also use calcium powder on them. (I have a tree frog and 3 crested geckos too)


----------



## Skittles (Aug 2, 2012)

I was actually given that bug gun thing for Christmas, never thought of using it for this purpose! I will so do that! I don't like bugs in general, of any kind, they just creep me out. I've heard of crickets getting loose in people's house and never being able to catch it. I really only want to buy a couple to see if she likes them and go from there and never having dealt with the creepy jumping things I want to make sure I know what I'm doing so one of these things don't get loose


----------



## momIImany (Oct 14, 2012)

You could always put one of those "sticky" mouse pad traps around where you keep the crickets. They'd get stuck on the pad instead of crawling around your place. :mrgreen:


----------



## RondackHiker (Jan 21, 2013)

So those who raise crickets... If I just toss some veggies in there, will they eat them?

I want to get more veggies into Knarla. If I can feed the mealies and crickets then feed them to her, I'm fine with that.


----------



## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Yeah, if you put veggies in, they'll eat them. And if you're not putting them in the fridge of freezer to hibernate them or kill them, you do need to give them something to eat or they'll just kill each other.

And just be careful with sticky traps! Make sure there's absolutely no way for a hedgehog out for free roaming time or any other animals to get stuck to them - they're extremely difficult to unstick...I had to rescue an adult leopard gecko that had escaped into our pet store once and gotten most of his body stuck to one. Took 30-40 minutes to get the poor guy loose. :?


----------



## RondackHiker (Jan 21, 2013)

Thanks! I'm going to toss some bell pepper and broccoli into the bag now. Maybe some into the mealies too. 

I want her to get more veggies!


----------



## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

If you add veggies/fruit to mealies, just remember to check the food often - sometimes moist foods can get moldy quickly in mealie containers, and cause problems with the mealies. So just make sure to keep an eye on the food and replace it often enough to avoid mold. I don't think that's as much of a problem with crickets though...those buggers are tough. :roll:


----------



## RondackHiker (Jan 21, 2013)

Thanks! This makes me feel a lot better. She's happy to stalk the crickets but carries the veggies to her litter box and ditches them. Her kibble mix has some fruits and veggies in it, but she could use more.


----------



## Alex (Dec 7, 2012)

Sorry for the way delayed response, Skittles! Been busy haha

I keep Hannibell in large storage containers connected by a 4'' pvc pipe, so they have lids for them. I modified the lids by cutting all but the edges of the lid out and replacing it with the same material used for screen doors  I only keep the lids on when I give her some crickets, otherwise they're high enough so that she can't get out. So that's where I keep the crickets for her hunting; but as stated before, the tub works pretty well too!


----------

