Cricket Care Guide
- Amanda
- Feb 21
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 10
Keeping crickets alive and healthy is one of the most important parts of keeping insectivores as pets. These sensitive creatures are basically pet themselves! When I was a child, with my first Leopard Gecko 20 years ago, nobody told my mom that crickets needed to be fed or watered. Not only was the gecko not getting a proper diet, the crickets did not survive more than a couple days so we had to go back to the store multiple times a week to buy crickets!
Here’s our comprehensive guide for maintaining healthy crickets, gut-loading them, and feeding them to reptiles (everything I never knew):
Cricket Housing
Container
Temperature
Humidity
Substrate
Feeding Crickets
Commercially Prepared Diets
Vegetables
Fruits
Grains
Hydration
How to Feed Crickets to Reptiles
Size
Dusting with Calcium and Vitamins
How to Dust Crickets
Feeding Frequency
Other Considerations
Cricket Lifespan
Handling
Hygiene
Shopping List
Container
Prepared Diets and Hydration
Tools
Feeding Tongs/Tweezers
Powder Mixer
Cricket Housing
Container
Use a well-ventilated container (like a plastic bin with holes or mesh cover, aquarium, or tote. If you use a large bin or aquarium, you do not need a lid if the crickets are kept 7" away from the opening. Ensure it’s big enough for the crickets to move around freely and they are not crowded.
Temperature
Crickets thrive in a warm environment, ideally between 75°F to 85°F (24°C to 29°C). Although they tolerate down to 61°F/16°C, insects benefit from a heat lamp and are better able to take up nutrients from their food when kept in ideal temperatures.
Humidity
Keep the humidity around 40% to 50%. You can increase humidity by lightly misting the container with water, but avoid soaking them as it can cause mold.
Substrate
Use egg carton or cardboard for crickets to hide under and increase the surface area to live on to prevent trampling. You can also use paper towels or a layer of vermiculite or sand to help maintain humidity. Not required but may aid in cleaning.
Feeding Crickets
Gut-loading crickets before feeding them to your reptile is crucial for ensuring that your reptile gets the maximum nutritional benefit. Here’s what you can feed them:
Commercially Prepared Diets
The easiest way to ensure a balanced and complete diet with minerals, vitamins. They can be offered dry, wet or dusted on fruit and vegetables.
Vegetables
Carrots, potatoes, collard greens, spring mix, zucchini, and dandelion greens. These are rich in vitamins and minerals.
Fruits
Some fruits like apples, berries, and oranges can provide extra hydration and nutrients on occasion.
Grains
Crickets also eat dry foods, such as rolled oats.
Hydration
Crickets will drown in water, so provide them with cricket gel that they can walk on. Ensure the enclosure is not too humid and do not place grains with moist foods to avoid mold, bacteria growth, and grain mites.
Gut-load for 24–48 hours before feeding the crickets to your reptiles to maximize their nutrient intake.
How to Feed Crickets to Reptiles
Size
Choose crickets that are an appropriate size. A good rule is to feed crickets that are no longer than the width of your reptile’s head.
Dusting with Calcium and Vitamins
Before feeding crickets to reptiles, dust them with a calcium supplement (with or without vitamin D3, depending on your reptile’s needs) and/or a multivitamin powder. This helps prevent calcium deficiency, and Vitamin A deficiency and promotes proper bone growth in reptiles.
How to Dust Crickets
Find a medium sized plastic bag (such as what we sell crickets in) or 6" tall cup that crickets can't jump out from or this powder mixing cup.
Use something to scoop a tiny amount of the desired dusting powder and place it into the device.
Do a gentle "shake" to lightly coat the crickets.
Remove the amount of crickets needed for only 1 feeding session.
If using Exo Terra Cricket Pen, use the black tube the crickets are hiding in to transfer the crickets out. If using another container, remove the crickets that are sitting on the egg crate to shake into the bag.
Place the crickets in your reptile’s enclosure, either in a feeding dish or just release them, depending on your animal. Chameleons and large tree frogs can be fed out of a smooth sided coffee mug or tall container so the crickets don't escape.
Remove uneaten crickets the next day so they can be hydrated and fed.
If you are worried of crickets "nibbling" on your pet, place a small amount of food into your pet's terrarium so any hiding and uneaten crickets have a meal.
Feeding Frequency
The number of crickets to feed depends on the reptile's size and age. Hatchlings or juveniles may need daily feedings of crickets, while adults may only need them 2-3 times a week, supplemented with other food sources.
Other Considerations
Cricket Lifespan
Crickets typically live for about 6-8 weeks. If you're not using them right away, it's best to avoid over-stocking your cricket population to prevent overcrowding, disease, and death.
Handling
Avoid handling (and shaking) the crickets too much, as it can cause stress and reduce their lifespan.
Hygiene
Regularly clean the cricket enclosure to avoid mold or bacteria buildup. Replace their water gel, and remove uneaten food and dead crickets frequently.
By providing a proper environment, gut-loading them with nutritious foods, and properly dusting them with supplements, your crickets will be healthy and your reptiles will benefit from a nutritious diet.
Shopping List
At Roonami, we will help you pick out everything you need to be successful in keeping your crickets healthy, and nutritionally valuable for your cricket eating pet.
Container
Ready to go, no extra stops at another store, no crafts. The Exo Terra Cricket Pen comes in two different sizes, small and large. Add your cricket, cricket gel, a choice of food to the included trays, ready to go. Be sure not to add more than the recommended number of crickets.
Prepared Diets and Hydration
We carry an assortment of researched, tested insect gut load
TheBioDude's premium insect gut loader. Bug Grub works great for Isopods, Roaches, Crickets, and Millipedes. Bug Grub can be used either dry or wet. Click here to shop
EarthPro-InsectFuel is a blend of dried plants, fruits, full spectrum carotenoids, vitamins and minerals to accurately feed and nourish livefoods and pet insects. It contains no bran and as such no Phytic acid, a Calcium inhibitor and chelator. InsectFuel is a potent and balanced Bee Pollen rich source of nutrition for live insects. Click here to shop
Repashy Bug Burger is designed to be a highly nutritious complete diet that can be used to raise, maintain, or breed insects. While it will do a great job of providing optimal nutrition to insects and make them a great food, it is NOT a "Gutload". See "SUPERLOAD" below. Click here to shop
Repashy Superload is an ultra-high Calcium, Vitamin, trace mineral, and Carotenoid formula that is designed to be fed to insects for one to four days prior to them being used as feeders to "Gutload" and maximize nutritional value. It is NOT meant to be a staple insect diet and can kill insects fed it over long periods of time because the high levels of calcium can cause impaction and prevent nutrient absorption of the insects. Click here to shop.
Fluker's Cricket Quencher is available in two sizes with additional calcium for cricket health or regular formula. A unique gel for cricket and other feeder insects which eliminates drowning and bacterial contamination. Click here to shop.
Tools
Feeding Tongs/Tweezers
Crickets are safe to hold with your fingers but you may choose to use tongs/tweezers to pick them up individually. Some animals will eat off tongs which can help with taming, choice based handling, and interaction with species that don't like being held.
They come in a variety of styles and lengths. Consider a silicone or rubber tip pair if offering foods directly into the reptile's mouth to prevent injury. Click here to shop
Powder Mixer
ReptiZoo Reptile Cricket & Powder Mixer - is designed to make your life easier by uniformly mixing reptile feed. This ensures your reptiles receive a perfect blend of calcium powder and insects. Click here to shop
Get two for ease of dusting! One for calcium and one for vitamins.
If you have any questions about the information above, feel free to send us a message or visit us in store.