When your crickets first arrive allow them to adjust to room temperature before opening the box. This is extremely important during the cold winter months. Usually they are ready to be put in their new home within 1 to 2 hours.

Housing:

Crickets don't need fancy housing. A 10 gal. Aquarium or a large plastic storage container will work just fine. The sides should be fairly slick to prevent the crickets from climbing out of their housing and well ventilated. To assure your crickets have enough space to hide, line your unit with egg cartons, paper towel tubes and toilet paper tubes. The temperature should be kept between 70 and 80 degrees to assure your crickets live to their full life expectancy. We recommend you thoroughly clean your cricket container prior to each new shipment using a mild bleach solution (1 part bleach to 100 parts water). Direct lighting is not needed to keep your crickets healthy.

Feeding and Water:

Feeding your crickets regularly is a necessity. We recommend using a dry feed such as our proprietary cricket food or an all in one product like Nature Zone Total Bytes.

Crickets need to have a fresh supply of water daily. This can be done using a sponge in a dish, a watering system with a reusable sponge or plastic ring, water pillows or products such as Nature Zone Water Bytes.

The Don'ts:

Crickets are highly susceptible to chemicals and will die if exposed to them. So don't use insecticides, fumigants, flea collars, pest strips, dry erase makers, cleaners, etc. around the cricket's home.

Mealworms and Giant Worms: Unpack the worms from their shipping boxes, placing them in containers of wheat bran or meal and refrigerate to keep them dormant. Mealworms need to be kept out of direct sunlight.

Superworm: Do Not Refrigerate - Superworms like temperatures of 70 to 80 degrees and prefer to be air conditioned in the summer months. Keep them in wheat bran at a ratio of 2:1. To avoid them from drying out they will need a moisture source. We suggest using sliced potatoes, carrots or romaine lettuce. Remove any old food they don't eat rapidly and replace with new.

Wax Worms: They can be kept in the containers and shavings they arrive in at a temperature of 50 - 60 degrees in a dry, dark place. The lower shelf in your refrigerator generally works well.