How To Keep Crickets Alive! Cricket Care Guide!

[@cruzin54321]

Dude. THANK YOU! An engaging video with clear, easy instructions. Bought 40 today and they’re already thriving. Much appreciated!

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Happy to help!

[@cruzin54321]

@@ChiefSweetsUniverse noisy crickets all night long, they are definitely happy bugs. Is a colony of 1,000 deafening?!

[@richwilson7017]

I bought 1000 set of crickets from joshes frogs. They were all pretty healthy when I got them and I took your tips. Hey seem to be doing good. Thanks.

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Happy to be of service!

[@HylianBull]

I buy the box of eggs from Walmart and that comes with 2 egg crates. Free resource for the crickets. Thank you for the video. I did learn a lot.

[@idakukic6780]

Hi! I’m a new tarantula owner and I have a few questions about cricket care if you don’t mind. To start with, I got a small tub of crickets, I’d say less than fifty, and I keep them in a small ProRep Livefood Care Kit. As per the instructions on the kit, I placed some bug grub bug food on the bottom of the kit, added in a few slices of carrot, and put in some bug gel into a small water dish. What do you think of this setup? The small kit is said to fit two tubs worth of crickets. Because it comes with two dispensing tubes, there really isn’t any room for any egg cartons. They seem to be content in there though, they’re active and chirping often. So far I only lost one. I’m just very new to this hobby and want to make sure I’m doing everything right!

[@Glubrobbodyfub]

You have saved me 😂 btw I’m getting my first beardie soon and I saw your video that said start it in a 120 so I don’t have to upgrade, but a lot of other things say the beardie will be overwhelmed and it can be hard to keep and eye on them. I honestly don’t care about the money of upgrading but I want to make sure the baby has the best possible (to my ability) home. Ty

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Oh yeah as long as you have plenty of hides and decor like branches they will do fine. You can if you want start in a 40gallon if you don’t mind upgrading

[@charlottesmom]

I go to Petco and get a dozen tiny crickets for my jumping spider, when my flies are depleted, she gets about 5 the rest go into a big habitat with my Hissing Cockroach, they are all watered (sprayed with warm water) daily and fed veggies and crickets diet (even my jumpers crickets are pampered). I would love to start a planted/heated 20 long and have just crickets and my isopods in it I love them they are so interesting to watch (both the crickets and isopods) ☺️

[@Vohasiiv]

Are critter keeper cages ok if i only keep a tiny amount (15 at the most) of small crickets at a time? Also, can i use sphagnum moss instead of the leaf litter since thats what i have on hand?

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Yeah that’s totally fine

[@m.b.8505]

I love your videos!!! can you show us two things,…? 1. How do you catch your crickets when it’s feeding time? 2. how do you clean up their? Do you swap the crickets to a new tank? I’m afraid of them jumping all over the place when it’s cleaning time. Thank you so very much!

[@eminemilly]

I think the point of this setup is the rollie pollie isopods eat the poop or the broken down poop at least in the soil

[@m.b.8505]

@@eminemilly HUH?

[@aishahshamsul8642]

1. I grab a small container, put some supplement powder, trap a few crickets in it and shake a bit. Then, use a tong to grab it's hind legs or body. You need practice but it gets easier. 2. Place he crickets in another large bin then clean up. In another comment the uploader said he cleans the whole thing every 6 months. This is only possible due to the isopods cleaning up, otherwise you need more frequent cleaning.

[@gapnap]

i have a few questions if you dont mind. first one is can i take isopods from outside? can i take dirt from outside? if a crickets leg happens to fall of is it guaranteed to die? and is it possible that other critters from outside will sneak into the crickets inclosure? sorry if its a lot of questions.

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

No worries. I wouldn’t use dirt from outside might get lots of unwanted bugs with it. You can get isopods from outside. If a cricket leg falls off they will be fine. Other critters shouldn’t sneak in from outside.

[@gapnap]

@@ChiefSweetsUniverse what if i take the dirt and put it in the microwave/oven

[@gapnap]

@@ChiefSweetsUniversethe reason i asked if other critters wouldnt sneak into the inclosure is because one time when i was keeping crickets there was this weird little tiny minature grey dot. it was walking around on a small piece of moss.

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

@@gapnap now that could actually work. 250f for 3 hours might do the trick

[@jennaclayborn3950]

Dude. You are so awesome. Like literally you are saving my life having a new baby bearded dragon. I've taken all your advice on enclosures, and keeping crickets, supplies....all of it is perfectly on POINT!! 👏❤thank you for the amazing info and advice!

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Happy to help!

[@holmes2309]

Where do you get isopods? Did you say they came in the soil? I didn't catch that part. Thanks! Great video. Been watching a ton to get ready for my daughters' bearded dragon birthday present

[@zacharywalker524]

I've got mine on eBay

[@caseymorse8158]

So can a natural set up with chunks of bark for hiding, and a natural substrate some isopods be used to raise and grow crickets over winter indoors? How many isopods per tank? Would just start with what i can catch before the cold hits

[@_Velqine_]

I always buy micro crickets, now half of the population is almost fully grown, they absolutely thrive. I feed them every 2 days a salad made out of carrot, cucumber, Zucchini and a bit of wheat germ. (rarely mushroom) In the box I throw a few pieces of cuttlebone and spread oatmeal throughout the entire box. for the substrate I use normal rodent substrate (is also really good against smell) The box is filled with egg carton They never die, and seem to thrive😁

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Very nice always love to see how people keep there’s thank you for sharing

[@patrickbang3037]

most of my friends think im a fucking weirdo for researching crickets if im gonna feed them to my precious two beauties EVEN THE CRICKETS ARE GONNA HAVE A WONDERFUL LIFE

[@alanah4282]

I had quick question! How would you know if the crickets are dead? Do you go searching for them? What if they’re in the substrate deep inside and are dead, or do crickets not burrow. Thank you so much!

[@12345eatacake]

Cool video, been keeping my cricket in a simpler way for a while now. Do your isopods not eat your eggs? I use springtail for clean up. Also i could be wrong, but somone once told me that lettuce was not ever nutritious for crickets.

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Yeah lettuce is for hydration and the other vegetables like carrots is for nutrition. The isopods only like to eat decaying matter like the cricket poop or dead crickets.

[@TheVacman117]

I’m going to try this when I get home. I just bought crickets again. I’m hoping this works out good I’m really excited. I got the isopods coming. But I got the sand and the reptile soil.

[@dakota3038]

This is a life saver for me. I just started with my bearded dragon and the crickets constantly die off. Definitely going to try this with my next batch of crickets

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Hopefully this helps you going forward!

[@ChristianJames-rs5md]

Hey got a question how do you make the bioactive tank for the crickets

[@TheBirkettChannel]

Great video 👍🏻 Do you keep Isopods (?) in the substrate in your Bearded Dragon tank? If so, is it just a matter of putting some in the substrate and not needing to do anything else with them?

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

I do keep them in my female bearded dragon tank. Yes I just put them in you do need some leaf litter as well they snack on that in the mean time

[@Oki-t7q]

love this work love this personality love this crickets

[@iswhatitis_ayy]

Questionnnn do I need both reptisoil and sand or can I jus use the soil. The sand is harder for me to get where I live as I need to shop more online and nowhere near me has sand all the time. Ty

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

You can use reptisoil by itself that’ll work fine

[@petfunwitheliza]

Do crickets enjoy the cricket gello I keep seeing a Petco? It was expensive. Does it work as food and water?

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Yeah it works but not as good as greens and carrots

[@gandalf3453]

I read in your comment section that you can do the same for Dubia roaches. Can you put the roaches in the same container as the crickets? or do they need to be separated

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Keep them separate

[@BadgerDMZ]

How do you prevent bringing pests along with the leaf litter? I feed other insects so it's a bit of a concern for me. Cheers

[@SavageJimbo]

Great video! I just had one question. How many isopods are in that 10 gallon tank? I’m considering getting some to create a bio active environment for my crickets.

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

I only added like 15 there’s probably a hundred in it now lol

[@LivingLifeLOA]

Just got back from buying a tank, mixing soil, gathering leaves, and crickets come in a day or two. We were doing everything known to kill our crickets. Thanks for setting us straight. What are the poop eating bugs called and where do I get them?

[@aishahshamsul8642]

Poop eating bugs are called isopods. You can get them online or forage them. They usually hide under wood and leaves

[@alexanimates6735]

Can baby crickets hatch in the substrate or do you need another thing for that?

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Yeah they can hatch in the substrate

[@keeziajensen2611]

I really want crickets because the sound of the chirping helps me sleep. Do they make a lot of noise? I sure hope so 🤣

[@brittneemarie7759]

How often do you change all of that??

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

About every 6 months

[@logs_editz2]

Would Eco earth soil be good for the cricket stay on?

[@KillerKitana4568]

Are pill bugs and isopods the same thing or no?

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Yeah same things

[@geck6080]

Thanks for this :) I got some questions: What kind of isopods are those? I see that there are quite a few different kinds and I'm still new to these little guys, does it matter which type I get, as in humidity/temp needs? Very helpful video btw, thank you, as a gecko owner crickets are a struggle 😅

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

I have in this video common isopods and dwarf white isopods. Dwarf whites are pretty easy to take care of

[@geck6080]

@@ChiefSweetsUniverse thank you, much appreciated :)

[@Euro.Patriot]

Would vermiculite be a good substrate or is it unnecessary?

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

I’ve used it before it works

[@Euro.Patriot]

​@@ChiefSweetsUniverseHow should the eggs be properly incubated? I've read eggs should be slightly warmer than the crickets and very high humidity is also required and heat lamps are no good because of the light. I'm getting the components for a breeding enclosure. I have an 80L container that I'm going to drill holes in and cover with mesh for ventilation and I'm buying vermiculite and peat moss but since it's Autumn (where I am in Australia it's around 15°), I'll definitely need to have something to keep the enclosure warm. I am also breeding superworms and I got my first beetle yesterday. I have about 30 worms pupating and 4 of them have turned into pupae with one of them excepted to turn into a beetle within the next 3 days.

[@Honestly_Marie]

What is the species and genus of the isopods you use?

[@kevinmunford2012]

How long can they expect to live in there? I just ordered 500 and am going to make a slightly scaled down version of your setup, but without the isopods. They’re for my young bearded dragon who is starting to eat more every day😅

[@woodlandbabies]

Excellent video. Thank you x

[@xofficalleex]

What size crickets do you buy?

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Large adults

[@IkeAboutReptiles]

Thanks for this! Will you do a reptile room tour? Do you keep snakes 🐍

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Happy to help yes I’ll do a reptile room tour very soon

[@monkeytrident]

@ChiefSweetsUniverse awesome video, can you provide a amazon link to the the sprayer you used to mist the tank in this video thanks.

[@jamjam1524]

How long do you think they’ll last if kept properly?

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

They last months for me

[@suvette72]

I found a one legged female cricket. I've put her in a container but i don't want to breed her so do i still need dirt container in my enclosure or is damp paper towels ok. Also, do you know if they grow their limbs back. I would like to release her once she's ok

[@sutigaming2713]

Quick tip for people who fight with mold issue and/or don't want a bioactive setup: vermiculite is a really great substrate for crickets. It decrease humidity, absorb stinky odors and easy to clean. 😁

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

I use that sometimes too. It’s one of the best solutions for sure

[@zacharythompson2342]

Do you get isopods from outside or do you special order them?

[@charlottesmom]

I’m not the one you asked but will answer. 😉 I got some of my first isopods from outside, we had a pile of leaves and dirt outside that our landscapers forgot to pick up. I raked it back into the grass but noticed tons of isopods and scooped up a bunch and put them in a planted critter carrier. I fed them isopod food I found on Amazon as our pet shop doesn’t carry it, also fruits and veggies every few days and squirted half their tank to keep them hydrated every other day, they need the moisture to shed their “skin” (exoskeleton?) as they grow. I loved watching them and they started breeding so I decided to get more “fancy” and bought a bunch of Zebras, dairy cows, bumble bee (massively expensive and very slow breeders!!) and a few other varieties from a seller on Amazon, they are all thriving and breeding like bunnies!! I’m planning on putting all of them in a 20 gallon long tank and just letting whatever happens happen. I want to see whom will breed with whom and what kind of babies will result. My bumblebees have already reverted back to a dairy cow type with most of their babies which was bizarre to me because all my different types were all separate for years! Sorry this was long, I adore isopods, cockroaches and jumping spiders and could go on for hours…..😂

[@toneddef]

Thank you, very to the point. Strange, but honest, question. What is the difference between "gut-loading" and "keeping the crickets healthy"?

[@aishahshamsul8642]

The video meant to keep the insects alive for long storage so you don't have to purchase then often. Gut loading means 2 days before feeding your pet, you separate a few crickets from the main enclosure and feed them more nutritious food. Example adding pumpkin, blueberries, special gutloading blend ect on top of cabbage and carrot. This is meant to make the crickets more nutritious for the pet. Some people also dust multi vitamin and calcium powders onto the crickets before feeding on top of gutloading. This is also done for other feeder insects such as worms, roaches ect.

[@toneddef]

@@aishahshamsul8642 @aishahshamsul8642 Thank you. So I could simply add fruit to the cucumber/Carrots I'm feeding and be good? I'm buying a couple dozen crickets at a time and they don't seem to be dying off quickly. And just addind fruit would be easy enough.

[@philipr4518]

How many crickets should I order for 1 juvenile leopard gecko?

[@eminemilly]

Would springntails help too. I thoufht they help with mole and this is high humidity. Also i dont want to buy a bunch of egg crates but i have toilet paper rolls and these biodegradeable paper planters that are a similar material on hand already so i hope that will do

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

All that will work and springtails will do wonders as well

[@espnoah]

Do crickets not like this iceberg lettuce I got for them ? Does it have to be romaine ?

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Honestly they will eat anything iceberg should be fine

[@M_M_Rbr-dc9kz]

Can you just use soil from outside?

[@kirsbald8801]

Do you have a video on how to keep dubia roaches?

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

I do!

[@Untitled_PieceOfSoap]

I’m just here because I want pet crickets, lmfao.

[@TheGateKeeper26]

I have pet crickets! 🤩

[@nithashiabubaid485]

i found 1 cricket in the wild and i am not allowed to buy anything - how do i take care of it?

[@aimandjulian3195]

making a cricket house now from your video thanks

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Nice!

[@christopher87264]

What do you cover the top with so they don’t jump out?

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Screen top mesh

[@elizabethduranperez2596]

Hi!!! I just got my Leo but I don’t know how to feed him crickets. 😅 I would appreciate that you could tell me on how to feed my Leo and by the way thanks for the vid it helped so so so SO much now I know how to keep my crickets alive! ❤ Please answer this because I really really want my Leo to try something new and I thought crickets would do the job. But I figured out the they are too jumpy and quick for my Leo to catch. Pls make a video on how to feed your leopard gecko crickets and if you do have a video on that tell me the name so I can watch it 😅 bye! Happy new year! 🎆🎇

[@eminemilly]

Thank you i was lookiny for a more bioactive setup after making my lizard a setup

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Happy to help

[@chicarah_]

Can I use Iceberg lettuce?

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Yes

[@janicelaflower2183]

Thank You!!! Beginner chameleon owner here…. I need all the info I can get 😀

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Happy to help I’ll be posting chameleon care guides and everything soon as well!

[@matthewotremba9230]

I was 30.00 a week on cricks Had to start ordering But , how to get the substrate in there now ?

[@azerosblank5036]

Never seen anyone do a bio-active like setup before. Now my question would be; with all that humidity, do they just keep breeding in there?

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

They do but it’s better to put a lay bin for the females and take out the babies cause the older ones do eat the babies. But yes even still I see pinhead crickets walking around quite a bit.

[@azerosblank5036]

@@ChiefSweetsUniverse Ah. For a lay bin, I'm assuming a small container filled with moist substrate. For how long would you leave a lay bin in there? And how would you incubate them (temps)?

[@windycityelitegaming3824]

@@azerosblank5036 if all the females have bread or should I say most, then you could leave the lay bin in there like 1-2 two days but you’ll want to put some more metal screen over the lay bin so the adult crickets won’t go back and eat the eggs. And then after the 1-2 days remove them and add the to a decent sized cricket keep/bin with a heat mat with a thermostat not a thermometer and make sure the egg bin stays moist but not soaked with water, so it won’t mold or go bad and incubate the eggs at least 85-90 degrees to get quicker hatching baby crickets. And make sure when they hatch to keep it humid for like a 1-2 weeks so they won’t dry before they get a harder exoskeleton and as far as feeding the you can you vegetables and fruits growed/nutrition or you can feed Repashy bug burger it’s up to you. You can research online or on Reddit and find out how people care for their feeder crickets for breeding/feeders. Good luck 🍀

[@azerosblank5036]

@@windycityelitegaming3824 Ah yes. I've read that the pinheads require a fairly humid environment to grow. What type of setup would you suppose be the better one for pinheads should I wish for them to grow. Information on an environment for pinheads aren't too common, and most only constitute of information on breeding crickets and very little on the environment for the maturation of the pinheads.

[@kasieleow3165]

I just rescued a dozen feeder crickets from the pet store and they have Lived 3 days so far no deaths yet! So I started feeding them good food for them and I wanted to keep them going! ❤ I just wanted to save them because I was going to get a tarantula but now I don't know! But never know what will happen in the near future! ❤

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Very nice! Whatever you get tarantula or not I will say congratulations on the new cricket success 😂

[@kasieleow3165]

Thank you so much ♥️

[@blueduke6170]

Nice one dude much Appreciated time to get me some isopods and soil haha

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Happy to help!

[@JennP55]

Thanks!

[@nomad-1776]

Any tips for baby crickets? Same setup? Pin heads i mean

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Yes I use the same setup. Feed them oranges

[@christinacastine4355]

Your videos are the BEST! I’ve been binge watching everything you’ve put out since my son wanted a beardy. We now have our beardy and I think he’s pretty happy and comfortable with his bio active enclosure. I am breeding crickets like you suggest and so far so good. I just can’t tell if they’ve laid the eggs or not in the separate container. lol 😅

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Happy to help! If you see little rice like things in the container that’s the eggs.

[@veryfunkypigeon]

Can i use leaves from outside? or do they need to be sterilised

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Yes just make sure they aren’t sprayed with poison you will be fine

[@allthattea2818]

Hey! What substrate has the isopods?

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

I just had some in my substrate but Josh’s frogs sells the isopods

[@masonaguilar4645]

Where do you get your isopods?

[@masonaguilar4645]

Bro you’re badass btw! Love your vids

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Joshes frogs, eBay, expos

[@dronespace]

I'm here as I'm considering the possibility of getting crickets as pets :)

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Haha hey to each there own. They would make neat pets.

[@amandasharples5057]

This veido is helpful

[@amandasharples5057]

I have a bearded so it helps a lot

[@teenamillar7013]

❤terrific! For my pet cricket 😊

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Very nice!

[@jadensingh3181]

Do I have to order large crickets for them to breed or it doesn’t matter?

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Yes my bad if you want to start quicker go large if you don’t mind waiting a couple months go ahead and get small

[@jadensingh3181]

@@ChiefSweetsUniverse Alr ty

[@jadensingh3181]

@@ChiefSweetsUniverse actually also when do i know to put the little bin full or substrate for the females to lay eggs?

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

@@jadensingh3181 when you hear the males chirping and the females have the long horn sticking out of there butt

[@paschen94]

How do you keep the noise down there loud

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

I don’t. Hahaha you either deal with it or store them in a closet 😂

[@paschen94]

😂

[@paschen94]

​@ChiefSweetsUniverse do you think a Styrofoam box would help?

[@LadyAngela678]

I caught the cutest baby green tree frog. I just love frogs and lizards. But Im terrifed of keeping bugs in my house. But I am going to try because the lil fella is so cute, and he chose me. I ordered some pinhead crickets. Wish me luck. 😬

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

You can do it!

[@LadyAngela678]

@@ChiefSweetsUniverse I went to the store to purchase some, Can’t do it!!! I can’t handle handling bugs. I returned the frog to the outdoors. 😢

[@bradleydishner9698]

Good info

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Thank you happy to help!

[@rolandoramon5623]

Huh, I always thought it was the humidity that killed them.

[@DragonMania16]

Can I do this same thing with Dubia roaches?

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Yes I do the exact same thing for Dubias

[@DragonMania16]

@@ChiefSweetsUniverse ok thank you

[@rubenguerra2347]

Can I keep crickets in a cabinet or they will die

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

You can

[@sixstring215]

Thanks man! Great video! 1 question. Is the substrate 100% necessary or can it just be the plastic bottom from the tank?

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Thank you! It’s not necessary but it does help with smell

[@abdulrahmanelement3282]

nice

[@AravindRama-s1e]

are there any insects you can feed bearded dragons that aren't alive?

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Unfortunately no. 😂

[@gapnap]

well im pretty sure you can use freeze dried crickets.

[@AravindRama-s1e]

@@gapnap i've now got a leopard gecko and she refuses to eat dead crickets

[@isaacjaron]

am i the only weird one that buys crickets to keep as pets..?

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

Hahah that isn’t weird but it is interesting haha.

[@xnaydrax8189]

Not weird at all. They are a great pet and I feel like they are just like any other bug you have as a pet. It’s really cool to experience that. :)

[@imaginativedino1000]

Not at all! I also buy crickets as pets

[@tylerperez8755]

Lmaooooo yes bruh

[@Honestly_Marie]

Probably 😂

[@jdstacks]

Chewy> Josh Frogs

[@ChiefSweetsUniverse]

I do like chewy

[@jdstacks]

@@ChiefSweetsUniverse dude i wanna say you’re awesome and thanks for this content