How to Keep Crickets after Getting Them in the Mail
If you’re buying large quantities of crickets to feed to your pets, getting them in the mail can be a little confusing. A lot of people still don’t realize it’s possible to buy insects by mail, but we ship thousands of crickets and superworms by mail every week. Insects ship well- they don’t mind dark spaces and can survive the transit time it takes to get to you on a few slices of potato.
But once they show up, you’ll need to make a few preparations to ensure they will survive and stay healthy. Whether you’re buying crickets for feeders or to start a colony, here’s what you should do with them after you get them in the mail.
What to Expect
Our crickets arrive in a cardboard box full of egg flats and usually a small amount of food to keep them going. In the dark, their metabolisms will slow a little. This helps them make the trip. But the journey can be harsh on their metabolisms. It usually leaves them dehydrated, hungry, and a little disoriented.
Once they get to you, you’re going to need a place to put them and a few things on hand to help them get their physical health back to normal.
Setting up a Container
First, you need a container to keep them in. If you’re going to be starting a colony, you might already have a container set up for them. Otherwise, our simple solution is to use a five gallon bucket. This works well for up to 500 crickets. More than that and you will need to add more buckets to suit however many crickets you’re getting.
Buckets work well because they have high walls that are unclimbable and mostly prevent escapes. If you’re worried about your crickets jumping out, we recommend covering the top of the bucket with a mesh screen.
It is imperative that you maintain good airflow inside the bucket, or the crickets can die. So definitely do not put a lid on the bucket.
Hydration
With your bucket ready to go, the next thing you need to address is hydration. Crickets aren’t the smartest critters out there, and they can easily drown in an open container of water. There are a couple solutions to get them moisture so they can hydrate after the long trip.
Our normal go-to is orange slices. You can peel apart an orange and squeeze them in your hands to break the skin. The juice will give them great moisture and also some nutritional content, which will naturally gut load them for your pet.
You could also consider using hydration crystals or other fruits like apple or banana. The main thing is not to give them anything they can be submerged in, especially because you’ll be pouring them directly on top of it.
Nutrition
Your crickets are also going to be hungry on arrival. Crickets eat grains like bran, oats, and wheat, and any of these options would work well. Keep in mind that anything you put in the bucket, you will eventually need to clean. Keeping the crickets’ house clean is crucial to making sure they don’t get sick, which can kill your entire colony.
One simple solution we like is to use slices of whole grain bread. Don’t use white- it’s highly processed and won’t get them much in the way of grains, which is what they really need. A few slices of whole wheat bread (especially if it has grains and seeds in it) is perfect. Tear them up a little to give them edges to chew on and chuck them in the bucket.
Temperature and Humidity
Crickets are sensitive to temperature. You don’t want the temperature in your cricket bucket to drop below 70 degrees. Ideally, you want it to be in the mid-eighties if you are trying to start a reproducing colony.
Think about where you can keep your bucket that won’t get too cold. If you’re buying during winter, you might want to add a heat source to keep the temperature up slightly.
Also important is the ambient humidity. This is one of the biggest causes of cricket disease.
Crickets have active metabolisms that produce heat and moisture (especially from their bodily waste). To keep disease away, you want the humidity to be below 50% in their habitat. Maintain good airflow as much as you can (again, don’t put a lid on the bucket). Add an oscillating fan if you need to to keep airflow up.
Transferring Your Crickets
When your bucket is ready with a mesh top and some moisture and food, you can open your box of crickets. Don’t be scared to scoop them out with your hands- they’re just bugs, after all. You’ll see a few egg flats in the box.
These are hides, which is where they’ll spend most of their time. Without a solid place to hide from predators, their instincts will make them want to escape. You can transfer the hides directly into your bucket. If they get torn up over time, just replace them with fresh ones.
Maintaining a Basic Cricket Habitat
Those are the key components. Crickets need moisture, nutrition, temperatures above room temp, and a humidity below 50% to stay healthy. Overall, they are pretty simple creatures and have very simple needs.
One thing you’ll want to take into account is cleaning. Every so often, you’ll want to swap your crickets into a clean bucket while you clean out their old home. You might even consider keeping them in a different container long-term, as buckets can be a pain to clean.
For people raising cricket colonies, we usually recommend a wide plastic storage tub. These are a little easier to clean, and also easier to keep an eye on, in case something should go wrong with your crickets.
That’s all there is to it! If you can meet your crickets’ simple needs, they’ll give you a steady source of food for your reptile pet forever.