Do cricket eggs hatch with water?
So, I have an aquarium in my apartment that used to house our turtle… Until the vet. told us crickets are nocturnal feeders and will bite the turtle in her sleep…
So I moved the turtle to a large wooden box I made out of spare 3/4″ MDF that I had left over from a speaker box…
As for the crickets, we have a large growing amount… I feed the crickets, then feed the crickets to the turtle.
We bought the turtle these round pellet things that she refuses to eat… So I feed them to the crickets – ultimately the turtle eats her pellets, right?
I also occasionally throw hay that we used to feed our rabbit in the cricket tank.
Anyway, the crickets seem shrink in numbers UNLESS I spray or pour a small amount of water in the dirt of the cricket cage… I usually take a ****** bottle to it (mist the aquarium)… Then I see the little white bugs EVERYWHERE a day or 2 later. It’s like I activated them. In a couple of weeks the cricket cage will be full again…
This has been going on a year or more. Almost sure my results yield my answer – but I had to make sure.
Thanks again guys!
Samuel
January 21st, 2012 at 5:56 pm
Andrew
The cricket eggs will die if they have too much or too little water. The same goes for heat; 80-88 degrees F is ideal. You should have a thermometer in the tank, and the breeding container if you have one. You should have at least one kind of thermometer to check the temperature several times per day. I keep my crickets in a cold bathroom, so I set the tank on a heating pad on medium. If you choose to use a heating pad, make sure that there is room for the crickets to get away from the heat, in case it gets too warm. You can do this by placing the heating pad under only one half of the tank. The soil should remain on the heated side.
The humidity is important when you’re breeding crickets. They need moisture, so you have to add about one ounce of water to the soil twice a day (give or take depending on the temperature and humidity level in that room). You also have to be cautious about mold growing, so you have to keep it clean. Once the crickets have had access to the soil for 5 days, It’s a good idea to take the breeding container out of the adult cricket’s tank. The temperature and humidity in the egg’s container should be controlled as it was before, and food should be available for the babies when they hatch. Hatchlings can only eat soft food. The eggs should hatch within 6-7 days, depending on how warm it is. If the eggs aren’t warm enough, it may take longer.
You should be gut-loading the crickets that you are feeding your turtle. That means you should feed them a variety of things, so they have full stomachs and have more nutritional value than crickets who have only one food source. I feed my crickets the same food I feed my bearded dragon. Things like collard greens, turnips, cherries, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, zucchini, peas. You should also be feeding them some high calcium food made for crickets. They also seem to really love fish food (the flakes) and dry oatmeal.
I also bought some juvenile pellet food for my bearded dragon, and he didn’t eat any. From what I’ve read they are much better off eating live insects and fresh greens than the pellet food, anyway. So I made it into powder and sprinkle it in the cricket’s calcium food and oatmeal. Crickets should have fresh fruit and/or vegetables, calcium food and a water source at all times. In order to keep your turtle well fed, you need to keep the crickets well fed, as well.
I hope that helps. Good luck!