How do I keep Bulk Crickets?

Buying insects in bulk is great for the environment and very cost effective. They arrive packed in a calico bag with egg flats. If you are ordering mini bulks of crickets a Pisces Cricket Keeper Kit is ideal. For half bulks and full bulks a larger habitat is necessary to house your crickets.

What do I need for a Bulk Cricket Habitat? 

1. Plastic Storage Box
   • A deep sided storage box from your local store can easily be transformed into a cricket habitat.
   • Bigger is better - at least 94 litres for a full bulk.

2. Fluon is Fencing for crickets.
   • Fluon is a white runny liquid that can be painted to create an uncrossable area for insects. It is runny and unsatisfying to paint with but will dry to a very fine white powder that is too slippery for insects to walk across.
   • Paint a band 5-10cm wide around the top inside wall of the plastic box and allow to dry completely before adding insects.
   • It will need to be reapplied if it is damaged or wears off but can last for months if handled gently.

3. Cricket Keeper Carpets – makes a house into a home
   • Our Cricket Keeper Carpets are absorbent pads that will help to absorb cricket waste.
   • Spread them out in the base of the tub and replace when soiled.

4. Insect Apartments – Egg flats
   • New clean egg flats are ideal for creating tiny homes for crickets. If you are recycling them make sure they’re clean and have not been exposed to pesticides.
   • Crickets can be cannibals if they feel threatened, over crowded or exposed, so provide plenty of hiding spaces for them.

5. Woodie and Cricket Food or Gutload
   • Formulated food for insects, should be offered freely at all times.
   • Woodie and Cricket Food is ideal for everyday use.
   • Gutload is better for small crickets, can be used as a daily feed and useful for Gutloading insects prior to feeding out to your animals.

6. Aquaload
   • Safe water source for insects. Clean and hygienic with no risk of drowning.
   • Remove old dried up Aquaload and replace with fresh balls regularly.

 How do I set it up?

1. Paint a strip of Fluon around the top inside wall of the Plastic Storage box and allow to dry.
2. Spread out Cricket Keeper Carpets on the base of the Tub.
3. Arrange the Insect Apartments (Egg Flats) to make the maximum number of hiding spaces for the crickets. 
4. Place Woodie and Cricket Food &/or Gutload plus Aquaload in small bowls or recycled jar lids in several places in the home. Crickets like privacy to eat, so its good to hide the food etc in the egg flat tower. 
5. Carefully introduce your Bulk Crickets. 

Important things to consider

• Insects like it hot! Keep them in a warm place all the time,  22 to 30ºC. 
• Avoid pesticides, chemicals and contaminates in the air and their environment. 
• Keep it Clean. Clean out their house regularly. At least weekly. Clean it out before new crickets are added. 
• Avoid Mould. If you add any vegetables, they must be fresh and discarded before they go mouldy. 
• Regular food. They need fresh Aquaload plus Woodie & Cricket Food or Gutload at all times.

Buying in bulk is very economical and a great way to support the environment with reusable and compostable packaging. Shopping online with Reptile Realm means you will recieve your insects in premium condition direct from our farm. 

You can find all our Insect Care Products here. Set up your Bulk Cricket Habitat and start seeing the benefits.