If you own reptiles, then there’s a good chance that you have to keep crickets as well. Crickets are kept as a good source for many different types of pets.
If you aren’t careful, then the crickets could easily die and you’ll have to go buy more of them. Did you know that if crickets get too cold, they won’t be able to survive?
This is going to be a bit of a problem for some people during the winter months. If you’re having a tough time keeping your crickets alive when it’s cold outside, then you might need a bit of advice.
Read on to learn how to keep crickets warm so that they won’t die. You’ll also learn about other important information that you need to understand to keep the crickets alive.
The Best Way to Keep Crickets Warm During the Winter
The best way to keep crickets warm during the winter will be to use some type of heating lamp. You see, crickets are extremely sensitive to cold temperatures, and this means that they could easily die if you aren’t careful.
You’re going to have to step in to keep the crickets warm enough if you want them to live. Crickets need to maintain a temperature of 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
If things get much colder than this, then the crickets simply won’t be able to function properly. A cricket’s metabolism and its immune system won’t work properly when it’s too cold.
It’s actually fine for crickets to be a bit hotter than 75 degrees Fahrenheit. They can tolerate hotter temperatures so long as things aren’t too hot.
You’ll find that temperatures of up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit will be perfectly acceptable. When the temperature gets too hot, the lifespan of the crickets will be significantly shortened.
It shouldn’t be that hard to maintain a proper temperature for the crickets when you’re using a heat lamp. You’ll just need to try to keep the temperature as steady as you can to get the best results.
Remember that the location of the crickets will have an impact on the temperature. You should avoid putting the crickets too close to drafty windows and air vents because that could cause the temperature to fluctuate too much.
What If the Crickets That I Bought Already Appear to Be Dead?
It’s not unheard of for someone to buy crickets at a pet store and have them appear to be dead by the time they get home. This is especially true if it’s very cold outside.
Crickets are so sensitive to cold weather that they will enter a state of hibernation if they get too cold. Sometimes the crickets that you buy at the store might be in this state due to not being warm enough.
You might open the container and see that the crickets aren’t active at all. This makes you assume that they’re all dead and that you might need to go get more crickets.
Don’t be too hasty because that might not necessarily be the case. It’s possible that the crickets are just hibernating and will spring back to life once you allow them to warm up.
Give the crickets a few hours to warm up to room temperature. If you can put them somewhere warm, then you might be able to see that they’re just fine.
Ensure That the Crickets Have a Large Enough Environment
You’re also going to need to ensure that the crickets have a large enough environment. If the crickets are in a small and cramped space, then they aren’t going to be able to thrive.
How big the tank should be will depend on how many crickets you’re planning to keep at once. Many people will keep between 100 and 200 crickets at once for feeding purposes.
For every 100 crickets that you plan to keep, it’s going to be important to have one gallon of tank space. So a one-gallon tank will be perfectly acceptable if you’re only keeping 100 crickets.
When you plan to keep 200 crickets at once, it’ll be necessary to go for a two-gallon tank. Also, you must ensure that the tank that you purchase has proper ventilation on the roof while still being enclosed so that the crickets can’t jump out.
Choosing either a plastic or glass tank is fine. You might prefer one or the other based on price and how long the tank will last.
Clean the Cricket Tank Before Putting Crickets Inside
When you buy a cricket tank, it’s going to be best to wait to put crickets inside of it. You should go ahead and clean the tank out first to get the best results.
Mix a little bit of bleach together with cold water so that you can thoroughly clean the tank. This bleach solution will ensure that you’re able to get rid of any harmful bacteria that might be present in the tank.
It can also get rid of lingering chemicals that might harm the crickets. When you clean the tank in the future, it’s going to be best to avoid using chemical cleaners since they can be bad for crickets.
Just try to wipe the tank down as well as you can before proceeding. Use a standard rag and ensure that the entire inside of the tank has been wiped clean before you put crickets in there.
How Often Should You Clean the Cricket Tank?
Cleaning the cricket tank semi-regularly is going to be a good idea. If you want to ensure that the tank remains a safe and clean space for the crickets, then you should clean it once every two weeks.
A simple bi-weekly cleaning schedule should be easy enough to maintain. When you’re cleaning the tank, it’ll be necessary to remove the crickets and place them inside a box that has breathing holes.
During the cleaning process, you’ll be wiping down the tank to get rid of fecal matter and other debris. You’ll also want to remove any dead crickets that might be in the tank during this time.
Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to mix up a light bleach solution to wipe down the tank. This keeps the tank sanitary and makes it possible for the crickets to continue living in the tank without having any problems.
If you don’t clean the cricket tank regularly, then the crickets could get sick. Exposure to dead crickets and fecal matter will make crickets sick over time.
Give Crickets Places to Hide in the Tank
Did you know that crickets will kill each other if they have to fight over space? It’s going to be a good idea to try to give the crickets hiding spots inside of the tank.
You can easily accomplish this by cutting up old egg crates that you were going to throw out anyway. Cardboard egg crates will work very well to give the crickets shady hiding spots that they will enjoy.
If you take the time to do this, then it’ll be less likely that the crickets will fight and kill each other. It’s just a good little optional thing that you can do to keep the crickets alive for as long as possible.
What Do Crickets Eat?
Crickets are going to need to eat to stay alive, too. You should feed them cricket food in a small dish.
It’s easy to buy cricket food from pet stores, but you can also purchase it online. If you don’t have any cricket food, then you can also feed crickets oatmeal and cornmeal.
The crickets will also require some type of water source. You can give the crickets water by placing a damp sponge in the tank.
You don’t want to place water dishes in the tank because crickets drown too easily. Another option is to keep pieces of fruit such as apples in the tank since they can suck the moisture out of the fruit.
It’s necessary to keep food and water in the tank at all times. Crickets don’t overeat and this means that you won’t have to worry about putting too much in the tank.
Final Thoughts
Knowing more about how to take care of crickets will make it easier to keep them alive. You can keep them warm by using a heat lamp and positioning the tank intelligently.
Keep the tank away from drafty windows and air vents so that the temperature won’t fluctuate. It’s also going to be best to avoid allowing the sun to shine directly onto the tank so that the crickets don’t get too hot.
You must keep the crickets in a tank that’s big enough for them. For every 100 crickets you plan to keep, it’s going to be necessary to have a one-gallon tank.
You’ll want to keep the tank clean as well since the crickets could get sick and die if you don’t. Clean the tank when you first buy it using a simple bleach solution to be safe.
After this, you’ll be able to clean the tank twice per month to keep it sanitary. It’s necessary to do this or cricket fecal matter will become a big problem.
Feed the crickets properly and ensure that they have water, too. So long as you’re doing your best to provide for the crickets, it should be possible to keep them alive for quite some time.
I have a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When I’m not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, I’m at home with my wife, two daughters and a dog. Outside of family, I love grilling and barbequing on my Big Green Egg and working on projects around the house. Growing up, I had pet dogs, cats, deer, sugar gliders, chinchillas, a bird, chickens, fish, and a goat.