ENCLOSURE: the basic cricket enclosure should include a source of food/water, hide spots and proper absorbing substrate. the substrate MUST BE absorbing, this is because absorbing substrates diminish the amount of feaces spreading through the enclosure, and it also cuts back on the smell. the best substrates are probably rat/mouse wood shavings, or chicken feed. these are the only 2 substrates i use in my cricket enclosures, but i am sure there are more out there. for hide spots i use egg cartons, these provide great dark 'nooks and cranies' for the crickets to hide under. the size of your enclosure will depend on how many crickets you have, and what size they are. Usually they should be housed in double the size containers the pet shops sell them in, but preferably even bigger
FOOD/WATER: the best food source for crix are fruits and veggies, eg: carrot, apples, lettuce, brocolli ect. another good source of food is dry doog food. make sure the crix have access to food at all times. if you feed your crix veggies or fruits they will not need an additional water source, because they can get their water from the veggies/fruits they consume. if you do want a water source, it is best to use a coke lid, and fill the lid with cotton buds, then fill the lid with water. this lets the crix drink, but stops them from drowing in the water.
SEXING: once the crickets are sexually mature, it is easy to tell the sex apart. females hve a large ovidepositer(a long black probe on their behind) while males do not, females are much larger, males are smaller. males call to attract a mate or scare of other males, females dont call.
BREEDING: you will need......
-a large enclosure
-food/water
-container for females to lay eggs
-hide spots
-heat source
basically, the only difference in enclosure specs for breeding are, larger enclosure, and a container containing proper substrate for females to lay eggs. firstly, the encloure must be heated. a perfect temp for breeding crix is about 30C. some good heat sources are inccandescent heat light, undertank heaters, blue/red night bulbs or ceramic heat emitters. i personally think that incandescent lights is the best heat source, because they are cheap, provide good heat, and are easy to use or replace. you will also need to keep the enclosure quite humid. to increase the humidity within the enclosure you can use a spray bottle, or add a larger water source.
the most important thing with breeding crix is to have a proper substarte for the females to lay eggs in. i use peat dirt, but other good substrates are sponges, shagnum moss, or any dirt. once you have chosen the 'egg laying' substrate you will now need to put it in a small container. once you have done this, place the container in the cricket enclosure. make sure the crix have very easy access to and from the 'egg laying' site. the females will soon venture into the soil, and if they have already bred with the males the will start laying eggs. they do this by slowly walking backwards into the dirt/sponge and sticking their ovideposter into the soil.
