I have a question about keeping crickets. I have a small glass tank maybe 1.5/2 gal in size that I keep them in. I keep two toilet paper tubes in there to provide a hiding spot. I also give them Flukers orange pieces and also Flukers cricket quencher.

I buy a few dozen crickets at a time at my local pet store. My problem is I am having a hard time keeping them alive. I usually lose 1/3 or more before I can feed them to my leo gecko. They just seem to die.

Am I doing something wrong? Is this normal?

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Kelly

My pets:
Leopard Gecko ~ Ducky
Rabbit ~ Chester
Kitten ~ Lil Fang
Black Bear Hamster - Charlie
Parakeet ~ Ray
Eastern Box Turtle ~ Ollie
Hermit Crab ~ Mr. Crabs
Teddy Bear Hamster ~ Poppy RIP 7/12/07

Ya they die easily, thier crickets they arent bright lol. Id suggest a bigger tank, maybe a 5 gallon or a 10 gallon. I know its for just 1 gecko, but more space may make it easier on them, less crowded. Is there plenty of air flow too? that is a probably I had they either got too hot and not enough air flow. gave them more of vents and it worked fine. I still lose them but not as bad as before.

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There is a wire cover on the tank. I keep them in my basement. Do they need to be warm? My basement is freezing but I would say at this time of year it is probably around 60 degrees.

How would I increase the airflow? Also I have a five galloon hex tank that is unoccupied at the moment. But is is taller rather than wide. Would this due?


I would like to have to only go get crickets at a minimum of once a week. So if I could keep them alive longer that would be great.

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Kelly

My pets:
Leopard Gecko ~ Ducky
Rabbit ~ Chester
Kitten ~ Lil Fang
Black Bear Hamster - Charlie
Parakeet ~ Ray
Eastern Box Turtle ~ Ollie
Hermit Crab ~ Mr. Crabs
Teddy Bear Hamster ~ Poppy RIP 7/12/07

If you crowd crickets they will kill each other. Try putting some loosely crumpled peices of newspaper in there. This gives them more "floor space" and places to hide.
If you are getting large crickets it may be that many of them are dying of old age! Crix have a very short lifespan, about 8 weeks total.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

No I am buying the small ones. My leo is just a young one. I was going to put an empty egg carton in there and see if that helps. If not and I have to buy more often the local pet store is only about 5 minutes from my house and I can pass by there on the way home from work if I take a slightly different route.

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Kelly

My pets:
Leopard Gecko ~ Ducky
Rabbit ~ Chester
Kitten ~ Lil Fang
Black Bear Hamster - Charlie
Parakeet ~ Ray
Eastern Box Turtle ~ Ollie
Hermit Crab ~ Mr. Crabs
Teddy Bear Hamster ~ Poppy RIP 7/12/07

I had the same problem Kelly, not to mention the smell. It turned out better for me to pick them up 20 or so at a time, a few times a week.

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Ken
" The United States Marine Corps......sure we are a department of the Navy,,,,,,we're the MENS department "

I'd have to agree with the temps, the space and the air flow. I prefer plastic rubbermaid containers. Cut a hole in one side and in the lid and hot glue some wire mesh on. This will keep the air moving and prevent humidity buildup.

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Mike

Egg crates are the better way to go too.

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Thanks for this setup idea. I was looking at the pet store containers and thought they were way too small. I have some extra screen material so this is a great idea. Thanks!

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My name is Liz
3 Male Red Eye Tree Frogs for adoption. PM for details.

Something else I noticed recently that I've been keeping a lot of 1/4 size around. Is to put a low wattage bulb in to dry out the air. It really seems to help keep the smell down.

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Mike