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[esoxlucius]

I started a thread recently about feeding crickets to my young chocolate cichlid after discovering that insects form a large part of their diet in the wild. I often wondered why it spent a lot of its time looking upwards to the surface, it was waiting for some unfortunate insect to fall in. I wasn't sure if, being so young, that it had the "hardware" to deal with such crunchy snacks. I was told it would be fine.

So today I went and bought a tub. My 9 year old son is delighted with his new "pets" that dad has brought home and he's already put some shredded up lettuce in their tub, which they are happily munching on, and he has a nice warm place for them to be stored.

I can't possibly tell him that one by one they're going to get destroyed by dad's fish. So i've told him that crickets are famous for being extremely good escape artists and that one by one, somehow, they will get out of their tub and go and live in the garden!!!

So here we are.....a picture of, er, our new, er, pets! Lol.

 

[tlindsey]

I started a thread recently about feeding crickets to my young chocolate cichlid after discovering that insects form a large part of their diet in the wild. I often wondered why it spent a lot of its time looking upwards to the surface, it was waiting for some unfortunate insect to fall in. I wasn't sure if, being so young, that it had the "hardware" to deal with such crunchy snacks. I was told it would be fine.

So today I went and bought a tub. My 9 year old son is delighted with his new "pets" that dad has brought home and he's already put some shredded up lettuce in their tub, which they are happily munching on, and he has a nice warm place for them to be stored.

I can't possibly tell him that one by one they're going to get destroyed by dad's fish. So i've told him that crickets are famous for being extremely good escape artists and that one by one, somehow, they will get out of their tub and go and live in the garden!!!

So here we are.....a picture of, er, our new, er, pets! Lol.

View attachment 1451353

Eventually you will get caught feeding the escaped pet cricket to your chocolate cichlid. ?

 

[Deadeye]

When I first started feeding crickets to my lizards I felt bad. I eventually decided the best thing to do was hate all crickets and believe that they should all be destroyed (what can I say - they smell bad).
It’s not wrong to say they are great escape artists either... they are amazing at it. Just make sure your son doesn’t find your pet eating his pets.

 

[jjohnwm]

Crickets are simply athletic, loud-mouthed cockroaches. I can't wait to read the post about the one who escaped being eaten, disappeared by squeezing into some nook or crack around the tank and then spent all his spare time chirping loudly to remind you and your entire family what a poor life choice it was to bring him into your house in the first place.

I give it a month, including the time required for the cricket to mature and start singing.

Keep us posted!

 

[esoxlucius]

Crickets are simply athletic, loud-mouthed cockroaches. I can't wait to read the post about the one who escaped being eaten, disappeared by squeezing into some nook or crack around the tank and then spent all his spare time chirping loudly to remind you and your entire family what a poor life choice it was to bring him into your house in the first place.

I give it a month, including the time required for the cricket to mature and start singing.

Keep us posted!

The only thing that sings in our house at the minute, is me, in the shower, and very badly, lol. If my crickets decide to muscle in on my turf and give us a tune of their own then i'm sure my family will welcome their warbling with open arms.....er, or should I say ears!

 

[Deadeye]

The chirping is peaceful at first. But it isn’t just in the evening. It’s all day long...
Buy them small, it reduces the chances of getting chirpers. Of course my lizards won’t touch the small ones

 

[BIG-G]

Nothing more frustrating than jumping in the bed after a long day and just before you drift off CHURRP CHURRP CHURRP !!!
And soon as you jump up hit the lights trying to find it .......................... nothing!
Back into bed, lights out!
CHURRP...... CHURRP........CHURRP !

 

[Ogertron3000]

I spent a night in a motel with a cricket chirping away in the room all night once. Couldnt find it no matter what I did.
It nearly sent me crazy, I complained to the owners and got a can of bug spray and sprayed the whole room like it was agent orange in vietnam then went for a walk at 1am until the fumes subsided. Came back and it was still going. Mya alarm went off at 6a.m which seemed to be the signal for the cricket to go to sleep, and I finally had silence! what a ****ty night and i paid for the experience too.

Do crickets breed in their cage? If so it may work out okay as they will be replacing the ones that get dropped into the tank and the young guy wont notice?. Also im thinking you have some pretty big fish so maybe all your other fish will get a taste for the too and you will go through the whole colony quicker than expected.

 

[tlindsey]

I spent a night in a motel with a cricket chirping away in the room all night once. Couldnt find it no matter what I did.
It nearly sent me crazy, I complained to the owners and got a can of bug spray and sprayed the whole room like it was agent orange in vietnam then went for a walk at 1am until the fumes subsided. Came back and it was still going. Mya alarm went off at 6a.m which seemed to be the signal for the cricket to go to sleep, and I finally had silence! what a ****ty night and i paid for the experience too.

Do crickets breed in their cage? If so it may work out okay as they will be replacing the ones that get dropped into the tank and the young guy wont notice?. Also im thinking you have some pretty big fish so maybe all your other fish will get a taste for the too and you will go through the whole colony quicker than expected.

The female cricket need soil to deposit the eggs. There are YouTube videos on cricket breeding.

 

[Deadeye]

If it was your goal to breed crickets you could, but I go through them too fast anyway. I’ve been meaning to try feeding them to my fish but I’m not sure if the food I’m gut loading them with (for the lizards) will be good for the fish.