Feeder Insects: Crickets

​If you live in a rural environment, it is simple to catch your own crickets for free (only do this if you are positive that they have not been around chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizer. It can be easier and less stressful to just buy 100 crickets at your local pet store.

Caring for Crickets
Since it will overwhelm your praying mantises if you suddenly dump a lot of hopping creatures into their peaceful environment, you will need to put the crickets into containers with ventilated lids. I like to categorize the crickets in different containers in small, medium, and large so that the bigger crickets don’t crush the smaller ones.

Crickets need food, water (crickets need special water; not the water that comes out of your kitchen sink), and mineral supplements in order to survive until they are needed to be put into your mantid’s enclosures. Though you can buy the nutrients separately, I would recommend using Flukers Orange Cube. This brand has all of food, water, and vitamins combined together.
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Remember to give your crickets fresh food every five to seven days. If you are giving them water, make sure that they get a fresh misting every morning.
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Cricket Tips

Dead crickets need to be cleaned out as soon as you notice them. When crickets are dead, they release toxins that will kill off other crickets that are in the same container.