Micro Crickets

[Naython J]

ok i decided id try micro crickets with my my slings im now thinking that wasa very silly idea (a) they are tiny compared to the sling and (b) how the hell do you get some out of the tub without losing the rest to the room lol

[jason holland]

hmm... i was gonna try and get some small crickets for my versi sling (1.5cm aprox) 2moro..... so if there gonna be too fiddly, wot do people recomend?

and when ever ive gotten the smaller crickets out, ive always opened one corner of the tub i have them in, then carefully shake a couple out. you could shake a couple out into a tray from the corner to make sure you dont lose many. also if you put a small tube in the tub u keep them in, they should hide in it. then take out the tube (one end needs to be sealed) and tap out the amount you need. hope that helps

[Naython J]

was gonna try the tub thing i got a cricket keeper with tubes but the micros arre too small and would get throught the air vents and to leave the tube in for a while too many would escape from around it

i think i gonna go back onto wax worms and then small crickets

[Tom Forman]

hi nathan,

I doubt the pinheads are too small, just give a couple if you think it's not enough.

What I do to avoid escapes is get a bucket(b&q orange ones are ideal), then open the cricket tub inside of the bucket and use a very small spiderling pot to catch one, lift whatever they are hiding under and watch them jump down.
then empty the escaped crickets back in the tub once you're done

[Stuart Common]

yep I'm the same as Jason, open a small corner, tip it up and then wait for a couple to wander up and fall out into the slings pot, usually have the pots in an empty cricket box in case any jump out and miss

[Oli Dodds]

Simple solution :- breed roaches!!!
Cheaper, healthier AND easier to catch
Plus the size variance is awesome.
If ones too big; choose a smaller one! If ones too small; choose a bigger one!
Plus in my opinion they are interesting as pets alone anyway

[Naython J]

seems like a good idea my slings are around about 4-5 cm leg span now do u think that the pin heads are sufficient im housing 2 jars containing 5 pederseni slings in each?

[Colin D Wilson]

At 4-5cm legspan my pokies are taking nearly full grown brown crickets.

i tend to stick twice the amount of crickets in compared to spiders in communes (i.e. 10 cricks for 5 spiders) and have had no problems so far

[patsyking]

I transfer my micro crickets into a critter carrier(£1 at Tesco) and when they are really tiny I cover the vents with a bit of old net curtain so the air still gets in but the crickets cant get out. I get them out using a straw, they just climb in by themselves.

[Andrew Ferguson]

My smithi has a body length of about 3cm and a leg span of about 6cm. Small crickets? No way. She wants those nice big brown ones



When I go to the pet shop for live food I try to get a tub that has a variety of sizes. My current tub has small crickets that measure about 5mm - 7mm in body length right up to some 20mm ones. If you can find a tub like that, the small ones will be ideal for the smaller tarantulas and the larger ones for the bigger 'slings and juveniles.

[matthew spooner]

i remember seeing someone suggest something on here a while back that worked brilliantly for me, put the tub of micros in the fridge to settle em down, then put em in a pepper shaker and just sprinkle them into the pots, works a treat if you got a few slings

[Naython J]

i just looked again at me pokies and they aint actually 5-6 cm legspan lol sorry

more like 2-4 max legspan dont really get to see em much they on thebark i got and they are so well camoflaged i can be looking right at them and still not see em

[Colin D Wilson]

at 2-4cm they're still able to overcome a cricket about half their body size with ease.

i would get some size 2-3 crickets (body length of about half inch) they'll do nicely Naython.

[Naython J]

ive got some medium browns that i brought for my avic.sp but she is STILL off food been like 6 weeks at least now and no moult!!!!!!!

so ill prob try them at some point just a tad worried that the crix will eat up my spids lol

ive also got plenty of waxworm which my g.rosea are happily munching on so ive chuck some of them in for now!

how big are flightless flies? i ordered some waiting on there arrival since m hoping to pick up some young slings at the show woohooo 3 days 13 hrs left!!!!

[Katherine Heathcote]

If you mean flightless fruit flies, they are about 2mm long. They can't fly, but they do crawl very quickly up the sides of the container. Usually when your culture arrives it is full of larvae and casters, the actual flies don't appear for 5-7 days.

You can also get flightless (curly-wing) houseflies, which are obviously bigger.