What should I put In my cricket habitat?

Table of Contents

My crickets deserve the best habitat known to man and insect!  But what should I put inside of their new home?

This is a common question that crosses the minds of many cricket enthusiasts.  And although the answer may seem obvious, it's difficult to know what goes on inside the mind of a cricket, to meet their complete satisfaction.  And although we consider ourselves to be cricket whisperers, we'd by lying to you if we told you we took the time to get to know every cricket we shipped across the world.  So the best we can offer is what to put in their habitats to help keep them alive longer.

1. Bedding Material

You need to build from the ground up.  So let's assume you have the proper container.  The next step is ensure your cricket bedding material meets the standards and expectations of our chirping friends.  We already wrote a comprehensive guide on what bedding material works best.  However, if you don't have the patience to learn about the exciting world of cricket substrates, then we'll just list the top material here:

1. vermiculite
2. Coconut fiber
3. sand
4. moss
5. paper towels

I won't get into the pro's and con's for each substrate.  But let me give you a little push towards the vermiculite or coconut fiber.  These 2 products can help absorb the odor that can come from housing crickets.  Even though they're small, they are alive, which means they can poop and perish.

But after you've laid the appropriate bedding material, you're ready to continue the addition.

2. Playful Structures

Since you're probably a bearded dragon owner, you might be thinking of a swingset, or a slide, or something to climb on.  And we are looking for things to climb on, but not the same items you'd offer a bearded dragon.

The easier structure to find are some empty toilet paper tubes.  These tubes give the crickets plenty of hiding space, and crawling space.  First take, it looks like these tubes are offering the crickets some fun.  However, if you ever took a moment to learn about the savage world of a cricket, then you'd know how likely they are to be eaten by older males.  

If you want to go a little upscale, then look into eggcrates.  egg crates will give your crickets a little more hiding spots than just a toilet paper tube.  And when living with cannibals, it's important to have a lot of places to hide.

3. Food & Moisture

Does this really need to be mentioned?  And in case it does, you'll want to make sure there's food and moisture in your crickets' habitat.  They aren't picky eaters.  You can offer them almost any type of leafy greens, or some potatoes, or some orange slices.  And there's no need to give them cricket supplements.  Those supplements can cause more harm than good for the crickets.  So keep the menu simple.

And depending on what food you offer, they will get most of their hydration from the food.  Potatoes and orange slices are full of water.  And that can easily hydrate the crickets.  However, if you're offering something else, then just take insert a damp paper towel into their habitat.  This will offer the moisture their tasty little bodies require.  

In conclusion...

It's not difficult setting up a cricket colony.  The 3 items will certainly offer a fighting chance to raising a cricket farm, so that you're on your way to selling crickets to the world.  But keep in mind that there are other considerations that need to be made.  Temperature and space are just as critical.  So although we make it sound easy, we've also been doing this for decades.  So be sure to follow the rules provided, and do a little more research in finding out the preferred temperature and space for your crickets.