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THE COMPLETE CRICKET
BREEDING MANUAL Page
Foreword .................................................................................................. 6
PART 1- CHOOSING A BREEDING METHOD AND INTRODUCTION
1.0 Introduction
1.1 How to Use This Manual .............................................................. 9
1.2 Which Breeding System do I Choose ........................................... 10
1.3 Benefits of Breeding Crickets ....................................................... 12
1.4 Conversions ................................................................................... 15
2.0 Cricket Biology
2.1 Species Selection .......................................................................... 16
2.2 Anatomy ........................................................................................ 18
2.3 Biology and Behaviour .................................................................. 19
PART 2- GENERAL TECHNIQUES (FOR BOTH BREEDING METHODS)
3.0 Container Design and Construction
3.1 Choosing a Container ..................................................................... 23
3.2 Lids ................................................................................................ 24 3.3 Ventilation ...................................................................................... 25
3.4 Feeding Port ................................................................................... 26
3.5 Screening........................................................................................ 26
3.6 Barrier Cream ................................................................................. 27
3.7 Component Set-up ......................................................................... 28
3.8 How to Make a Cricket Container ................................................. 29
4.0 Food and Water Requirements
4.1 Food and Water Components ......................................................... 40
4.2 Dry Food- Nutrition and Processing .............................................. 41
4.3 Wet Food- Nutrition and Processing .............................................. 45
4.4 Dusting and Gut Loading ............................................................... 47
4.5 Feeding Crickets to Animals .......................................................... 48
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5.0 Making Food and Water Dispensers
5.1 Design Considerations for Food
and Water Dispensers..................................................................... 54
5.2 Making a Food Tray ....................................................................... 55
5.3 Small Scale Food Dispenser .......................................................... 56
5.4 Large Scale Food Dispenser .......................................................... 59
5.5 Large Scale Water Dispenser ......................................................... 65
5.6 Large Scale Water Dispenser using Pebbles .................................. 71
6.0 Heating and Storage
6.1 Heating ........................................................................................... 75
6.2 Humidity ........................................................................................ 76
6.3 Heating Systems ............................................................................. 77
6.4 Reducing Heating Costs ................................................................. 80
6.5 Estimating Heating Costs ............................................................... 82
6.6 Managing Excessive Heat .............................................................. 83
6.7 Storage of Colony .......................................................................... 83
7.0 Maintenance and Pest Management
7.1 Cleaning ......................................................................................... 85
7.2 Pests ............................................................................................... 91
7.3 Genetics.......................................................................................... 95
7.4 Safety ............................................................................................. 96
8.0 Grading and Selling Crickets
8.1 Grading by Size .............................................................................. 98
8.2 Estimating Cricket numbers ........................................................... 102
8.3 Packaging and Transport ................................................................ 106
8.4 Economics ...................................................................................... 110
8.5 Marketing ....................................................................................... 113
8.6 Record Keeping ............................................................................. 115
PART 3- SMALL SCALE CRICKET BREEDING
9.0 Zega Substrate Breeding System (Small Scale Production)
9.1 Summary of Breeding Method ....................................................... 118
9.2 How to Make a Zega Substrate Breeding System .......................... 120
9.3 Management of a Substrate System ............................................... 128
9.4 Cleaning a Substrate System .......................................................... 129
9.5 Maintenance of a Substrate System ............................................... 131
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PART 4- LARGE SCALE CRICKET BREEDING
10.0 Batch Breeding System (Large Scale Production)
10.1 Summary of Breeding Method ....................................................... 135
10.2 How to Make a Batch System ........................................................ 137
10.3 Food and Water Dispenser for a
Pinhead Grow Out Container ......................................................... 147
10.4 Management of a Batch System ..................................................... 151
10.5 Pests for a Batch System ................................................................ 152
10.6 Cleaning a Batch System ............................................................... 156
10.7 Maintenance of a Batch System ..................................................... 158
LIST OF TABLES AND DIAGRAMS
Part 1- Choosing a Breeding Method and Introduction
Table 1- Advantages and Disadvantages between
Breeding Crickets and Cockroaches ................................. 13
Table 2- Conversion between Imperial
and Metric Units .............................................................. 15
Diagram 2.3- Anatomy of a Cricket ....................................................... 18
Part 2- General Techniques- For Both Breeding Methods
Table 3- Growth Rates .................................................................... 21
Figure 3.3- Air Flow through a Container ........................................... 25
Table 4- Design Summary for Constructing a
Container- Efficient Method ............................................. 30
Table 5- Detailed Instructions Constructing a
Container- Efficient Method ............................................. 33
Table 6- Nutritional Comparison between
Different Dry Food Types ................................................. 42
Table 7- Making a Food Tray .......................................................... 55
Table 8 How to Make a Small Scale
Food Dispenser ................................................................. 56
Table 9- Making a Large Scale Food Disperser .............................. 60
Table 10- Making a Large Scale Water Dispenser ............................ 65
Table 11- Making a Large Scale Water
Dispenser with Pebbles ..................................................... 72
Table 12- Temperature Ranges for Crickets ...................................... 75
Table 13- Cleaning Food and Water Dispensers ............................... 85
Table 14- Making an Ant Guard for Power Cords............................. 94
Table 15- Grading Crickets ................................................................ 98
Table 16- Counting Crickets- Large Scale ........................................ 103
Table 17- Transport Methods.............................................................. 107
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Part 3- Small Scale Cricket Breeding
Figure 9.1- Diagrammatic Representation
of a Substrate Breeding System ......................................... 118
Table 18- How to Make a Substrate System ....................................... 122
Table 19- Removal of Detritus from a
Substrate System ................................................................ 129
Table 20- Maintenance Schedule for a
Substrate System ................................................................ 132
Part 4- Large Scale Cricket Breeding
Figure 10.1- Diagram of a Batch Breeding System ................................ 136
Table 21- Summary of a Batch Breeding System ............................... 138
Table 22- Detailed Instructions to Make a
Batch System ..................................................................... 141
Table 23- How to Make Food and Water Dispenser
for a Pinhead Grow out Container .................................... 147
Table 24- Cleaning a Batch System (No Substrate) .......................... 156
Table 25- Maintenance Schedule for a
Batch System ..................................................................... 158
Glossary .................................................................................................... 161
Appendix 1 Example Marketing Brochure ...................................... 163
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FOREWORD From a young age I had a fascination with wildlife, especially reptiles and insectivorous
animals. This curiosity led me to become a biologist and to have a passion for keeping
and breeding native wildlife. I started breeding crickets to reduce my expenses at the pet
store associated with wildlife rescue and reptile keeping.
For example one of my passions is
rehabilitating marsupial carnivores called
quolls (Australia’s native cat- Refer to
photo 1.1). Quolls have an insatiable
appetite for live foods, with a single
animal eating a pet bought container of
crickets every second day. It quickly
became apparent that keeping a family of
Quolls over a period of many months was
an expensive exercise.
To add to my hip pocket woes, were a
growing number of pet monitor and dragon lizards. Like most people in today’s busy
lifestyle I didn’t have the time to scrimmage through the garden looking for insects…and
then there’s the potential risk of pesticides! The solution was to breed crickets and
cockroaches myself. The only problem was that I had a full time job, a young family and
not nearly enough time to breed crickets in the way described in brief and incomplete
internet blogs. Over time I developed techniques which greatly streamlined the process
and now breeding crickets can be done with around the same amount of effort as
cockroaches. After a while it became apparent that many people require a regular and fresh
supply of live foods and I was soon being approached by wildlife parks, pet stores, wildlife
rescue members, vets and the general public. This led me to breed them on a small to
medium scale for many years and to a wide range of clients.
Breeding crickets is an ongoing experiment to find better and more efficient methods. If
you have tips or experiences to share, please do not hesitate to pass on this information,
for the benefit of all reptile and wildlife enthusiasts. To get you started all you need to do
is follow steps 1 thought to 4 as outlined in the following section (Section 1.1- How to
Use This Manual). Above all have fun, and I hope you and your animals enjoy a productive
and successful breeding cricket colony!
Glenn Kvassay
Bachelor of Applied
Science (Biology)
1.1 Northern Quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus)
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PART 1-
CHOOSING A
BREEDING METHOD
AND INTRODUCTION CHAPTERS 1-2
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
A plentiful and fresh supply of live food is the cornerstone of keeping healthy and happy
insectivorous animals. Many of you will know the thrill of providing live food to your
animals, and seeing how they benefit both physically and mentally.
Sadly for the consumer, purchasing crickets from a pet store is expensive and often results
in the disappointing experience of purchasing dead or dying crickets. Many people attempt
to breed crickets but often fail over the long term, due to the demanding maintenance
required by conventional methods.
With the systems and techniques
contained in this manual you will be able
to produce large amounts of crickets
inexpensively, consistently and with
minimal effort (around the same effort as
cockroaches). This manual will benefit
people who wish to:
Reduce costs associated with
providing live food for insectivorous
animals such as reptiles, frogs, arachnids
(spiders, scorpions) and fish.
Produce an additional income
by selling directly to the general public,
pet stores and wildlife parks etc.
Pet stores/wildlife parks and
zoos which wish to breed crickets to
reduce operating costs.
Wildlife rescue carers who require large quantities of crickets to feed insectivorous
mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.
Wildlife rescue groups that wish to raise money and provide inexpensive feeder
crickets for their members or as a fund raiser.
Crickets are now found in gourmet restaurants and are bred as a mainstream food
source in Asia.
University and research Institutes
Fishermen
Crickets are prolific breeders which lend themselves to being bred for commercial
production. With a little extra effort, you may wish to add extra containers and sell excess
stock to the public and turn an expense into an income. In developing this manual a
number of options are provided from simple set ups suitable for small collections to more
elaborate systems suitable for commercial production.
1.2 The greatest benefit of breeding crickets
is a healthy animal and a happy owner.
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Below is a summary of the information contained in this manual:
Systems which minimise maintenance in conjunction with automated
feeding/watering devices.
Efficient container design, which is durable, maximises growth rates, and saves time
in maintenance and feeding activities.
Innovative breeding methods which for the first time allow crickets to be bred with
significantly less maintenance, without offensive odours and similar amount of effort
as cockroaches.
Plenty of tips on how to save time, effort and money through energy conservation or
efficient food storage and processing.
Details how to manage a commercial colony from breeding through to dispatch,
transport and marketing.
Plenty of tips to make the dispatch of crickets to your animals with minimal effort.
This manual is an accumulation of years of experience and experimentation which will
provide you with a short cut to successful cricket breeding.
1.1 HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL
It is said that “A Picture Paints a Thousand Words”. Throughout the manual we have
provided more than, 230 photos, tables and diagrams to help you visualise our systems.
This manual has a lot of information which relates to both private and commercial
production. We have separated small and large scale production methods (into different
Parts) so you won’t need to read all sections, just sections relevant to you.
To do this is as simple as following steps 1 through to 4, as outlined below:
Step 1 (Part 1)- Choosing a Breeding Method and Introduction
This book covers two breeding methods, one for small scale production (Zega Substrate
Breeding System) and another for large scale production (Batch Breeding System). The
first step is to read the following section (Section 1.2-Which Breeding System do I
Choose”) and determine which method is best for you.
Step 2 (Part 2)- General Techniques (For both Breeding Systems)
As the name suggests, these are general techniques that are applicable to both small and
large scale breeding methods. Part 2 should be read by everyone.
Step 3 (Part 3)- Small Scale Breeding (Zega Substrate Breeding System)
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Read this section only if you are a small scale breeder (includes small scale commercial).
If you are a large scale producer, skip this section and read Part 4 instead.
Step 4 (Part 4)- Large Scale Breeding (Batch Breeding System)
Read this section only if you are a large scale breeder. If you are a small scale breeder,
skip this section and read Part 3 instead.
Author’s Recommendation
Where multiple options are provided for a method, look out for this symbol which shows
the authors preferred method and would be a good starting point for most people.
To cover all skill levels from beginner to advanced, we have included both “Basic” and
“Efficient Methods”.
Basic Method
These conventional methods are not necessarily the most efficient or durable options,
however they are quick and easy to construct. This is a good starting point for beginners,
who can then move to more efficient method at a later time.
Efficient Method- Overview
People who wish to build more advanced techniques that are durable, productive with
lower maintenance, should refer to the “Efficient Method” sections. These sections are
essential for commercial production. They may involve a little extra effort upfront,
however they will repay this extra effort many times over. The “Efficient Method-
Overview” provides an overview of the process. Tables relating to these sections have a
green background colour for quick reference.
Efficient Method- Detailed Instructions
These sections provide detailed instructions for the “Efficient Method”. They are very
descriptive and provide a tried and tested formula to save you effort with unnecessary
experimentation. Tables which relate to these sections have an orange background colour
for quick reference.
If in doubt, just refer to the photos…
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1.2 WHICH BREEDING SYSTEM DO I CHOOSE
Many people unwittingly provide too many insects to their animals, when most species do
better when you alternate their diet with fresh fruit/vegetables/meats and occasional
fasting. As insects are high in fats and energy this can result in overweight and
malnourished animals (common with bearded dragons). Be sure to familiarize yourself
with the correct eating requirements of the species you are feeding. Once you know how
often your animal requires insects, you can work out how many crickets they require per
week.
As outlined above there are two cricket breeding methods to choose from as outlined
below.
1) Substrate Breeding System (Private use and Small Scale Commercial)- Part 3
(Chapter 9)
Each substrate breeding container will generate approximately 1 pet bought container
of crickets per week (approximately 33 large crickets/container).
The waste wet food generated from an average family (two adults, two kids) can
produce sufficient crickets to support 4 substrate breeding containers. Additional
containers will require wet food supplementation. Four containers will feed
approximately 3 to 12 adult bearded dragons (depending on cricket consumption rate
chosen)- Refer to Section 8.4 (Economics) for further details.
I would recommend this system for someone who wants to breed up to 4-6 pet bought
containers of crickets per week (6 containers-approximately 200 large crickets/week).
This equates to approximately 800 large crickets/month. More containers can be
added as required to meet needs. Larger quantities of crickets I would recommend
using a Batch Breeding System.
Six substrate breeding containers can fit into a 1.0m wide, 1.7m high, 0.6m deep (3.28
feet wide, 5.58 high, 2.0 deep) stacked shelving (3 shelves above each other, two
containers on each shelf)- Refer to photo 6.3.
Further details of this system including advantages and disadvantages are outline in
Chapter 9.0 (Zega Substrate Breeding System).
2) Batch Breeding System (Medium to Large Scale Commercial Production)- Part
4 (Chapter 10.0)
Where you want to produce more than 800-1000 large crickets per month I would
generally recommend the Batch Breeding System.
This system is very productive producing more than 3 times the number of crickets
per breeding container (6 containers produce approximately 700 large crickets per
week) however it is more labor intensive, involves more components and needs to be
actively managed.
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Further details of this system including advantages and disadvantages are outline in
Chapter 10.0 (Batch Breeding System).