Keeping crickets

[jacob bott]

So I got my first tarantula about 1 week ago and I got a mexican red knee. I have fed it twice since then. Im gonna start keeping my crickets in a small tank and gut load them. I was wondering how many crickets I put in it first and how often I should get more crickets for the tank. I also was wondering if they will start breeding and how I can make it so they will breed more often. what should I feed them for them to be gutloaded good. Also if your wondering, my tarantula is around 4' and is unsexed. Thanks

 

[kormath]

crickets aren't very good feeders. they only live about 8 weeks from pinhead to adult, if they survive that long, They tend to smother themselves by grouping up to hide. a 4" T would eat 3-5 large crickets feeding it once a week, large crickets won't live more than a couple/few weeks so a dozen may survive long enough to feed them all off.

You'd do better with roaches, they live lots longer, less maintenance, and better feeders (more nutritious). Dubia and lateralis are the top feeder roaches. Gut load them like you would a cricket. They'll breed easily (depending where you live, you may need to provide heat and moisture), and they can't climb slick surfaces, so a sterlite tub or similar is cheap and easy to keep them in.

 

[jacob bott]

crickets aren't very good feeders. they only live about 8 weeks from pinhead to adult, if they survive that long, They tend to smother themselves by grouping up to hide. a 4" T would eat 3-5 large crickets feeding it once a week, large crickets won't live more than a couple/few weeks so a dozen may survive long enough to feed them all off.

You'd do better with roaches, they live lots longer, less maintenance, and better feeders (more nutritious). Dubia and lateralis are the top feeder roaches. Gut load them like you would a cricket. They'll breed easily (depending where you live, you may need to provide heat and moisture), and they can't climb slick surfaces, so a sterlite tub or similar is cheap and easy to keep them in.

Okay thank you

 

[Metalman2004]

I'd say for one T breeding crickets is overkill. My Ts refuse tonest dubias so when my collection was smaller I'd just buy a dozen and keep them in a small critter keeper as I fed them off then I'd get more. Now that my collection has grown I buy large packages of banded crickets from Josh's Frogs through Amazon. I keep them in an old aquarium that came with a Craigslist carrier.