Breeding and Raising the House Cricket  by Ian Hallet with photos by David Pickering

The house cricket Achetus domesticus is a staple and nutritious food for many herp species. The following article outlines a method for cricket raising which has been developed over the past years in order to provide a constant supply of small and large crickets.

 
Breeding Isopod, Pillbug, Sow Bug  (Rolley Pollies) If you have both sexes, isopods will reproduce quickly. Eggs and embryos are stored in the female's brood pouch...
 
Breeding Mealworms Mealworms are very easy to rear. These are simple instructions on establishing a colony. Mealworms page two has photos and more information.
 
Breeding Superworms Zophobas morios a larger but very similar feeder to the mealworm. They are different from mealworms in care and are also lower in chitin (the hard exoskeleton) than mealworms making it easier for your reptiles to digest.
 
Breeding Waxworms  Breeding instructions for waxworms Galleria mellonella including photographs by Kenneth K. Uy.  
 
Breeding Woodies One of the best but most under appreciated insects in terms of food value, maintenance and ease of breeding has to be the Nauphoeta cinerea or as most people in refer to it, the Woody.

 
Gutload Recipe NUTRITIONALLY COMPLETE DRY CRICKET DIET or GUTLOAD created specifically to enhance your chameleon's health
 
Nutritional Values of Specified Insects

 

Notes on Feeder Insects by Wendell Morrill, Ph. D.

Chameleon food can be supplemented with wild caught insects during the summer.... Not all moths are acceptable to chameleons.  For example... 
 

Obtaining, Feeding, and Supplementing Methods of Obtaining Feeder Insects, Methods of Feeding, and Vitamin supplementation
 

Chirp Chat Interesting and fun facts and stories about crickets. 

 
Roach Coach Interesting and fun facts and stories about roaches
 

Find the Bug game
 
ALS Beginners Guide to Moth TrappingLink will open in a new window. (This is a 415K PDF file) Anyone able to handle a saw can cheaply build his or her own moth trap.  The basic plans for construction are included.
 
Insect Videos

spider food

 

 

 

 

An escaped achetus domesticus gets eaten anyway by a stray Agelenopsis aperta. House crickets Achetus domesticus are readily available and reasonably priced. They're also easily gutloaded, making them an excellent primary choice.

mealwormMealworms can be kept in a large plastic container, with air holes punched in the top. You should cover the mealworms with a thick layer of wheat middling to provide bedding and a food source.

 

superworm

Superworms are similar to mealworms but larger.

waxwormWaxworms Galleria mellonella are soft-bodied fat grubs and make an excellent complement to your pet's diet.

             

walking stickNorthern Walking Stick Diapheromera femorata is one of the most common species of walking stick in the United States.
 
roachDespite their uncanny resemblance to German cockroaches, Nauphoeta cinerea  or woodies carry no diseases and prefer to live outside under dead wood.
pillbug

Pillbugs, also known as sowbugs, roley pollies, or woodlice are correctly classified as terrestrial Isopods, and belong to the Class Crustacea which are part of a larger group, Arthropoda, or jointed-legged animals.

  

Breeding Other Insect Instructions

Breeding StickbugsLink will open in a new window. Various Species

Breeding StickbugsLink will open in a new window. Various Species

Breeding RoachesLink will open in a new window. (if you're interested)

Breeding MantidsLink will open in a new window. Sphodromantis lineola

Feeder Insect Links

www.herpfood.comLink will open in a new window. (Reptile Depot) very reasonable prices

www.nyworms.comLink will open in a new window. GOOD SELECTION

Ed's Fly Meat IncLink will open in a new window.. feeder insects
www.wormman.comLink will open in a new window.  reasonable prices

http://www.suekayton.com/silk.htmLink will open in a new window.  great silkworm info

Fluker FarmsLink will open in a new window. Crickets, mealworms and more dealer and Info  
Top Hat Cricket FarmLink will open in a new window.Dealer and Info

http://www.bugwood.org/Link will open in a new window.  not really a feeder insect supplier, data on various insects
http://www.southerncricket.com/Link will open in a new window.  Great prices on all of the typical feeders
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/7649/wlice.htm Link will open in a new window.wood lice, pill bugs, rolly poly
http://www.mulberryfarms.comLink will open in a new window. Silkworms, hornworm, orangehead roaches - info and dealer
https://coastalsilkworms.com/catalog/index.phpLink will open in a new window. Silkworms, hornworms, information, and more
http://www.recorpinc.com/index.htmlLink will open in a new window.RECORP Inc. is Canada’s foremost supplier of Live Pet Food
http://www.flyculture.netLink will open in a new window.We produce the more uncommon wingless variety.
http://www.arbico-organics.com/Link will open in a new window.Praying mantids pods and other good stuff
www.timberlinefisheries.comLink will open in a new window. Easy Water. The easy way to provide feeder insects with fresh, clean water.
http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/HomePage.aspxLink will open in a new window. The Orthoptera Species File is a taxonomic database of the world's Orthoptera (grasshoppers, locusts, katydids and crickets), both living and fossil. It has full synonymic and taxonomic information for more than 24,250 valid species, 40,800 taxonomic names, 151,800 citations to 12,100 references, 54,900 images, 186 sound recordings, 39,900 specimens, and keys to 2,500 taxa.
http://phasmida.speciesfile.org/HomePage.aspxLink will open in a new window. The Phasmida Species File (PSF) is a taxonomic database of the world's Phasmida (stick and leaf insects, known as walking sticks and walking leaves in the U.S.). It contains full synonymic and taxonomic information for over 3,400 valid species and over 4,300 taxonomic names (all ranks, valid and not valid). There are over 24,000 citations to references. There are also images for many species.
http://lis.snv.jussieu.fr/flow/Link will open in a new window. The FLOW (Fulgoromorpha Lists On the WEB) Project is an on-line database on planthoppers (Hemiptera, Fulgoromorpha). Its goal is to permit entomologists and other interested people an easy access to a synthesis of available biological published data on this group.

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