Live food care sheet

Crickets are nutritionally the best staple diet for any reptile. It is possible to keep them alive for a long time and make sure they are full of flavour by the time they are served to your pet.

Housing

Cricket can be housed in plastic enclosures such as a cricket keeper. This will give them the space they require to live and will also give them the ventilation they require. Crickets do like to hide and cricket keepers come with dark tubes that the crickets will climb into. You can also use cardboard tubes or egg crates. No additional decor or substrate is required as this will only hinder your cleaning regime.

Food

It's important to feed your crickets for two reasons:

1. To keep your crickets alive, healthy and active

2. Anything your cricket eats, your reptile will in turn eat. This is called gut loading.

Crickets should be fed a mixture of fresh vegetation and commercially available cricket foods. Crickets foods, such as Bug Grub, are loaded with vitamins and minerals that will be passed on to your pet. Always make sure food is available in their enclosure.

Water

Crickets will die of dehydration before starvation. It is crucial to keeping them alive to offer them a source of water. Crickets will drown in a water bowl so a Bug Gel is a great alternative. Crickets will drink from the gel with no risk of drowning. A small blob of gel in a bottle cap is sufficient.

Maintenance

Daily, check your crickets have sufficient food and water gel available. When you have used all of your crickets, clean out the enclosure using a disinfectant and give yourself a pat on the back for being a great reptile keeper.

Feeding

Lightly dust the crickets in a vitamin and mineral supplement like Nutrabal. Offer as many crickets as your reptile will eat in one sitting. Ask us for advice if you are unsure which size crickets to feed.

Locusts are active insects and reptiles love them! They are not as nutritional as crickets but you can care for them to make sure your pet gets the most out of them.

Housing

Locusts can be housed in plastic enclosures such as a cricket keeper. This will give them the space they require to live and will also give them the ventilation they require. If you want to grow the locusts to a very large size when they have wings then a larger enclosure may be needed. Locusts do like to hide and cricket keepers come with dark tubes that the crickets will climb into. You can also use cardboard tubes or egg crate. No additional decor or substrate is required as this will only hinder your cleaning regime. Locusts will grow faster at higher temperatures so if you want really large locusts then use a heat mat.

Food

It's important to feed your locusts for two reasons:

1. To keep your locusts alive, healthy and active

2. Anything your locusts eat, your reptile will in turn eat. This is called gut loading.

Locusts should be fed a mixture of fresh vegetation and commercially available cricket foods. Crickets foods, such as Bug Grub, are loaded with vitamins and minerals that will be passed on to your pet. Always make sure food is available in their enclosure as locusts do eat a lot.

Water

Locusts will die of dehydration before starvation. It is crucial to keeping them alive to offer them a source of water. Locusts can drown in a water bowl so a Bug Gel is a great alternative. Locusts will drink from the gel with no risk of drowning. A small blob of gel in a bottle cap is sufficient.

Maintenance

Daily, check your locusts have sufficient food and water gel available. When you have used all of your locusts, clean out the enclosure using a disinfectant and give yourself a pat on the back for being a great reptile keeper.

Feeding

Lightly dust the crickets in a vitamin and mineral supplement like Nutrabal. Offer as many crickets as your reptile will eat in one sitting. Ask us for advice if you are unsure which size crickets to feed.