Brown Crickets ( Acheta domestica ): a favourite foodstuff !
Commercial live-food producer Rob Porter discusses the merits of an insect that has enjoyed prolonged popularity with herpers around the world .
The Brown Cricket has been the mainstay of reptile and amphibian food production internationally for decades , since its development as a commercial bait item for anglers . This situation changed dramatically in the European market about 10 years ago when almost every colony began to be affected by a mysterious virus that all but wiped out the entire commercial production over a short space of time . Despite valiant efforts , the pathogen then spread to the US market where the same thing occurred . Luckily , alternative cricket species existed in both of these live-food markets , and these could be turned to in order to maintain supply to the ever-growing herpetological pet industry . Thankfully , Australia ’ s strict quarantine protocols have ensured that , to date , this virus has not reached our shores . The effects would be widereaching and long-lasting given that there are no other species of crickets that are established commercially in this country .
Hopefully , our brown cricket colonies will remain healthy and productive , as they are the single most popular live food in Australia for a wide range of captive mammals , birds , reptiles , amphibians , fish and invertebrates . There are many reasons why brown crickets are favoured : they are available in a range of sizes ( from hatchlings through to fully-grown adults ); they are relatively cheap and very nutritious ; and they are robust and easy to handle . On top of this , crickets are palatable and attractive to a wide range of species ; their movements and behaviours are good for stimulating a feeding response ; and they tend not to immediately bolt for cover when introduced into an enclosure , which means that the normal inhabitants have more opportunity to locate and capture their next meal .
With all these benefits , why don ’ t we just feed our animals on crickets alone ? The truth is that although there are some potential disadvantages , much of the bad press received by crickets is ( at least partly ) unwarranted . A common complaint we hear is that crickets are noisy and smelly . Once they have passed through their final moult , all adult male crickets will sing ( the correct term is stridulation , and the noise is produced by rubbing the wings together ). This will occur regardless of whether there are many males or just one . Some people like the sound and find it soothing ( we did have one customer who wanted to buy a small number for his bedroom to sing him to sleep at night !), while others find its persistency annoying . If you are in the latter category , just buy medium crickets , as these have yet to go through the final moult and are completely silent .
When it comes to smell , any group of living organisms maintained in a confined space will produce some type of odour . This is exacerbated by overcrowding and restricted ventilation . Crickets are no different , however , a healthy , wellmaintained box of crickets with adequate space and good air circulation will not produce an overly powerful smell - and if
Left : brown crickets are available in a range of sizes , and are the single most popular live food in Australia for a wide variety of captive animals . Top right : it is essential to transfer your crickets to a suitable holding box as soon as possible . All images courtesy Livefoods Unlimited .