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How to Store Crickets for Reptiles & Feeding to Keep Them Alive
Ashok Gahlot (Updated: Jun 18, 2026)
Feeder crickets can be a useful food source for many insect-eating reptiles, but they die quickly when they are left in a shipping bag, kept too cold, overcrowded, or given unsafe water sources. The best way to store live crickets is to move them into a ventilated cricket keeper or plastic bin, give them hiding space, keep them warm, and provide food and safe hydration.
Quick AnswerStore feeder crickets in a well-ventilated cricket keeper, plastic tub, or tank at room temperature, ideally in a warm area away from direct sun and cold drafts. Add egg cartons or cardboard tubes for hiding space, provide dry food plus moisture from cricket gel or fresh vegetables, and avoid open water bowls because crickets can drown. Do not keep live crickets in their shipping bag or in the refrigerator for long-term storage. |
In this guide, you’ll learn how to store crickets for reptiles, what to feed crickets to keep them alive, how to hydrate them safely, how gut-loading works, and why feeder crickets often die so quickly after purchase.
Best Way to Store Live Crickets for Reptiles
The best way to store live crickets is to set up a simple holding habitat before you bring them home. Crickets need air flow, warmth, food, safe moisture, and enough space to spread out.
1. Move Crickets Out of the Shipping Bag
Pet store bags and shipping containers are only temporary. Once the crickets arrive, transfer them into a clean cricket keeper, plastic storage bin, or glass tank with a secure ventilated lid. A larger container reduces crowding and gives crickets more surface area to climb and hide.
2. Use a Ventilated Container
Ventilation is one of the most important parts of cricket storage. A container with mesh, air holes, or a ventilated lid helps reduce moisture buildup, odor, and mold. Make sure the openings are small enough that crickets cannot escape.
3. Add Egg Cartons or Cardboard Tubes
Add egg cartons, cardboard tubes, or paper towel rolls inside the container. These give crickets hiding places and increase the usable surface area. This can reduce stress, crowding, and cannibalism.
4. Keep the Cricket Habitat Dry but Not Dehydrated
The container should not be wet or swampy. Too much moisture can lead to mold and die-off. Instead, keep the habitat dry while providing moisture through cricket gel, water crystals, a damp sponge, or moisture-rich vegetables.
5. Keep Crickets Warm and Stable
House crickets complete their life cycle in about two to three months when reared at 80°F to 90°F, according to the University of Florida IFAS Extension. For home storage, keep feeder crickets in a warm, stable room and avoid cold drafts, direct sunlight, or overheating. Source: University of Florida IFAS Extension
| Storage Factor | Best Practice | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Container | Cricket keeper, plastic bin, or tank | Gives crickets space and prevents quick die-off from crowding. |
| Ventilation | Mesh lid or small air holes | Helps prevent moisture buildup, odor, and mold. |
| Hiding space | Egg cartons or cardboard rolls | Reduces stress and gives crickets more surface area. |
| Hydration | Cricket gel, water crystals, damp sponge, or vegetables | Keeps crickets hydrated without the drowning risk of open water. |
| Cleaning | Remove dead crickets and old food often | Reduces odor, mold, bacteria, and cannibalism. |
Can You Put Live Crickets in the Fridge?
No, you should not store live feeder crickets in the fridge for long-term care. Cold temperatures can slow crickets down, but they can also stress or kill them. For regular reptile feeding, keep live crickets in a ventilated container at room temperature or in a warm, stable area.
Canned crickets are different from live crickets. If you use canned crickets, follow the storage instructions on the product label after opening.
What to Feed Crickets to Keep Them Alive
Crickets need food available regularly, but the food should not be allowed to rot in the enclosure. A mix of dry food and fresh moisture-rich foods works well for short-term feeder cricket care.
Best Foods for Feeder Crickets
- Commercial cricket food or gut-load: A simple option designed for feeder insects.
- Oats, wheat bran, or cornmeal: Useful dry foods that are easy to keep in the enclosure.
- Carrots and sweet potatoes: Provide moisture and nutrients while staying firmer than many fruits.
- Leafy greens: Can be offered in small amounts and replaced before they wilt or mold.
- Apples or oranges: Can provide moisture, but remove leftovers quickly to prevent mold.
Foods to Use Carefully
Do not leave soft, wet foods in the cricket container for too long. Moldy food can quickly ruin a cricket habitat. If you use fruits or vegetables, replace them daily or sooner if they become soft, dirty, or moldy.
How Often Should You Feed Crickets?
Check feeder crickets daily. Keep a small amount of dry food available and add fresh vegetables or fruit as needed for moisture. Remove old food before it spoils.
Do Crickets Need Water?
Yes, crickets need moisture to survive, but open water bowls are risky because crickets can drown. Safe hydration is one of the easiest ways to keep feeder crickets alive longer.
Safe Hydration Options
- Cricket gel: Provides moisture without an open water surface.
- Water crystals: Hold water in a safer form for feeder insects.
- Damp sponge: Can work if it is kept clean and replaced often.
- Fresh vegetables: Carrots, leafy greens, and sweet potatoes can add moisture.
Hydration Tips
- Avoid open water bowls because crickets can drown.
- Keep hydration sources clean.
- Remove wet foods before they mold.
- Replace dirty gel, crystals, or sponges regularly.
What Is Gut-Loading for Reptiles?
Gut-loading means feeding crickets nutrient-rich foods before offering them to reptiles. This helps improve the nutritional value of the feeder insect. The MSD Veterinary Manual notes that the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of many reptile food items is inadequate and recommends adding a calcium-containing mineral supplement to insect feed before insects are fed to reptiles. Source: MSD Veterinary Manual
When to Gut-Load Crickets
Many reptile keepers gut-load crickets for 24 to 48 hours before feeding. For calcium support, follow your veterinarian’s guidance and the directions on any commercial gut-load or mineral supplement you use.
Good Gut-Loading Foods
- Commercial gut-load products
- Dark leafy greens
- Carrots
- Sweet potatoes
- Squash
- High-quality dry cricket food
Simple Homemade Cricket Food Mix
A homemade dry mix can help keep feeder crickets alive, but it should not replace a proper reptile-focused gut-load if your goal is to improve the nutritional value of crickets before feeding them to reptiles.
| Ingredient | Amount | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Ground oats | 1 cup | Dry base food |
| Wheat bran | 1 cup | Fiber and carbohydrates |
| Cornmeal | 1 cup | Energy source |
| Commercial gut-load product | As directed | Reptile-focused nutrition before feeding |
| Carrot or sweet potato pieces | Small amount | Moisture and nutrients |
| Leafy greens | Small amount | Fresh food and hydration |
Mix the dry ingredients and store them in an airtight container. Add fresh vegetables separately inside the cricket habitat and remove them before they spoil.
Cricket Keeper Setup for Reptile Feeding
A good cricket keeper setup does not need to be complicated. The goal is to create a clean, ventilated, escape-proof space where crickets can hide, eat, and stay hydrated.
Container
Use a plastic tub, cricket keeper, or glass tank with a secure lid. The container should be large enough that the crickets are not piled on top of each other.
Ventilation
Use a mesh lid or small air holes to keep fresh air moving through the enclosure. Poor ventilation can cause moisture buildup and odor.
Hiding Space
Place egg cartons, cardboard rolls, or folded cardboard inside the container. This gives crickets places to climb and hide.
Food and Hydration Area
Keep dry food in one area and moisture sources in another. This helps reduce mess and makes it easier to remove spoiled food.
Cleaning Schedule
- Remove dead crickets daily.
- Remove old fruits and vegetables before they mold.
- Replace dirty hydration sources regularly.
- Clean the full container weekly or whenever odor builds up.
How Long Do Feeder Crickets Live?
How long feeder crickets live depends on their age when purchased and how they are stored. House crickets complete their full life cycle in about two to three months at 80°F to 90°F, but purchased feeder crickets are often already partly grown. With proper storage, many feeder crickets can survive long enough for regular reptile feeding, but poor ventilation, cold temperatures, dehydration, and overcrowding can cause them to die quickly.
What to do when Crickets are Dying Fast?
If your crickets keep dying soon after purchase, the problem is usually related to storage conditions. Use this checklist to troubleshoot the most common issues.
| Problem | What Happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No ventilation | Moisture, odor, and poor air quality build up. | Use a mesh lid or ventilated container. |
| Too much moisture | Mold and bacteria can grow quickly. | Keep the habitat dry and remove wet foods. |
| No safe water source | Crickets dehydrate. | Use cricket gel, water crystals, vegetables, or a clean damp sponge. |
| Open water bowl | Crickets may drown. | Use gel, crystals, or vegetables instead. |
| Overcrowding | Crickets become stressed and may die or eat each other. | Use a larger container with egg cartons. |
| Cold storage | Crickets slow down and may die. | Keep live crickets in a warm, stable room. |
Basic Biology and Life Cycle of Crickets
The house cricket, Acheta domesticus, is one of the cricket species commonly associated with pet food and bait. Crickets go through three basic life stages: egg, nymph, and adult.
- Egg: Female crickets lay eggs in damp substrate, such as sand or peat moss.
- Nymph: Nymphs look like smaller adults but do not have fully developed wings.
- Adult: Adult crickets are active, winged, and capable of reproduction.
For reptile owners, the most important takeaway is simple: feeder crickets do best when kept warm, ventilated, fed, hydrated, and clean.
Can You Breed Crickets at Home?
You can breed crickets at home, but it requires more setup than short-term feeder cricket storage. Breeding usually requires a warm container, adult crickets, food, hydration, and a separate moist egg-laying area. If your goal is simply to keep feeder crickets alive for reptiles, focus first on proper storage, hydration, and cleaning.
Helpful Cricket Feeding Products
The right products can make cricket care easier, especially if you feed reptiles regularly. You can also browse the full reptile food collection for live, canned, and prepared feeding options.
- Ovipost Banded Adult Live Feed Crickets: A live feeder option for reptiles and other insect-eating pets from Ovipost.
- Zoo Med Can O' Crickets: A convenient canned cricket option for pet owners who do not want to maintain live crickets.
Live crickets and canned crickets should be handled differently. Live crickets need air, warmth, food, and hydration. Canned crickets should be stored according to the product label after opening.
Conclusion
Keeping feeder crickets alive is mostly about storage. Move them out of the bag, keep them in a ventilated container, give them egg cartons for hiding space, feed them regularly, and provide safe hydration without open water. Clean the habitat often and avoid cold storage.
FAQs About Storing and Feeding Crickets
Q1. How do you store crickets for reptiles?
Ans. Store crickets in a ventilated cricket keeper, plastic bin, or tank with a secure lid. Add egg cartons for hiding space, provide dry food, and use cricket gel, water crystals, or vegetables for hydration.
Q2. How do you keep feeder crickets alive longer?
Ans. Keep feeder crickets warm, dry, ventilated, and clean. Avoid overcrowding, remove dead crickets, replace spoiled food, and provide safe hydration without open water bowls.
Q3. What do crickets eat in captivity?
Ans. Crickets can eat commercial cricket food, oats, wheat bran, cornmeal, carrots, sweet potatoes, leafy greens, and small amounts of fruit. Remove fresh foods before they mold.
Q4. Do crickets need water?
Ans. Yes. Crickets need moisture, but open water bowls can cause drowning. Use cricket gel, water crystals, a clean damp sponge, or moisture-rich vegetables instead.
Q5. Can you put crickets in the fridge?
Ans. Do not store live feeder crickets in the fridge for long-term care. Cold temperatures can stress or kill them. Keep live crickets in a warm, ventilated container instead.
Q6. How long can crickets live in a bag?
Ans. Crickets should not stay in a pet store or shipping bag longer than necessary. Move them into a ventilated container as soon as possible so they have air flow, space, food, and hydration.
Q7. Will crickets eat each other?
Ans. Yes, crickets may eat each other when they are overcrowded, stressed, dehydrated, or underfed. More space, hiding areas, food, and hydration can help reduce cannibalism.
Q8. How do you gut-load crickets for bearded dragons or geckos?
Ans. Feed crickets a nutrient-rich diet before offering them to your reptile. Use commercial gut-load products, leafy greens, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, and appropriate calcium support based on your reptile’s needs.
Well-cared-for feeder crickets are easier to manage and can be a better food source for reptiles when they are properly fed and gut-loaded. For cricket feeding options, browse reptile decor and accessories, and other reptile care products at HardyPaw Online Pet Supplies Store.
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