How to keep crickets alive
The short answer: give crickets ventilation, egg crate to climb on, dry conditions, and moisture from fresh produce — never from an open water dish. Keep them at room temperature and pick out the dead ones every day. Most cricket die-offs come from just two causes: drowning and filth.
Bin setup
Use a tall, smooth-sided plastic bin or tote with a ventilated lid — a screen or mesh lid is ideal, since crickets need airflow and a sealed lid builds up ammonia fast. Stand egg crate flats upright inside so the crickets have surface area to spread out; crowded crickets on a flat floor stress and die. No substrate is needed — a bare floor is easier to clean. Keep the bin indoors, out of direct sun.
Food and water: produce, not a dish
Feed dry cricket feed, oats, or a commercial cricket diet as the base, plus fresh produce for moisture: carrot, potato, and leafy greens all work. Replace produce daily so it doesn't mold. Never use an open water dish — crickets drown in it, including small nymphs. Water gel crystals are the other safe option. If you see crickets floating, the water source is the problem.
Temperature
Room temperature, roughly 70-80°F, is the sweet spot. Warmer than that and crickets grow faster but also die faster and smell worse; colder and they slow down and eat less. Don't store the bin in a garage that swings hot and cold — steady room temperature keeps a batch alive longest.
Cleaning: daily, not weekly
Remove dead crickets every day. Dead crickets release ammonia as they decay, and ammonia kills the living ones — a bin that isn't cleaned can cascade from a few dead to a full die-off in a day or two. Shake frass (droppings) out when you change produce. A clean bin also smells dramatically better, which matters if the bin lives in your house.
How long they last
Adult banded crickets live roughly 8 weeks, but a shipped batch is already partway through that. As a rule, buy what your pet will eat in one to two weeks, and order the next batch while the current one is still going — running out and waiting on shipping is the most common reason keepers end up at a pet store mid-week.
Order the feeders in this guide
Banded Crickets - 1,000 ct
$37.94 FREE shipping
Additional units only $28.99 each.
The classic staple feeder, bought weekly by reptile keepers everywhere. Banded crickets are hardy, active, and easy for bearded dragons, leo...
Banded Crickets - 500 ct
$17.99 FREE shipping
A smaller pack of the same staple banded crickets — a good size for one or two animals or a first order....
You order here; we place your order with the breeder, and the breeder ships direct to you. Live arrival is covered within the supplying breeder's window — see our live arrival policy. General keeper guidance only, not veterinary advice: if your animal is sick, not eating, or losing weight, see a reptile or aquatic vet.