You have probably heard of the gray cricket or encountered it at some point, either inside your house singing or outside in your garden. For some people, the gray cricket is an excellent food source for their reptilian pets and they will choose to breed them or buy them from a store. Here you will find some history on the gray cricket, as well as its nutritional content for reptiles and other pets that eat them.

History

Gray crickets, also known as house crickets or acheta domesticus, are commonly found in the United States and are often found in pet and bait stores across the country. The average life cycle of these insects usually lasts two to three months depending on your climate. Gray crickets generally need a warm environment to grow and live, which ranges from 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. They grow to about 16 to 20 millimeters long and will vary in color, but will mostly be gray, brown, or yellow. Many times their wings will cover their abdomens and they have a chirping sound characteristic of their species.

The female gray cricket or acheta domesticus will lay 50 to 100 eggs and will come to be known as nymphs. It will generally take 8-12 weeks for crickets to reach their full maturity levels. When pet stores and bait shops breed crickets, they will usually provide them with warmth, food, water, and a good place for them to lay their eggs. Crickets can be raised in stores, but can also be kept in the homes of reptilian pet owners.

nutritional content

As part of a varied diet for most reptiles and even amphibians like frogs and turtles, crickets make an excellent staple food. Most commonly, crickets are found in pet stores, bait shops, and also through online stores that breed and sell them as reptile pet food. Most stores will gut or feed your crickets high calcium each day before selling them to others to distribute to their pets. There are also powders or calcium powders that can be sprinkled on top of the crickets before consumption. These dusts or powders can also be purchased at stores that sell gray crickets for reptile diets.

Most of the nutritional content that crickets provide depends on what they are fed. In general, gray cricket contains a large amount of moisture, protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Of course, when crickets are put on a calcium diet, they provide about 21 milligrams of calcium. Since a concern most reptile and amphibian owners may have is making sure they feed their pets a diet that is high in calcium and also low in phosphorous, crickets are a great way to make sure the diet is sticking. What normally goes into the acheta domesticus.