From reptiles to tortoise, many pet animals love eating crickets. Some loves to feast on them while some like them as a treat. As a pet parent, when we buy them from store, we often struggle to understand how long cricket live in a bag?
Cricket can live in plastic bag for approximately 5 to 24 hours. This is just a reference range and it depends upon the several factors like the size of bag (container), oxygen availability in bag, total numbers of crickets and most importantly environmental temperature. Transfer crickets from bags to their habitat as soon as possible.
Plastic bag is not a natural habitat of crickets and how long they can live in a plastic bag depends upon the several factors.
Factors That Affect Life of Crickets in Plastic Bag
Temperature is one of the most crucial factor that decide the life span of cricket in bag.
Naturally, crickets can adopt well at temperature range between 80 (27 °C) to 85° F (30 °C). Anything above that can put crickets in discomfort so avoid keeping cricktes above 90° F and below 70° F.
Also, avoid exposing crickets bag to sunlight or cold weather.
If you kept the cricket bag in cold temperature, you may find that all crickets looks alike dead but usually they are not. Keep them in warm environment and in 2 to 3 hours they will come out of hibernation.
Size of bag matters too. Usually, bag doesn’t provide sufficient space for individual cricket to move and hinders ventilation. Cricket needs proper ventilation to live.
Along with ventilation some crickets like pinhead crickets require humidity which often not found on the bags especially in plastic bags.
Closed bags fall shorts on oxygen as we pack lot of crickets in small space. Remember to open up the bag time to time so that crickets get proper ventilation as well as enough oxygen.
Usually, pet store provides empty cardboard egg crate in the cricket bag. If they forgot, ask them for one. These are regular egg crates but often called as “Cricket crates”.
Cricket crates provides enough space for each cricket so that they can stay safe. Male crickets often fight with each other which can be prevented by adding egg crate in bag or any other container.
No matter whether you keep crickets in bags [we do not recommend doing so] or in other container, don’t forget to add cardboard egg crate. Apart from the space, cardboard crate can be a nice munching treat for them.
At what temperature do crickets die?
Crickets become inactive and eventually die when exposed to the temperature above 90 ° F. They can live comfortably at temperature between 80 (27 °C) to 85° F (30 °C).
How long do crickets live without food or water?
Cricket can live upto 2 weeks without water or food after which they will starve to death. When fed properly and kept in comfortable enviornment crickets can live from 8 to 10 weeks in home.
Can crickets suffocate?
Yes, crickets can suffocate when large number of crickets kept in tight container. Tiny plastic bags or old containers can contain waste products or dead crickets which will break down if not removed and will leave the ammonia gas. Accumulation of ammonia gas can suffocate live crickets.
How much do live crickets cost?
A single live cricket can cost somewhere from 0.08$ to 0.10$. Price can vary depending upon location of store, size of cricket and the season you are buying.
