Crickets are small, chirping insects belonging to the order Orthoptera, known for their powerful jumping legs and nocturnal activity. The common house cricket, Acheta domesticus, and the field cricket, Gryllus, are the most recognizable types. Crickets are classified as generalist omnivores, meaning they consume a diverse diet of both plant and animal matter.
The Natural Cricket Diet
In their natural habitats, crickets play a significant role in the ecosystem as decomposers and nutrient recyclers. Their diet is primarily focused on consuming organic debris and decaying plant matter, such as fallen leaves, rotting wood, and fungi.
The plant-based portion of their diet is extensive, including tender grasses, seeds, fruits, and flowers. Crickets use their chewing mouthparts to process tough plant fibers, enabling them to feed on a wide array of vegetation. This preference for fresh growth can sometimes lead to them being considered agricultural pests, as they will readily consume young seedlings and crops.
Beyond plant material, crickets supplement their diet with protein from animal sources, acting as opportunistic predators and scavengers. They consume the eggs and larvae of other insects, as well as smaller, weaker arthropods. When resources are scarce, they will also feed on dead or injured insects, and in extreme cases, may even turn to cannibalism to meet their protein requirements.
Feeding Crickets in Captivity
For those raising crickets as pets or as feeder insects for reptiles and amphibians, providing a balanced diet is relatively simple due to their omnivorous nature. A commercial cricket chow, which is a nutritionally complete dry feed, forms a strong foundation for their diet. This dry component is often supplemented with fresh foods to provide moisture and essential vitamins.
Acceptable fresh food sources include grains like wheat germ and alfalfa, as well as vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, and various squashes. Safe fruit scraps, like slices of apple or banana, can also be offered in moderation. The goal is to provide a mixture of carbohydrates, protein, and moisture, which helps maintain a healthy and vigorous colony.
Certain household foods should be avoided because they offer poor nutrition or can harm the animal that consumes the cricket. For example, high-fat, high-protein pet foods like dog or cat kibble should not be the main food source, as they can lead to an unhealthy fat content in the crickets. Leafy greens high in oxalates, such as spinach or tomato leaves, should also be limited or avoided because oxalates can interfere with calcium absorption in insectivorous pets.
Water Needs and Gut Loading
Crickets have specific hydration requirements, and open water dishes pose a significant risk, as the insects can easily drown. To safely provide moisture, keepers often use a polymer-based water gel, which has a consistency similar to firm gelatin that the crickets can drink from without sinking. High-moisture vegetables, such as slices of potato or carrot, also serve as an excellent source of both water and food.
A specialized practice for crickets raised as feeder insects is called “gut loading,” which is the process of feeding them highly nutritious food shortly before they are offered to a predator. The purpose of this practice is to transfer these nutrients to the consuming animal, thereby improving the quality of the meal. Crickets naturally have an inverted calcium-to-phosphorus ratio and are low in fat-soluble vitamins like A and D3, which can cause metabolic bone disease in insectivorous pets over time. Gut loading diets are formulated to correct these deficiencies, often containing high levels of calcium and Vitamin A precursors. A cricket is typically gut loaded for 24 to 48 hours to ensure its digestive tract is full of the nutrient-rich material.