Crickets thrive on a combination of dry grain-based food and fresh fruits and vegetables. The exact mix depends on why you’re keeping them. If they’re feeder insects for a reptile or amphibian, what you feed your crickets directly determines the nutrition your pet receives. If you’re raising them as pets or for breeding, a balanced diet keeps colonies healthy and productive.
The Best Dry Base Foods
Dry food should make up the foundation of your cricket diet. Wheat bran is the single most common staple in cricket farming worldwide, used either on its own or blended with other grains. Research on cricket feed formulations consistently uses wheat bran as a primary ingredient, sometimes composing up to 99% of the dry diet. Other good dry options include oat bran, cornmeal, rice bran, and crushed dry cereals (unsweetened).
For a simple homemade dry mix, combine wheat bran with a smaller portion of another grain like oat flakes or cornmeal. You can also add a tablespoon of powdered milk or ground flaxseed for extra protein and fat. Spread a shallow layer in a dish or lid inside the enclosure and replenish it as it runs low.
Commercial cricket food is another option and tends to be higher in protein, typically around 22%. Crickets raised on these higher-protein commercial diets grow about 9% heavier and longer than those on lower-protein feeds (around 16% protein). They also convert food into body mass more efficiently. If you want the simplest approach and don’t mind the cost, a commercial cricket chow works well. Crushed dry reptile food or bird pellets also serve as decent maintenance feeds.
Protein and Carbohydrate Balance
Crickets grow fastest and reach their largest size on a diet with roughly three parts protein to one part carbohydrate. Research published in Royal Society Open Science found that this 3:1 protein-to-carbohydrate ratio produced the highest survival rates, fastest development times, and greatest body mass in cricket colonies. Interestingly, when given a choice, crickets actually prefer to eat a more balanced 1:1 ratio of protein and carbohydrates. Males tend to seek out about 17% more protein than females.
What this means in practice: if you’re trying to maximize growth for a feeder colony, lean heavier on protein sources like soybean meal, fish meal, or high-protein commercial feed. If you’re keeping pet crickets and care more about longevity than rapid growth, a more balanced mix with grains and vegetables works fine.
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Fresh produce serves double duty. It provides vitamins and moisture, which means crickets can get much of their water from food rather than an open water dish (where they often drown). Good vegetable choices include carrots, potatoes, squash, and leafy greens like romaine lettuce, collard greens, or dandelion greens. For fruits, apples, oranges, and bananas all work well.
Cut produce into thin slices or small chunks so crickets can access it easily. Place it on a small dish or piece of cardboard rather than directly on the substrate. The most important rule with fresh food is to remove uneaten portions before mold develops, which typically means swapping it out every one to two days depending on temperature and humidity. Warm enclosures accelerate spoilage, so check daily.
Adding pumpkin (either fresh pulp or dried powder) to a cricket’s diet can boost their B-vitamin content, particularly vitamins B3 and B12. This is a useful trick if you’re raising feeder crickets and want to pack in extra nutrition. The trade-off is that fresh pumpkin also increases the fat content of the crickets significantly.
Gut Loading for Feeder Crickets
If you’re feeding crickets to a reptile, amphibian, or other insectivore, gut loading is essential. This means switching crickets to a nutrient-dense diet 24 to 48 hours before offering them as food. Whatever is in the cricket’s gut becomes part of your pet’s meal.
Calcium is the biggest concern. House crickets naturally contain less than 0.3% calcium on a dry-matter basis, with a calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of just 0.15 to 1. That’s wildly inverted from what most reptiles need, which is at least a 1:1 ratio. Without intervention, feeding plain crickets regularly leads to calcium deficiency in your pet.
The good news is that gut loading fixes this quickly. Research on calcium supplementation in feeder crickets found that the calcium content and calcium-to-phosphorus ratio rise sharply within the first 48 hours of feeding a calcium-rich diet, then plateau. A diet containing at least 8% calcium is needed to push crickets to a 1:1 calcium-to-phosphorus ratio or better. Diets with 12% calcium achieved the highest values, bringing crickets up to 1.4% calcium and a 1.7:1 ratio.
For practical gut loading, you can use a commercial gut-loading formula (many are calcium-fortified) or make your own mix with calcium-rich greens like collard greens, mustard greens, and squash, plus a calcium carbonate supplement blended into dry feed. Load the crickets for a full two days before feeding them out. This window is key: at day zero, crickets carry almost no usable calcium or vitamin A. By day two on a proper gut-loading diet, both nutrients reach levels that meet the dietary requirements of insect-eating reptiles.
Water Without Drowning Risk
Crickets need constant access to moisture but will drown in even shallow water dishes. The safest options are a damp sponge placed in a small dish, water gel crystals (polymer crystals sold at pet stores), or simply providing enough fresh produce to keep them hydrated. If you use a sponge, rinse and replace it every few days to prevent bacterial buildup.
Foods to Avoid
Skip anything with heavy seasoning, oils, or processed ingredients. Bread, chips, and cooked leftovers can introduce mold quickly and offer poor nutrition. Citrus in large amounts can raise acidity in the enclosure, so use orange slices sparingly. Avoid pesticide-treated produce, since crickets are small enough that even trace residues can kill a colony. If you’re gut loading for reptiles, avoid spinach and beet greens in large quantities because their high oxalate content binds calcium and undermines the whole purpose of gut loading.
Feeding Schedule and Maintenance
Keep dry food available at all times. Crickets are grazers and will eat throughout the day and night. Fresh produce should be offered every one to two days in portions small enough that most of it gets eaten before the next serving. Always pull out wilted or moldy pieces promptly.
For feeder colonies, maintain crickets on a standard dry diet and fresh vegetables until you’re ready to use them. Then switch to a calcium-rich gut-loading diet for 48 hours before feeding them to your pet. This two-phase approach keeps the colony healthy long-term while ensuring each batch of feeder crickets delivers the nutrition your animal needs.