Crickets are common insects known for their distinctive chirping sounds. As omnivores, their diet naturally includes both plant and animal matter. This dietary flexibility allows them to thrive in various environments, consuming a wide range of available food sources. Understanding their eating habits is helpful for both observation in nature and keeping them in captivity.
Crickets as Opportunistic Omnivores
In their natural habitats, crickets are opportunistic feeders. Their diet primarily consists of plant materials like leaves, grasses, flowers, and seeds. They also consume young plants and fruits, preferring tender vegetation.
Crickets also act as scavengers, feeding on decaying organic material such as fallen leaves, fungi, and dead insects. While mainly plant-eaters, they will opportunistically consume small insects like aphids, larvae, or even other weakened or dead crickets, especially when food is limited. This contributes to nutrient recycling within their ecosystems.
Providing a Balanced Diet for Captive Crickets
For captive crickets, especially those used as feeder insects, a balanced diet is important for their well-being and nutritional value. Commercial cricket chows are a common staple, formulated to provide a mix of nutrients, often containing grains and proteins.
Supplementing commercial foods with fresh produce enhances their diet. Acceptable vegetables include leafy greens (romaine, mustard greens, kale, collard greens), carrots, squash, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Fruits like apples, bananas, oranges, mangoes, and berries can also be offered in moderation for hydration and vitamins. Grains such as oats, wheat germ, rice cereal, and alfalfa can also be included.
Essential Dietary Additions and Foods to Avoid
Hydration is important for captive crickets. Open water dishes pose a drowning risk, so water gels or crystals are effective alternatives. Fresh fruits and vegetables also contribute to hydration due to their high water content.
Calcium supplementation is important, especially for crickets fed to reptiles and amphibians, which require calcium for bone health. “Gut loading” involves feeding crickets nutrient-rich foods, including calcium, 24 to 48 hours before they are fed to another animal. This transfers beneficial nutrients to the consuming animal.
Certain foods should be avoided. Produce treated with pesticides is harmful. While some citrus fruits are acceptable in moderation, excessive amounts can be problematic. Foods with overly high protein content (over 30%) may lead to aggression. Moldy food should be removed promptly, as it is detrimental to cricket health.