Feeder Crickets for Lizards: Species, Sizing, and Care

Feeder crickets are the most common live food for pet lizards. Pet stores and online suppliers sell them in several species and sizes. This guide covers cricket species, sizing, feeding amounts, care, and how crickets compare to dubia roaches.

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What Are Feeder Crickets

Feeder crickets are farmed insects raised specifically as food for reptiles, amphibians, and other insectivorous pets. Breeders keep them in climate controlled bins and ship them live in sizes from pinhead to full grown adults. Most reptile keepers buy crickets weekly rather than breeding their own.

The term feeder cricket is not a single species. It covers several distinct species sold under common names like banded, brown, and black crickets. Each type differs slightly in size, hardiness, and how easy it is to keep alive, which is covered later in this guide.

Feeder crickets fit into a broader live food rotation for most lizard species. For background on how insects fit alongside greens and other prey, see our guide to what lizards eat.

Cricket Species: Banded, Brown, and Black Crickets

Pet stores usually sell three types of feeder crickets, but a 2012 survey of the United States pet trade published in Zootaxa found five species in circulation. Banded crickets are Gryllodes sigillatus, also called tropical house crickets. They are now the most common feeder cricket sold in the United States.

Brown crickets are Acheta domesticus, the European house cricket used in the pet trade for decades. Black crickets are field crickets in the genus Gryllus, mainly the Jamaican field cricket Gryllus assimilis and a similar species described from California farms, Gryllus locorojo. They are larger and stockier, so keepers who want fewer but bigger insects per feeding often choose them.

The shift toward banded crickets traces to a virus, Acheta domesticus densovirus. It reached North American farms in 1988 and caused severe die offs around 2009 and 2010. All five feeder species can carry it, but only Acheta domesticus is killed by it, which is why banded and field crickets took over so much of the market.

The same survey found banded crickets easier to culture than brown crickets, though more agile and quicker to jump. It also flagged the two spotted cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus, being sold in California stores even though it is a quarantine pest in the United States. Buy from suppliers who label the species, and never release surplus crickets outdoors.

What Feeder Crickets Contain

A cricket is mostly water, with protein and fat making up most of the dry matter. Its weak point is minerals. Smithsonian National Zoo researchers who analyzed crickets on an ordinary diet measured 0.34 percent calcium against 0.86 percent phosphorus, a calcium to phosphorus ratio of about 0.34 to 1.

Reptiles need the opposite balance, with at least as much calcium as phosphorus. The same study found that crickets fed a diet of at least 8 percent calcium for 48 hours reached 1.44 percent calcium and a ratio of 1.72 to 1. That single finding is the basis for gut loading and dusting.

Later studies of commercially raised feeder insects list vitamin A, vitamin D, calcium, vitamin E, thiamine, iodine, and vitamin B12 as the nutrients most likely to fall short in an insect only diet. A cricket staple therefore needs a calcium supplement with vitamin D3 and an occasional multivitamin. Our gut loading guide covers the schedule.

Cricket Size for Lizards

Cricket size for lizards follows one basic rule. The insect’s body should be no wider than the space between the lizard’s eyes. Feeding oversized crickets can cause impaction or, in severe cases, paralysis.

Suppliers grade crickets by age rather than exact measurements, using labels like pinhead, small, medium, and large. Sizes vary somewhat between sellers, so always check the packaging or ask before ordering. As a lizard grows, its cricket size should grow with it.

Bearded dragon keepers can find a broader list of appropriately sized feeders in our feeder insects list.

How Many Crickets to Feed

How many crickets to feed depends on the lizard’s age, size, and species. Juvenile lizards typically eat more often, sometimes daily, because they are growing quickly. Adults of many species eat two to four times a week.

A simple guideline is to offer as many crickets as the lizard eats within 10 to 15 minutes. Remove any leftovers after that window. Leaving uneaten crickets loose in the enclosure overnight is not advised, since they can bite a sleeping lizard.

Adult bearded dragons, for comparison, are typically offered four to five appropriately sized insects twice a week. Juvenile bearded dragons eat more frequently and in larger portions relative to their size. Always adjust the feeder crickets offered to body condition, not just a fixed schedule.

Feeding amounts differ by species, so check a dedicated guide such as our bearded dragon diet guide or leopard gecko care guide for specifics.

Cricket Care: How to Keep Crickets Alive

Cricket care starts with housing. Keep crickets in a ventilated plastic bin or critter keeper. Add egg cartons or paper towel rolls for them to climb and hide in.

A loose fitting mesh or screen lid stops escapes while allowing airflow. Keep the bin between 75 and 85°F for normal activity and feeding. University of Florida entomologists note that house crickets complete their whole life cycle in two to three months at 80 to 90°F, so a warm bin also means crickets grow past the size you bought within a couple of weeks.

Crickets kept too cold become sluggish and stop eating, which lowers their nutritional value. Below about 65°F they stop feeding almost entirely. Keep the bin out of drafts and away from the reptile room floor.

Crickets need food and moisture to survive, which also improves their value as feeders. Offer a shallow dish of chicken feed, fish flakes, oats, or a commercial cricket diet. Change food and water sources every couple of days to prevent mold.

Provide moisture with a water gel product or slices of carrot, potato, or apple. Avoid open water dishes, since crickets can drown in them and foul the enclosure. Removing dead crickets daily also helps keep the colony healthy and reduces odor.

Supplies for a basic cricket keeping setup, including bins and water gel, are listed in our reptile supplies guide.

Gut Loading Feeder Crickets

Gut loading means feeding crickets a nutrient dense diet before offering them to a lizard. Keepers typically gut load for 24 to 48 hours so the nutrients pass through. Feeder insects are naturally low in calcium and high in phosphorus, which can contribute to metabolic bone disease.

Calcium dusting adds a thin coating of calcium powder to crickets right before feeding. See our complete guide to gut loading for schedules, dusting products, and calcium to phosphorus ratios.

Metabolic bone disease is a serious risk when feeder insects go undusted for long periods. Our lizard health guide covers the early signs to watch for.

Crickets vs Dubia Roaches

Crickets are cheap, widely available, and readily eaten because of their movement. They chirp, smell, and die off faster in storage than some alternatives. Dubia roaches, such as Josh’s Frogs Medium Dubia Roaches (live), are quieter, live longer without food, and have a better calcium to phosphorus ratio.

Some lizards refuse dubia roaches at first because they move less than crickets. Feeder crickets often work better for finicky eaters or younger lizards still learning to hunt. Many keepers offer both, using crickets for enrichment and roaches as a staple.

Species preferences vary as well. Crested geckos, for example, are often fed a mix of prepared diets and small insects, as covered on our crested gecko page.

Pros and Cons of Feeder Crickets

• Widely available in almost every pet store and online supplier.
• Movement triggers a strong feeding response in most lizards.
• Relatively inexpensive compared to many alternative feeder insects.
• Short lifespan in storage, often just one to two weeks.
• Noisy, and their smell can bother some keepers.
• Escaped crickets are hard to catch and can become a household nuisance.

Weigh these tradeoffs against your own tolerance for noise and upkeep, plus how often you can restock. Keepers who feed several lizards often find crickets more economical than roaches. Keepers with just one or two lizards sometimes prefer roaches for the lower maintenance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best size cricket for my lizard?

The safest rule is to choose a cricket no wider than the space between your lizard’s eyes. This keeps the insect easy to swallow and digest. If you are unsure, pick a smaller cricket rather than a larger one.

How long do feeder crickets live?

Feeder crickets typically survive a few weeks in home storage if kept fed, hydrated, and at a warm temperature. Cold, dirty, or overcrowded bins shorten their lifespan considerably. Buying smaller batches more often usually works better than storing large numbers for weeks.

How many crickets should I feed my lizard at once?

Offer only as many crickets as your lizard will eat in about 10 to 15 minutes. Juvenile and growing lizards typically eat more often than adults. Remove any uneaten crickets after each feeding session.

Are crickets or dubia roaches better for lizards?

Neither is strictly better. Crickets are cheap, widely sold, and trigger a strong feeding response because they move a lot. Dubia roaches are quieter, live longer, and generally have a better calcium to phosphorus ratio.

Do I need to gut load feeder crickets?

Yes. A cricket on ordinary chow carries about three times more phosphorus than calcium. Feeding it a diet with at least 8 percent calcium for 48 hours flips that ratio to 1.7 to 1, and a light dusting of calcium powder covers the rest.

What is the difference between banded, brown, and black crickets?

Banded crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus) survive the densovirus that kills brown house crickets (Acheta domesticus), which is why they now dominate the trade. Black crickets are Gryllus field crickets, bigger and louder, and shipping them across state lines needs a USDA permit. All three work as feeders once sized correctly.