Livefood Hub
Brown Cricket for Bearded Dragons
A classic feeder that gives great hunting stimulation, but crickets smell, escape and die off faster than roaches.
Classic UK feederActive preyGood hunting
Quick verdict
Quick verdict
Feeding role
Staple / rotation feeder
Care difficulty
Medium
Breeding difficulty
Medium
Nutrition
Nutrition snapshot
| Protein | approx. 15% |
|---|---|
| Fat | approx. 3% |
| Moisture | approx. 77% |
| Calcium : Phosphorus | approx. 1:9 |
Good feeder when gut-loaded, but should be dusted due to poor calcium balance.
Nutrition values vary depending on age, gut-loading, hydration and supplier. Use these figures as a practical guide, not a lab guarantee.
Benefits
- Easy to buy
- Active prey
- Good hunting stimulation
- Useful staple/rotation
Downsides
- Can smell
- Escape risk
- Can bite or stress dragons if left inside
- Higher die-off rate
Care
How to keep them alive
Keep in a ventilated tub with egg crates, dry food and vegetable moisture or water gel. Remove dead crickets quickly.
- Never leave loose crickets in the vivarium overnight
- Keep dry and ventilated
- Remove dead crickets
- Gut-load before feeding
Breeding
How to breed them
Use a moist egg-laying container, then separate eggs from adults to avoid them being eaten.
- Provide moist laying substrate
- Separate eggs from adults
- Keep warm
- Prevent mould
More breeding details
Is it worth breeding Brown Cricket?
Breeding Brown Cricket is worth trying if you need many small feeders, but many keepers prefer buying crickets because smell, die-offs and egg management can become annoying.
Before you start
Brown Cricket can be bred at home, but crickets are usually more work than roaches. They need strong ventilation, regular cleaning, safe hydration and a separate egg-laying setup.
What you need
- Well-ventilated cricket tub
- Egg crates for hiding and climbing
- Dry food or gut-load diet
- Water gel or vegetable moisture instead of open water
- Small container of moist egg-laying substrate
- Second tub for eggs and pinhead crickets
- Warm stable area
Step-by-step breeding setup
- Keep adult crickets in a dry, well-ventilated tub with egg crates.
- Provide dry food and safe moisture. Avoid open water because crickets drown easily.
- Place a shallow container of moist laying substrate inside the adult tub.
- Leave the laying container in for a few days so females can lay eggs.
- Remove the laying container and incubate it separately so adults do not eat the eggs.
- Keep the egg container warm and lightly moist, not soaking wet.
- When pinhead crickets hatch, raise them separately with tiny food, safe moisture and excellent ventilation.
- Move young crickets into larger tubs as they grow to avoid overcrowding and die-offs.
Life cycle timeline
Cricket eggs usually hatch faster in warm conditions, but the full process from egg to useful feeder size takes planning, space and separate containers.
Common breeding mistakes
- Poor ventilation
- Wet substrate or stale moisture food
- Leaving egg containers with adults too long
- Open water bowls
- Leaving dead crickets in the tub
- Overcrowding pinhead crickets
Feeding advice
Feeding note
Feed appropriately sized insects, no larger than the space between your bearded dragon's eyes. Gut-load livefood before feeding, dust with supplements as needed, and never treat one feeder as perfect. Variety, correct sizing and good husbandry matter more than chasing one “best” insect.
FAQ
Brown Cricket FAQ
Can bearded dragons eat Brown Cricket?
Yes, bearded dragons can eat Brown Cricket when the feeder is healthy, gut-loaded and correctly sized. As with all livefood, the insect should be no larger than the space between the dragon's eyes. Brown Cricket can work well as part of a regular feeder rotation when balanced with greens and supplements.
How often should I feed Brown Cricket to a bearded dragon?
Brown Cricket can be offered regularly as part of a balanced livefood rotation, with the exact amount depending on the dragon's age, body condition and appetite. Babies and juveniles usually eat insects more often than adults, while adult bearded dragons should have a diet led more by safe greens and vegetables.
Is Brown Cricket a good staple feeder?
Brown Cricket can be a good staple or strong rotation feeder when it is gut-loaded, dusted correctly and fed in the right size. No feeder insect is perfect, so variety and correct husbandry matter more than choosing one insect forever.
How do I keep Brown Cricket alive for longer?
Keep in a ventilated tub with egg crates, dry food and vegetable moisture or water gel. Remove dead crickets quickly. Keep the container clean, remove dead insects or mouldy food quickly, and follow the supplier's storage advice. Crickets need strong ventilation and should not be left damp, as poor conditions quickly cause smell and die-offs.