She's extending her ovipositor!

[Felix]

My daughter shouted this out yesterday or the day before. At the time I did remember absentmindedly giving her permission to breed her pet crickets. I only said yes because I didn't think she could do it, though. Haha.

So she separated them into mating pairs, and apparently they got to work right away. There are several egg-covered potato slices in empty food containers now, and I'm not sure how they'll stay warm. I'm not willing to buy heat lamps for this, and our electrical outlets are overloaded as it is.

I'm on the fence as to whether to help her with this or just coach her to be accepting when they die off.

[Devlyn]

"coach her to be accepting when they die off" Yeah, just like you coached her into the breeding that wouldn't happen? Are these the same crickets that I predicted would eat each other? Hugs, Devlyn

[Felix]

But but but.

She's tried to breed so many insects before, and it only ever works with spiders.

I think they won't eat each other as long as she stays as obsessed with them as she has been this week. She keeps them in fresh potato slices. They have a substrate of oats (!) and the eggs get separated out pretty quickly so they won't get eaten.

The incubation period is supposed to be a bit over a week. I'm still not sure what to do if they hatch. We have a lot of potential housing containers, but the house gets pretty cold when we aren't home. I might just give in and set up a lamp and help her. Idk. I do love the chirping.

[justmeinoz]

When she's not looking you could always grab them for trout bait!    They work really well.

Karen.

[Felix]

When she's not looking you could always grab them for trout bait!    They work really well.

Karen.

I fished for crawdads and catfish a lot when I was little, but I wouldn't have the slightest clue where to begin in an urban area. XD

[Devlyn]

It's been more than a week, have they hatched? Are you going to coach her into letting 8,347 little cirickettes live their lives free? Give us an update! Hugs, Devlyn

[Felix]

It's been more than a week, have they hatched? Are you going to coach her into letting 8,347 little cirickettes live their lives free? Give us an update! Hugs, Devlyn

Well, they haven't hatched. I'm pretty sure they aren't viable, after that few days where it was snowing. But idk. My daughter thinks that may have just given them a longer incubation period, and she's constantly proving me wrong on such things.

[Devlyn]

Doesn't that bug you? Hugs, Devlyn

[CybilB]

My daughter shouted this out yesterday or the day before. At the time I did remember absentmindedly giving her permission to breed her pet crickets. I only said yes because I didn't think she could do it, though. Haha.

So she separated them into mating pairs, and apparently they got to work right away. There are several egg-covered potato slices in empty food containers now, and I'm not sure how they'll stay warm. I'm not willing to buy heat lamps for this, and our electrical outlets are overloaded as it is.

I'm on the fence as to whether to help her with this or just coach her to be accepting when they die off.

She sounds like a budding mad scientist. Stop her, lest you unwittingly doom humanity when she unleashes her army of giant crickets.

[SunKat]

Insect eggs aren't quite like bird eggs.  Some species of insect eggs can overwinter for months waiting for that one week of warm weather that lets them know that spring has come.  And I think flea eggs can lie dormant for a couple years and then hatch when the weather is warm and humid enough. 
Even without adding a heating pad... if you leave things alone for long enough I think you'll eventually have crickets.