Live food type

Advantages

Disadvantages

Crickets

• Due to their jumping habit,   crickets are often more effective at stimulating natural hunting behaviour   than cockroaches or mealworms.
• Some animals are fussy eaters   and will only eat crickets, while refusing other live foods.
• Crickets will generally be more   active and move around   the container, making them more available to be taken by animals.
• Generally don’t have the “yuck”   factor associated with cockroaches
• Have a quick start up time, only   requiring 6 to have an established colony.
• Unable to climb many smooth   surfaces (unlike cockroaches) and are consequently easier to manage and   contain. This results in fewer escapees.
• Prolific breeders that have a   quick breeding lifecycle and fast production rate. A breeding colony can   generally be set up within 6 weeks.

• For commercial production (batch system) require additional maintenance (spraying and set up of breeding trays).
• Our “Zega Substrate Breeding System” has a similar maintenance requirement as cockroaches.
• Are not as robust as cockroaches and generally require better and more consistent management.
• Have a relatively slow start up time, requiring around 6 months or more to establish a productive colony.
• Have a relatively short shelf life, living for around 2-3 months.
• Require higher quality wet foods (no fermenting or soggy foods)
• Can be difficult to separate (grade) old large crickets which are close to dying and younger adult crickets which can be used for sale (when using a breeding method which has mixed aged groups in a single container)

Are not social, and will cannibalise if housed in high densities where proper management strategies are not in place.

Cockroaches

• Are more   robust than crickets and if neglected they are more likely to survive.
•   Less   maintenance requirements for commercial production (i.e. no breeding trays   required).
•   Can be fed   with a wider range of foods and of a lower quality than crickets (can tolerate   fermenting and soggy foods).
•   Are long   lived, living for many months or years depending on the species.
•   Very   productive.
•   Liked by   most insectivorous animals.

Are social,   able to be housed in high densities without significant cannibalism.

•   Cockroaches   quickly scuttle under cover and out of reach from your animal.
•   Cockroaches   are able to scale many smooth surfaces and are more difficult to contain and   manage.
•   Without proper management, they can escape   from the breeding containers. They can then establish themselves in a house.
•   Some people   have a “yuck” factor associated with keeping cockroaches.
•   A breeding   colony can take 6 months or more to establish.

Without proper management, can smell.