Silent brown crickets are arguably the best staple diet for our exotic pets in captivity. These crickets are quieter than other species, are cold tolerant and very active, making them appealing to a wide variety of species. Available in 7 different sizes.
Silent Brown Crickets are typically a brown colour, with long hind legs. They are quite fast moving, can jump fairly well but are completely flightless. Though they are called ‘silent’ Adult males have long brown wings which they can rub together to chirp and attract a mate, though these are far quieter than Black Crickets. Females have a long ovipositor tube at the rear, which they use to lay their eggs.
Originally native to the West Indies, and southern United States but because of its introduction as a feeder insect it has since spread worldwide.
Our crickets are bred in a modern, ethical facility, reared on high end food; meaning that they arrive to you fresh and in excellent health.
If temperatures are low on arrival they may appear immobile but will soon become active when warm again. Your crickets will arrive in ventilated pre-pack tubs (or hessian bulk bags depending on the quantity you order) with cardboard inside to increase the usable space within the tub.
Storing at room temperature around15-24°C is perfect for this species.
We recommend that you move your feeder insects into larger, well ventilated, species specific tubs (i.e don’t mix Crickets and Locusts) in order to get the best from your bugs. Offering more space makes feeding and watering them easier, keeps them alive for longer and conveniently, makes them easier to catch.
We recommended both gut loading and hydrating your feeder insects for at least 24 hours prior to offering them as prey. Feeding the insects nutrient rich foods, prior to feeding them to your animal ensures maximum nutrition is being transferred from your feeder insects to your reptile, amphibian or arachnids. Dehydrated insects will not readily absorb nutrients and become weak, lethargic and die off prematurely. For feeding, potato or carrot offers basic nutrition and moisture. The best option however is to offer them one of the specialist high quality insect diets; It makes perfect sense that well fed, hydrated feeder insects are far healthier and more nutritious for your pet.
This species is high in protein and omega-3, but low in fat; making them an excellent staple food for your exotic pets (especially when Gut Loaded and dusted with calcium and multivitamins).
Silent Brown Crickets are well suited to a variety of vivarium and terrarium conditions. They are faster moving, more jumpy and more challenging to catch than other cricket species. Making them perfect to encourage exercise in Bearded Dragons, Leopard Geckos and other notoriously lazy species. Many species will readily accept Silent Brown Crickets as a staple food source. They are available in a variety of sizes to cater for the nutritional requirements of species at different weights and stages of development.
These crickets are also tolerant of colder temperatures and high humidity environments making them suitable for a wide range of species to feed on. They tend to hop into open water in the vivarium, placing a leaf or branch into the water will allow them to climb out and avoid drowning. Though a struggling cricket can sometimes encourage animals to drink while trying to ‘bob for crickets’ in the water.
They are so named because Adults are less likely to chirp or ‘sing’ continuously than Black Crickets. Adults can call occasionally to attract a mate - especially in warmer environments and these vibrations are known to trigger a feeding response in many species.
We advise researching the dietary requirements for your pet (or contacting us if you need advice) to determine the quantity you feed as this is entirely species and age dependent. As a guide, aim to feed what your pet will eat in one sitting, rather than having lots of uneaten crickets running around your enclosure. An abundance of uneaten prey items will potentially stress out your reptile and can cause possible issues during moulting (especially for invertebrates).
We recommend feeding Silent Brown Crickets as part of a varied diet, as with any livefood, variety is the key to providing a well balanced, nutritious diet. To compensate for eating a less varied diet than their wild ancestors, the addition of calcium and vitamins is recommended to enhance the nutritional content of these insects. The easiest method for coating your livefood is to put a little supplement powder in a zip-lock bag, add the insects and gently shake. Use some forceps to transfer the livefood into your enclosure. This way, you are not wasting your supplements and only dusting the insects needed per feed.
