What Do Crickets Eat? Wild & Feeder Care Guide

Crickets are omnivorous scavengers that eat a remarkably wide range of foods: in the wild they consume grasses, seeds, fruit, fungi, decaying plant matter, and other insects, while pet or feeder crickets kept for reptiles do best on a mix of fresh produce, grains, and a protein source. This guide breaks down what crickets eat in the wild versus captivity, how to properly feed and “gut-load” crickets destined to become reptile food, and what to watch for if crickets have moved indoors uninvited.

Setting	Typical diet
Wild crickets	Grasses, seeds, fruit, flowers, fungi, decaying matter, small insects
House crickets indoors	Fabric, paper, food crumbs, pet food, cardboard
Pet/feeder crickets	Fresh vegetables, fruit, grains, commercial cricket food, protein
Gut-loading (for reptile feeding)	Nutrient-dense greens, grain, calcium supplement, 24 to 48 hours before feeding

What Do Crickets Eat in the Wild?

Wild crickets are true opportunists, eating whatever is available in their immediate surroundings rather than sticking to a fixed diet. Plant matter makes up a large share of that: grasses, seeds, flower petals, fruit, and the tender shoots of young plants are all regular meals. But crickets are not strict herbivores. When the opportunity arises, they actively hunt small, soft-bodied insects such as aphids and caterpillars, and they scavenge dead insects and other decaying organic material, including fungi and rotting wood, which tends to be softer and easier to process than fresh material. This dietary flexibility is a big part of why crickets thrive in habitats as different as grasslands, gardens, forests, and even caves.

Diet questions span the entire size spectrum of the animal kingdom, from a cricket’s modest daily intake to the several hundred pounds of vegetation a full-grown elephant eats each day, covered in our guide to what elephants eat.

Crickets are far from the only small creature farmed as feeder food; see our guide to what shrimp eat for how a very different, aquatic invertebrate handles its own diet.

Are Crickets Herbivores, Carnivores, or Omnivores?

Crickets are omnivores, and the balance between plant and animal matter in their diet shifts with both species and circumstance. Some crickets lean strongly herbivorous, favoring grasses, fruit, and flowers, while others take a more active predatory role, hunting aphids, ants, small caterpillars, and even other crickets. When food is scarce, most crickets pivot toward higher-protein options like carrion and insect larvae, since that shift toward animal matter provides more concentrated nutrition when easy plant food is not around. This adaptability, more than any single preferred food, is what makes crickets successful across such a wide range of climates and habitats.

What Do Baby Crickets (Nymphs) Eat?

Juvenile crickets, called nymphs, hatch with a voracious appetite and eat much the same range of foods as adults, just starting with softer, easier-to-process material. In the wild, nymphs feed on tender young plant shoots, small seeds, and soft-bodied insect prey, growing through a series of molts over roughly six weeks before reaching adulthood. Because nymphs are smaller and more vulnerable, keepers raising crickets in captivity typically separate them from adults, since larger adult crickets will readily eat smaller nymphs if food is limited, a useful fact that some keepers even use deliberately as a form of population control, not unlike how larger backyard wildlife will sometimes take advantage of easy, smaller prey when it is available.

What to Feed Pet or Feeder Crickets

Whether crickets are being kept as pets or raised as feeder insects for a reptile, the same core diet works well: fresh vegetables such as carrots, squash, sweet potato, and leafy greens like kale or spinach, small amounts of fruit including apple, pear, and banana, and grains such as oats or wheat bran that store well without spoiling quickly. A modest protein source, whether a commercial cricket feed, crushed dry cat food, or fish flakes, rounds out the diet. Crickets self-regulate how much they eat, so exact portions matter less than variety and freshness; the more common mistake is leaving spoiled produce in the enclosure rather than underfeeding, since mold sets in quickly on fresh produce in a warm, humid cricket tank.

How to Feed Crickets Without Them Drowning

Crickets need reliable hydration but are genuinely at risk of drowning in open water because of how small and low-profile they are. The standard solution is a shallow dish filled with clean pebbles or aquarium gravel and a small amount of water, giving crickets firm footing while they drink, or a water gel or a damp sponge or cotton ball as an alternative moisture source. Moisture-rich vegetables like cucumber slices also help meet hydration needs indirectly. Whatever method is used, check water sources every couple of days, since crickets can go roughly one to two weeks without food but will die far faster without adequate hydration.

How Often and How Much Do Crickets Eat?

Crickets do not follow a fixed feeding schedule the way some pets do; instead they self-regulate, nibbling steadily throughout the day and night rather than eating in distinct meals. In captivity, a good rule of thumb is checking food and water levels every one to two days rather than measuring exact portions, since overfeeding fresh produce mainly risks mold rather than harming the crickets directly. Crickets can survive roughly one to two weeks without any food at all by drawing on stored reserves, but dehydration is far more urgent, since they can die within just a few days without adequate moisture, which is why a reliable water source matters more than precise feeding amounts.

What Is Gut-Loading and Why It Matters

If crickets are being raised specifically as food for a reptile, amphibian, or other pet, what the cricket has eaten becomes directly relevant to your pet’s nutrition, since the pet effectively consumes the contents of the cricket’s gut along with the cricket itself. Gut-loading means feeding crickets a nutrient-dense diet, typically rich in calcium and vitamins, for roughly 24 to 48 hours before they are offered to the target pet. Fresh dark leafy greens like dandelion greens or collards, a reptile-specific calcium supplement dusted over food, and a quality commercial gut-load product are all common choices. Skipping this step and feeding pets crickets raised on a nutritionally thin diet is one of the more common, avoidable gaps in captive reptile nutrition.

Cricket Species and Regional Variation

“Cricket” covers roughly 2,400 species worldwide, and diet leans differently depending on which one you are looking at. House crickets (Acheta domesticus), the species most commonly sold as feeder insects, are especially generalist and will eat almost anything available, including household materials, when kept in captivity or living indoors. Field crickets tend to stay closer to a plant-heavy diet outdoors but will still take insect prey opportunistically, while cave-dwelling species rely more heavily on fungi and organic debris where sunlight-dependent plants are scarce. University entomology extension programs commonly note this species-level variation as the reason blanket statements about “what crickets eat” always come with some caveats.

Crickets as Pests: What Do House Crickets Eat Indoors?

House crickets that wander indoors uninvited shift their diet opportunistically to whatever the household provides: fabric, paper, cardboard, wallpaper paste, food crumbs, and spilled pet food are all fair game. This is part of why an indoor cricket problem can cause real, if usually minor, property damage over time, chewing through fabric or paper goods in search of food and moisture. Crickets are also strongly attracted to light, which is why they often congregate near windows, doors, and outdoor fixtures at night. Reducing entry points, minimizing excess moisture, and keeping food sources sealed are the standard, low-effort ways to make a home less attractive to crickets without needing to treat them as a serious infestation. In the garden, crickets play a more neutral to positive role, since other beneficial insects share many of the same small-prey food sources without competing directly for space.

Common Mistakes When Feeding Pet or Feeder Crickets

The most frequent mistake is leaving too much fresh produce in the enclosure at once, which spoils and molds quickly in the warm, humid conditions crickets prefer, sometimes faster than the crickets can eat it. A second common error is skipping gut-loading entirely and assuming any healthy-looking cricket is automatically a nutritious meal for a reptile, when the nutritional value passed on to the pet depends heavily on what that specific cricket ate in its final days. Overcrowding is a third issue: too many crickets in too small a space increases cannibalism, especially among nymphs, and can stress the whole colony even when food and water are adequate, the same crowding-and-stress dynamic seen in other commonly kept feeder invertebrates such as larger pet arthropods raised in captivity.

How Crickets Fit Into the Food Web

Beyond their own eating habits, crickets are an important food source for a wide range of predators, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals, which is exactly why they are farmed commercially as feeder insects in the first place, feeding everything from pet reptiles to wild owls and other insect-eating wildlife. Their role in breaking down decaying plant matter also makes them minor but genuine contributors to nutrient cycling in the ecosystems where they live, alongside other ground-dwelling decomposers such as snails. A healthy population of crickets in a yard is generally a sign of a functioning small ecosystem rather than a problem in its own right, distinct from the handful of species that occasionally wander indoors.

Faunalist Tip: If you are gut-loading crickets for a reptile, set them up in a small, separate container rather than the main colony bin for that final 24 to 48 hour window. It makes it easy to confirm exactly what they have eaten before feeding time, instead of guessing based on what the whole colony has had access to.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do crickets eat in the wild?

Wild crickets eat a broad mix of grasses, seeds, fruit, flowers, fungi, and decaying plant matter, along with small insects like aphids when the opportunity arises. Their diet shifts seasonally based on what is available.

Are crickets herbivores or carnivores?

Crickets are omnivores. Most lean toward plant matter like grasses and fruit, but many actively hunt small insects such as aphids and caterpillars, and will scavenge dead insects and carrion, especially when plant food is scarce.

What should I feed pet or feeder crickets?

Offer fresh vegetables like carrots and leafy greens, small amounts of fruit, grains such as oats, and a protein source like commercial cricket food or crushed dry cat food. Remove uneaten fresh produce daily to prevent mold.

How do you give crickets water without them drowning?

Use a shallow dish filled with small pebbles and a little water, or a water gel or damp sponge, since open water can drown crickets. Moisture-rich vegetables like cucumber also help with hydration.

What is gut-loading and why does it matter?

Gut-loading means feeding crickets a nutrient-rich diet, often high in calcium, for 24 to 48 hours before feeding them to a reptile or other pet. Since the pet consumes the cricket’s gut contents too, gut-loading directly improves the pet’s nutrition.

What do house crickets eat indoors?

Crickets that get indoors will eat fabric, paper, cardboard, food crumbs, and spilled pet food. This opportunistic feeding can cause minor property damage, and reducing food sources and entry points helps limit indoor activity.

What do baby crickets (nymphs) eat?

Nymphs eat much the same range of foods as adults, starting with softer plant shoots, small seeds, and soft insect prey. They should be kept separate from adult crickets, which will readily eat smaller nymphs if food is limited.

Written by Marcus Ellery

Marcus Ellery is a lifelong backyard birder and the lead writer at The Faunalist. He researches every guide against trusted authorities like the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Audubon Society, grounds it in firsthand observation, and has each piece reviewed by experienced birders before publishing.

What Do Crickets Eat? Wild Diet & Feeder Care Guide