Breeding locusts (Schistocerca gregaria and Locusta migratoria)

Breeding locusts as feeders for geckos and other insectivorous reptiles

(Schistocerca gregaria Forsskål, 1775 and Locusta migratoria Linnaeus, 1758)

Both species of locusts (Locusta migratoria and Schistocerca gregaria) are known as a plague for crops in subsaharian Africa since the early antiquity,
they are one of the "Seven Plagues of Egypt". They are also still often used as laboratory animals and at least in French Universities, used in
Biology courses to teach students about insects anatomy, especially their buccal organs.

Their adult body length may be up to 60-70 mm (2 1/2"). They gather in clouds of millions of individuals for seasonal migrations and wreak havoc
on fields. They have a huge appetite and will eat any available leaves, buds and flowers except for toxic plants.

These insects are easily obtainable through pet shops or insect retailers in most countries.
However, since the last adult stage can be sold once they have bred, I would recommend to buy subadults as a starting colony. 50 individuals are enough
to start a viable breeding plan. They are easier to breed than crickets. They are far less prone to escape than crickets (or roaches) and do not pose
any specific hygien issue (no transmissible disease to humans, no virus known to affect them on such a scale than domestic crickets).

As feeders for geckos and other lizards, some species will simply ignore them. For other species, adult locusts are obviously way too big as feeders, yet
intermediate stages can be fed to geckos. They go through 7 stages of development (for L. migratoria) or 5 (for S. gregaria). Each stage is completed
through a shedding process during which they are particularly vulnerable and must not be handled. Newborn locusts are small (< 8mm or 1/3 inch) and much more
fragile than crickets of the same size. With later stages, the mortality rate is very low provided they are fed on a regular basis. Females lay 2 to 4 times
in their lifetime, and the development from the first stage to adulthood takes about a month under the conditions described below.
Each ootheca contains from 25 to 50 eggs and juveniles merge as miniature adults 2-3 weeks after you have settled your breeding colony.
Thus, their development is much faster than most roaches species. It is considerably slowed down but will not stop if correct temperatures are not provided.

They are particularly recommended and appreciated by species from Subsaharian Africa, for example: African fat-tail geckos (an adult AFT can be fed with
adult locusts), Turner geckos, Giant ground geckos (Chondrodactylus angulifer). If you keep African agamids, they are much more readily accepted than any
other insects. Both tree-dwelling and ground-dweling geckos from other parts of the world will literally feast on them. I had some leopard geckos posing
problems and refusing to eat crickets, their anorexia was successfully triggered off by the use of adult locusts. Adult locusts are also eaten, from my
experience, by large Uroplatus species, Gekko species, and probably many more species will like them. I have observed some individual preferences within
the same gecko species, some eating locusts readily while others ignore them. New Caledonian geckos tend to ignore them, but there can be exceptions due to
individual preferences. Smaller stages can be used for many Hemidactylus species, I also had success feeding them to Ptenopus kochi and other nocturnal
genuses. Locusts are diurnal, I have not tried them on day gecko species but it is certainly worth trying.

Keep in mind locusts are much more static than crickets and roaches. So, gecko species which are mainly based on prey movement are more likely to ignore
them. I would advise to try with a box of 10-15 appropriate sized locusts with one given animal or species before launching a breeding project for locusts,
so that you know where you are going.

They have powerful hopping legs with sharp spines on them. I would recommend to remove these legs, which may cause injuries in the buccal cavity of captive
predators, prior to using them, just before introducing them in an enclosure. Locusts, however huge they may seem compared to a gecko, will not harm geckos
contrary to crickets, unless you use way too big locusts as regards the predator's size. Locusts are primarily vegetarians.

-How to settle your starting colony:

I use a 30x30x45 cm (12"x12"x18") ExoTerra (see photo). Locusts are fairly basic to keep. They like HOT temperatures, dryness and light. Thus, place their
enclosure in a place with natural light from windows. There are few risks to overheat them. I use a 100 watt halogen bulb and a 25 watt heating cable heats
their enclosure from below. The heating cable is used 24 hours a day while the lamp is turned off at night. Temperatures of 100-115°F at the "basking spot"
are ideal. Place egg crates both horizontally and vertically. I use a layer of wheat bran as a substrate which absorbs their dejections and is also eaten
by locusts. It is absolutely essential to provide locusts with vertical, thin branches. They will use them to rest and more particularly, to shed and reach
their full size. One can also use artificial sites for the same purpose, such as artificial lianas or thin bamboo poles. Even fake ones will do.

-Feeding locusts:

They can be fed mostly with greens containing a very high calcium/phosphore ratio. They will generally ignore animal protein sources.
This is what I use:

-all sorts of salads excluding iceberg lettuce
-wheat bran
-spinach, turnip, dandelion leaves and flowers when available
-coliflower and cabbage leaves
-organic hay
-grass, particularly the type used for cattle to graze, with cutting edges
-young wheat plants
-carrots (peeled)
-apples (peeled too)
-zucchini
-Miner-All I

They will get enough moisture through the listed vegetables. Greens are either organic or thoroughly rinsed off with water to eliminate any trace of
pesticides and other harmful substances. It is advisable to collect the greens yourself if you do not live near polluted areas.

Locusts are endlessly hungry. Feed them abundantly every other day.Heat, dryness and a good supply of food are really all you need to make them thrive.
As an example, a colony of adults can eat a whole green cabbage within 48 hours!

-Nutritional value once gutloaded:

Dry matter (DM) 63% of live weight (< 45 for crickets, <55 for dubia roaches)
Protein, digestible: 18.5% of DM (= similar to crickets)
Fat < 4% of DM (6-8 in gutloaded crickets)
Chitin level: less than dubia roaches, 20-30% higher than domestic crickets (no further data found)
Vitamin A: 55000 IU
Vitamin D3: 4800 IU
Calcium/Phosphore ratio: 2.7 to 4 once gutloaded, before: 1.7 (crickets, 0.25 prior to gutloading, max. 1.5 once gutloaded)

=> Thus they are much more advisable as a staple diet than mealworms, superworms, do not pose the same addiction issues than waxmoth larvae and are
slightly to much better than the most common species of crickets and roaches.

-Breeding:

Locusts bury their eggs quite deep inside the laying substrate. I use tin cans filled with slightly moist coconut earth. This substrate has to be re-moistened
periodically. No less than 6"/15 cm deep of such a substrate is advisable. This is a very important point. They can be easily observed while mating for
hours, egg-laying takes place right after.

During their development, they select food according to several papers. One will have to vary their diet as much as possible.
Once you are sure laying boxes have been used, place them in small ventilated containers, which look like smaller replicas of those used for adult locusts,
with perches, and the same kind of food items. Adults will kill the smaller stages if you don't separate them. A 20x20x25 container for each box with eggs
incubating is enough (8"x8"x10"). It has to be well ventilated. Never let the substrate turn completely dry. The same 25 watt heating cable used for
adults goes under the incubation boxes and 25 watt bulbs are placed outside hatchlings containers so as to get proper high temperatures.

While the pre-adult stage (stage 6 or 4, depending on the locust species you have) can be kept with adults, I use the smallest containers for stages 1 to 2-3
(again depending on the species) then place intermediate stages in an enclosure similar to the one used for adults. By doing this, you will have nearly 0%
losses.

-Pros and cons:

-cons:

-they may not be accepted by all gecko species. However, they will be preferred to any other insect by some gecko species such as AFTs, leopard geckos
and more.
-they are a bit more difficult to raise than roaches, particularly as stages have to be kept separatedly.
-they are usually more expensive than crickets when you buy your starting colony.
-huge appetite.
-high temperatures to get optimal breeding = more expensive than roaches to breed.
-remove the locusts'hoping legs prior to feeding your geckos.

-pros:

-highly interesting and beneficient nutrional value.
-easier to breed than crickets, it takes less time and less efforts to do so.
-no gout issues from their food, based on vegetal protein only.
-according to their Ca/P ratio, less likely to cause MBD than crickets (they have an "empty" ratio of 1.7- 7 times the ratio found in crickets, 5-6 times
higher than dubia or red runner roaches).
-almost no mortality if you follow basic rules about separating the stages.
-no risk of being infested in your house, unless you live under a particularly warm and dry climate.
-1 adult locust equals 5-6 black crickets or 8-10 domestic crickets as regards their weight and nutritional value.
-more easily digested than most types of roaches.
-no addiction risks.
-may help against anorexia on some gecko species (leopard geckos, AFTs...).