In many cultures, the House Cricket is considered to be good luck, and keeping one or more of these little insects in the house is sure to bring good fortune! In addition to such magical bonuses, the House Cricket is fairly easy to keep in captivity, making it an ideal pet!

Generally, House Crickets will thrive in a plastic container or box with air holes cut into the lid or with a fitted screen top. An aquarium will also do quite nicely, provided it has an escape proof lid. In some areas, special cricket cages are sold which can range from simple to housing that is quite elaborate and decorative. As a substrate, newspaper, paper towels, peat or sphagnum moss, or bran and rolled oats will all work nicely. Oats and bran have the advantage of being edible for the crickets! House Crickets should be offered a variety of fruits and vegetables and will also thrive on dry dog or cat food or even food mixtures formulated for hand-feeding birds! The vegetables should be changed regularly so they do not go bad and harm the crickets. You can buy cricket food, also, or make your own from rolled oats, powdered milk, and crushed low-protein dog or cat food. In order to allow your crickets to drink, fill a small container with wet cotton wool or a wet clean piece of sponge. The House Crickets will absorb moisture from this material, which should be changed regularly to keep it clean. Although they can tolerate cool weather, crickets will thrive in warm temperatures with little humidity. Most people use a heat diffuser in one end of the cage. House Crickets are nocturnal, so they should have plenty of hiding places to prevent light from stressing them. They may be kept in groups, and hiding places like old toilet paper rolls or cut up egg cartons should be provided. If your crickets are warm and comfortable, they will "sing" for you! Only the male House Cricket produces a song, and most often it is sung to attract females. Sometimes males may fight upon hearing each other's songs, and many House Crickets may chew on each other's hind legs. Full-grown House Crickets usually do not fly.

House Crickets have distinctly segmented bodies and are covered by a hard exoskeleton. They have two compound eyes on either side of their heads in addition to two jointed antennae. There are also three small white photosensors on their heads! Crickets have very complex mouths with parts specially adapted for tearing, others adapted for grinding, and still others used for secreting saliva. The head is attached to the abdomen by the thorax, on which are located two pairs of wings and three pairs of legs. Crickets produce their song by rubbing their wings together! Males have specially formed files on one forewing and a specially adapted scraping instrument on the other. When these objects are rubbed together, a distinct sound is produced!

Many cultures believe that House Crickets can bring good fortune and luck. One House Cricket is even featured in the Disney movie "Mulan" as a bringer of luck! In some countries beautiful cricket cages, which are nearly works of art, may be bought for decorative or utilitarian purchases! House Crickets may be purchased through mail order sources or bought at your local pet store.

House Crickets will be happiest and will sing most frequently if they are kept at temperatures approximating 30 degrees Celsius, and are kept on a photoperiod of eight to 16 hours. This temperature speeds up a House Cricket's metabolism, however, and may cause it to have a shorter life than other crickets have. Crickets, however, do not do well in complete darkness or in conditions that are too cold or too damp.

If more than one cricket is housed together it is important that they be well fed. Underfed crickets can, and often will feed on each other.

House Crickets will lay eggs in the damp cotton wool that is normally provided for them to drink from. In addition, some people provide small pots filled with damp peat moss for egg laying. These are placed in the cool end of the enclosure and many crickets will lay in these enclosures. The wool or peat pots should be changed a couple of times a week. To hatch the eggs, place the old cotton wool or peat in a warm, dry place that has plenty of ventilation. Usually the baby crickets will hatch within a week or two, and as long as all insects are given plenty of food, they may be kept with the adults. Sometimes an aluminum mosquito mesh topped container may be better for the baby House Crickets than a screen topped enclosure, as babies may escape through these!