Bigger crickets dying ...?

[ianinoz]

Bought a tub of Medium Crickets a few days ago, already 2 of the bigger crickets have died, well they stopped being mobile.

These larger crickets were about 1" long, the smaller crickets are still lively.

I've removed the moldy carrots pieces that they supplied with (maybe these are making them sick) and replaced with fresh cut up carrot and sprinkled some of the Gut Fill stuff that came in a little sashey onto the cut pieces or carrot. I've also dropped some little pieces off strawberry ends wirh the green stuff still attached into the tub.

I've frozen the dormant/dead/drunk ?? crickets for later use.(dose formenting strawberry flesh make insects drunk if they eat or drink from it ??)

What else can I do to keep the rest of the crickets healthy until I need them for live food treats ?

How long do medium crickets survive for usually provided thet are kept fed and have a source of moisture (carrot) ?

 

[cadwallader]

Hey Hey,
It might be the carrots but im not sure, im thinking it might be the cold? i order lager amounts of crickets and they can survive around 2-3 weeks and then ill slowly see a few dead ones. i heat my cricket tub and found this helped alot. and make sure they stay of of direct sun light mine are in 100% dark

 

[AUSGECKO]

If they are an inch long then they have most likely reached the end of their natural life span.

 

[mad_at_arms]

Yeah the have a lifespan of about 8-9 weeks. I have read that the mould that grows on the carrot is toxic for crickets. I use apple instead as it doesn't spoil as quickly and apparently its mould is not toxic. Put the gut load seperate to the fresh foods. Keeping them cooler may extend the life of the crickets but then they arnt as active and therefore not eating as much.

 

[Constantine200]

Remember crickets thrive in the warmer weather, so keep them warm and as cadwallader stated keep them in the dark with fresh carrot and you should loose a lot fewer crickets.i

 

[ianinoz]

Yeah the have a lifespan of about 8-9 weeks. I have read that the mould that grows on the carrot is toxic for crickets. I use apple instead as it doesn't spoil as quickly and apparently its mould is not toxic. Put the gut load seperate to the fresh foods. Keeping them cooler may extend the life of the crickets but then they arnt as active and therefore not eating as much.

I noted that the bits of carrot that were already in the punnet wth the crickets was already mouldy and very skungy when I bought them, I've removed these pieces (hard to do while trying to keep the crickets in the punnet (they are escape artists !) and I've replaced the carrot witn fresh stuff on a tooth pick (I should be able to grab it easier to remove when it goes furry).

They never go into direct sunlight, been keeping them under the kitchen sink. Will keep them in a warmer place from now on.

I've tossed a couple of live mealworms in there with them, maybe the crickets will eat them if they catch them (as gut loading ??).

 

[Sarah]

you should also transfer them to a bigger box they die off very quickly in those tiny takeaway food containers. I feed my crickets fish flakes as well as their vegies, just change the vegies every day .

 

[herptrader]

I cannot imagine that mouldy carrots would affect them. Look at keeping them warm as Constantine said. I have had a colony for years from a single purchase. I can hear them singing in the background as I type.

 

[gorf girl]

Yes I agree with putting in larger container. I buy the smaller plastic tubs from reject shop. They cost about $7 and cut out large hole in lid and use a hot glue gun to adhere flywire to the top. If crickets get too much humidity they will die quite quickly so keeping them warm with ventilation should avoid this and dont overload the foods with moisture in it such as carrots. My crickets love baby boc choy as well and gold fish flakes. Feed less amounts and when its eaten add more to keep it fresh. You can shake the droppings to one end and remove them easily to keep cleaner. The healthier the crickets the healthier your animals will be. Keep lots of egg cartons to give ventilation in bottom of tub and to make it easier to get crickets out. Just shake some out from egg carton into a jug and then can sprinkle in calcium before feeding off to animals.

 

[Chris1]

check teh cricket tubs before you buy them, once they start dying n those disgusting damp mouldy conditions they continue dying regardless of what u rehome them into,..

the pet shop was way unhappy with me on saturday, i walked over to teh crickets, top box, all were dead, second box 2 were alive, (the girl was standing over me so i felt an obligation to point out why i no longer grab the top tub, lol,..)..so i pulled the bottom one out, and i had a lovely tub of fresh happy living crickets!


apparently they get infected by some kind of bacteria, once theyre infected theres no stopping them from dying.

all my dead and dying crickets go into the bin, id rather skip a feed than feed off unhealthy crickets.

 

[Jen]

This is why I converted to roaches, despite my extreme aversion to them (i'm better now, thanks for asking). The more you neglect them the better they seem to do - just don't forget to feed them...
As for crickets, I'd go with the advice to put them in a bigger tub, throw in a few egg cartons and a chinese container full of damp soil and breed your own

 

[Wally]

This skink sure did walk into the right house.

 

[Sarah]

i had a shop owner recently try and convince me that the tub of crickets which looked half dead to me were still ok by shaking them around . Luckily i get mine from arcade and rarely have to use shop bought crickets.

 

[ianinoz]

This skink sure did walk into the right house.

yep.... sure did.... Lucky it was our house and not my mother-in-law's house, she found a skink in her bathroom and attacked it with a broom and then used the vacuum cleaner to suck the poor defenceless and terrified little creature up and get rid of it. I was horrified when I heard about that act of terrorism and told her about Lizzy and how beneficial she has been to have about the house and how charming and inquisitive a little companion animal she has become.
I think she's changed her mind about lizards now and tells me she's leaving little bits of meat next the flower pots where she sometimes sees a little skink peaking at her. (guilty concense).

Guess I'm just a softy....

The crickets wont go to waste .... I also like fishing, and crickets are good freshwater bait.

Anyway isn't it good kalma to be kind to animals.

i had a shop owner recently try and convince me that the tub of crickets which looked half dead to me were still ok by shaking them around . Luckily i get mine from arcade and rarely have to use shop bought crickets.

edit 10 - 8 -11
I've checked, and have 4 crickets alive and kicking, had 3 die old age, one excaped, one drowned and fed 2 so far to Lizzy.

Rescued the last of them from the scungy tub they were sold to me in, and got the survivers in an old mealworm tub a little wheel bran as bedding, a bit a cardboard rolled into a tube as hide for them and some stale bread and some carrot to feed them.

Looks like I've got 12 mummified crickets in the original tub, obviously been dead for ages (weeks !), some are mouldy looking, most are bone dry and very crispy to touch.... makes it an expensive way of buying live crickets and doesn't do the reputation of the pet shop or of Pisces any favours ... , I'll be checking very closely next time I buy some live crickets and will be asking for small to medium crickets and not the medium sized crickets (which included gericatric crickets on their last legs). Stung once, twice shy and for-warned !

Lizzy loved being hand fed a nice fat live cricket so much she let me stroke her under the chin agan after she got her feast today ( 2 medium mealworms and a medium cricket ) ,probably wont see her again for 2 or 3 days now she's got a full belly.

Something really nice about being trusted so much by a little wild lizard who ordinarily would be very shy and scared of people.