cricket help

[mismo2]

the chameleon seems to be the easy part to take care about, im having problems keeping my crickets alive. 1 ordered 1000 crickets and im keeping them in a 35 gallon rubbermade tub with large hole covered by aluminum screen in the lid. i have egg cartons in there with food and a piece of shamwow for the water. today i moved the cartons around and saw over half the crickets suddenly died. what am i doing wrong.
plz help

 

[Syn]

Same thing happened to me. Is there any chance the shamwow is leaking water and drowning the crickets?

 

[Todnedo]

You have to keep them dry with good ventilation.
Use water crystals or apples and oranges for water.

 

[SoCaliSon]

I want to punch that guy from the ShamWow commercials... Nothing worse than falling asleep with the TV on and waking up at 2 in the morn to that clown.

But that is what I found when I was keeping crix as well. Without a ton of ventilation they would die. Maybe another large hole in the side to help with ventilation. And now that I think about it, what if there is something with that shamwow that is toxic to the crix? I don't know... just a thought. Try other ways of getting them water.

 

[ChromaChameleons]

How big are the crix??

If they are chirping , then they are adults and will die off od old age within days to a few weeks.

Try hydrating them with sliced raw potato.

Also , is the cricket bin sitting on a cold basement floor?? Might be too cool.

 

[Pieces]

hey i did have the same problem real easy fix... first off did you buy 1000 crix at full size or smaller cricket do shed there skin when getting bigger.. also a hole in the top is not sufficiant air flow you need the both sides cutout for a cross breeze. when a cricket dies it releases a gas to harm what ever killed it... so when one dies 2 will then then 4 and so on you MUST keep it clean ever 10 days pull out the milk crate and transfer to another bin get what other crix are still in there out pull all the bodies and wipe with a warm towel. repolace crix... this will help... also have you noticed a smell??? thats the water crix stink when wet as tod said they could drown i use potatoes and apples pears.... what ever is left over from dinner or snack ( peels work good and carrots) any wet fruit. also add bran for substance of the dry sort and change the food ever 3 days.... unless they eat it all.... ok i think that is all ohh . also i hope your using aluminium screen i had a break out using fiber glass they chew through it quick. ohhh almost forgot keep em warm... lot less will die... also if you r getting noise complaints i have added a light to the top of mine to trick them into it always being day time... if you like pm me and i will sent you a pick of my crix bucket to give you an idea. im trying to breed in mine aswell.

 

[lanceman]

A good source of ater if you are NOT gutloading them at this point, is a chick feeder with the tray stuffed with cotton.
They come in about a 6'' diameter for couple bucks and you just put a mason jar on it.

 

[Titan]

Well to add to all the other good suggestions from above. I have finnally made a sweet Cricket container, full screened (even on the bottom) so their excrete falls mostly out the bottom. the Crix Cage sits abit off the ground and I just shop vac the stuff that falls through. Completely ventalated and thank God! no more smell from the Crix container anymore. & I do order 1000 at a time with almost no deaths. Add plenty of climbing crates and such in there and DONT use water, just hydrate as above with vegatables and such! I put absolutly no water of any type in their cage, and all is well!

Lastly: wash the food for them well though, even the smallest bit of insectacide or whatever was on the Veggi from the farm, will kill quite a few.
Listen to all this advice from me and above and your Crix death toll will be almost none!

 

[lanceman]

Well to add to all the other good suggestions from above. I have finnally made a sweet Cricket container, full screened (even on the bottom) so their excrete falls mostly out the bottom. the Crix Cage sits abit off the ground and I just shop vac the stuff that falls through. Completely ventalated and thank God! no more smell from the Crix container anymore.

Man you seem to come up with some good ideas titan i like that.

 

[Titan]

Thanks Lanceman! Just like to share some of the good stuff that falls from the brain.

Yea, Ive always been referred to as Mcguyver (Spelling?) anyhow Creative ways bring us all simpler solutions!

 

[Todnedo]

I have been harnessing the dead cricket gas and converting it to power for not only my chameleon lighting but half my neighborhood

hey i did have the same problem real easy fix... first off did you buy 1000 crix at full size or smaller cricket do shed there skin when getting bigger.. also a hole in the top is not sufficiant air flow you need the both sides cutout for a cross breeze. when a cricket dies it releases a gas to harm what ever killed it... so when one dies 2 will then then 4 and so on you MUST keep it clean ever 10 days pull out the milk crate and transfer to another bin get what other crix are still in there out pull all the bodies and wipe with a warm towel. repolace crix... this will help... also have you noticed a smell??? thats the water crix stink when wet as tod said they could drown i use potatoes and apples pears.... what ever is left over from dinner or snack ( peels work good and carrots) any wet fruit. also add bran for substance of the dry sort and change the food ever 3 days.... unless they eat it all.... ok i think that is all ohh . also i hope your using aluminium screen i had a break out using fiber glass they chew through it quick. ohhh almost forgot keep em warm... lot less will die... also if you r getting noise complaints i have added a light to the top of mine to trick them into it always being day time... if you like pm me and i will sent you a pick of my crix bucket to give you an idea. im trying to breed in mine aswell.

 

[Titan]

Ok, Todnedo, harvesting crickit crack fuel fumes! Nice! gotta land this one on the next series of Dirtiest Jobs! As Tod lights up Cleveland! & Ha Ha, good one!

 

[mismo2]

thanks all for the ideas and pointers.