cricket pandemic!!!

[ForrestJungle]

I am losing over a 100 crickets a week. Why are so many dying?!?!?!

 

[pssh]

How are you keeping them? How often do you clean the cage? What kind of ventilation do they have? Is it too wet? We need more info to help you. There are a ton of reasons that they could be dying off like that.

 

[ForrestJungle]

The room is dark in the 70ies. Good vetalation. Fresh fruit smd dry oats with dino fuel and calcium. Here are some pictures.

 

[pssh]

What size do you get? How often do you clean?

If they are a smaller size are you sure they are dying and not just shedding their skin?

 

[ForrestJungle]

They rang from 1/2 inch to 1 inch. I clean everyother day. I have lost so many!!!

 

[Seiryu]

This is the big problem with crickets. Crickets close to 1", even around 3/4" don't live for too long regardless of care. So if you bought them at 1/2"+ size you probably got some older ones in your batch.

How many were in the tub to start with? Maybe it was TOO crowded. Once they die off like that, it isn't easy to make chain of death stop.

This is the main reason I stopped with crickets. I had to buy 4,000/5,000 a month and cleaning 2 times a day, I would end up losing 1/3 by the time I got to feed them. Was not worth the effort.

 

[carol5208]

If they are adults and are not fed off within a certain amount of time, they die. I never knew this until recently. The cricket breeder I get them from told me this. It is like a butterfly. They only live for so long. I also cut holes on each side of my bin like the one you have and cover with screen. The top screen alone was not enough ventilation for me.

 

[nightanole]

I can keep mine 2x -3x longer at 65f than at 80f. I might get 4 months out of 1/2" units before they turn into 1" and die.

 

[deadhd5]

Maybe get some ventilation further down the cricket enclosure instead of just around the top. Also, try adding water crystals; I have added it to my cricket husbandry and it has really slowed dieoff. If there is a cooler spot they can be stored, that may help too.

 

[ForrestJungle]

So what should u do? My crickets only like 1 inch crickets. I was going to get 500 for this month. I have dubiad also but they are too small that my chams don't even see them
I want mantisies. What do you guys think?

 

[ForrestJungle]

Man I really beefed up that last post. Ha my chameleons only like one inch crickets!!! Lol I'm losing it!!!!

 

[nightanole]

Yup mine wont eat 1/2" either. Sorry but 1" or even 3/4" (im assuming house cricket and not the new banded that top out at 3/4") wont last more than 3-4 weeks before they all die. The only 2 ways to slow down death is really good ventilation (i have full screen on 3 outa 5 sides) and cool them down to the lower 60's with 1 day a week stored in the cham room.

 

[ForrestJungle]

So should I look into worms then? And should I feed less worms then I would crickets to must chameleons?

 

[Seiryu]

Have you tried getting some bigger sized dubia? You will feed much less dubia than crickets. If you were feeding say, six 3/4"-1" crickets a day, you might only need 3 1"-1.25" dubia.

 

[nightanole]

I have a biggins too so i feed silks, dubia and super meal worms(Zophobas). Meal worms are not a direct replacement for crickets (gut load is pretty different) but are a nice compliment to dubia (cricket and dubia gut load is the same other than protein amount) and have half the shell thickness as a king meal worm. Nutritionally supers will have more fat than crickets so they will be alittle higher calorie. In terms of size an adult super should be about the same weight as a full grown house cricket.

 

[ForrestJungle]

Ok so I ordered crickets and supers. Can anyone post pictures on how to house supersede?