Crickets dieieing. HYELP!

[Karmaleon]

Hey I have been ordering crickets from backwater reptiles and they've always been good.(YUM!lol) Yet just recently I only get to feed... maybe not even a quarter of them to my little dude as they suddenly die and get maggots? on them? Which makes me go huh?! cause, the place is pretty durn spotless where I keep them, I change the food every other day. Apples oranges carrots and dry 'cricket crack' The room temp is in the 60+/70+ range

 

[Tyaeda]

I haven't used backwater reptiles... I was going to, but after I read many very poor reviews about them, I decided against it. Is there anywhere you can get new feeders for your cham? I would be concerned about the 'maggots', you might want to get your cham tested for parasites just to be safe. Could you take some pictures?

 

[bbprinting]

You might want to supply them with water crystals for hydration, they may not be getting enough from the fruits and vegetables. Maggots are fly larvae, does your container have an open top where flys can get to it, if not then the maggots had to have been laid at the place you bought them from which as Tyaeda said is worrisome.

 

[Karmaleon]

Well honestly Iv'e never seen any flies which.. I to am wondering how they, the maggots, would get in if I never see any flies and I live in a tiny shack and would see flies. These are tiny, not to tiny lol.. white critters that, to me look like maggots not that i have much experience with maggots. the top of their container is some what open, I was keeping them in a "kritter keeper"? but when I started getting 500 in bulk, because that's all they sell I went larger and the top of the.. plastic, 5 gallon? container is a bit more open at the top but not by much as 'kritter keepers' are fairly open up top as well, I'd say it's about the same for openings on the top.

Something I forgot to mention is they, the crickets, appear to be wet (I havent touched or dissected them just thrown them away so I'm not positive if they're wet they just appear so as they're) and clumped together.

It's about time I took my little dude to the vet anyway as he's coming up on 8 months and he's wanting to and he is getting out, with my supervision, all the time now.

So were saying, don't order from 'backwater reptiles'? Any more complaints about them from more people on the forum that can say ''aye they suck''? Would like to know and I'm sure others would as well.

 

[Yak]

You might want to supply them with water crystals for hydration, they may not be getting enough from the fruits and vegetables. Maggots are fly larvae, does your container have an open top where flys can get to it, if not then the maggots had to have been laid at the place you bought them from which as Tyaeda said is worrisome.

small maggots are also a type of beetle,
common among cricket colonies

 

[Yak]

many were hit with the cricket virus,
I buy crickets that come from Wisconsin from time to time

last 50 I got in a box died within 24hrs.

 

[Karmaleon]

many were hit with the cricket virus,
I buy crickets that come from Wisconsin from time to time

last 50 I got in a box died within 24hrs.

Well that would explain why it's just recently (last two batches, because they keep dying so fast) been happening. I've been ordering from backwater reptiles for months now and haven't had anything bad except this and I haven't changed anything. I really need to go with the other type of wet food tho as opposed to veggies as I hear it's better for them, like bugburger.

Is there a link or more info on this bug virus that we can check out? Hopefully it ends soon?

 

[bbprinting]

small maggots are also a type of beetle,
common among cricket colonies

Actually by definition a maggot is from the fly family, something may look like a maggot but if it is not a fly then it is not a maggot. But yes Dermestid larvae which become dermestid beetles are what you find it cricket colonies to keep the dead crickets cleaned up.

 

[Karmaleon]

Weell, I just wont order crickets for awhile. I have superworms, dubai roaches, Aaand hornworms and butterworms on the way so its not like he's hurting for food lol. I usually hand feed all of those and let him hunt the crickets in his house tho.

 

[nick barta]

I would suggest you call Backwater Reptiles, and tell them about the 2 shipments where you lost most of them.

Ask them if they have had other recent reports from their customers.

Request a refund.

If they are reputable, the refund won't be an issue.

Nick

 

[Norcal55]

I get a couple thousand crickets a week and would usually have some die off. About 3 weeks ago I switched suppliers and they sell a banded cricket. I have absolutely zero die off. I think a big part of it is the type of cricket.
I use Ghanns btw.

 

[djfishygillz]

I would say sounds like the crickets you are ordering may have MITES!

Also do you have pics of the cricket setup? If you message me I can send you pictures of how mine is setup.

 

[Tay And A]

I would for sure discontinue using that company. A ton of bad reviews on boi -board of inquiry and also on fauna.

 

[Karmaleon]

Alrighty, so BOI has tons of bad reviews, so I'll switch that up. Ghans, is that a company to order crickets from? Right now I'm using backwater for crickets and Mulberry, spiderpharms(for house flies, rare treat) for other bugs. I just bought 3/4 1 1/2''butterworms from elliot's butterworms. Quickly! There's no time!-liam neeson impression- Name off some good companies for ordering bugs, please?

Crickets aren't the best meal but from what Ive seen other than more difficult to get flying meals, they're the best to hunt down. And I'd like to keep that bit o exercise for him lol.

The way I have my cricket set up right now is, flat bottom with 4 tubes from a large ''kritter keeper'' at the bottom of it and that's it. I am thinking I want to do two changes. one is silicone some very fine screen at the top of it, the holes on the lid are small but I guess they could be smaller. and perhaps add some egg crates in there. However! do they eat egg crates? will they eat egg crate instead of the fruits veggies 'crack'?

 

[Karmaleon]

well, i wrote them an email as that's the only way to reach them and have yet to hear anything. i wrote it shortly after i wrote this topic. ill wait a week and if i have yet to hear anything stop using them.