Dead Crickets!

[kyle_l]

Hey everyone! So I was wondering if someone could help/explain this problem i'm having! So I have been buying crickets to feed my cham. They keep dying so quickly. I have fed them strawberries, cubes, carrots, etc but they keep dying! When they die it's so sudden too. It's like 2 days after purchasing them. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Keke6438]

where do you get your crickets?

 

[nightanole]

For me its always air flow. They can literally poop smell themselves to death. Do you have screen on at least 2 sides, or are they just in a tub/tank?

 

[kyle_l]

For me its always air flow. They can literally poop smell themselves to death. Do you have screen on at least 2 sides, or are they just in a tub/tank?

They are in a tank, but there are open slots for airflow.

 

[kyle_l]

where do you get your crickets?

Petsmart

 

[hiddenflaws]

Mine did the same thing... came from petsmart as well. Even tho i kept them in a tank with airflow and offered food for them

 

[Ramrod]

Try a different supplier. May not be anything you are doing wrong. Keep them hydrated,ventilated, and warm. Make sure you remove any dead ones as soon as you can as they will cause others to die.

 

[Redman]

Standard house crickets can carry a virus/disease that kills them off really quickly. Look up Cricket Paralysis Disease and see if it is anything like you are seeing. You could be better off with banded crickets.

I get mine from Top Hat Crickets and have never had an issue in several years.

They aren't the cheapest, but I get a few thousand at a time, and they live until I use them up. I can't ask for more than that.

 

[JoXie411]

For me its always air flow. They can literally poop smell themselves to death. Do you have screen on at least 2 sides, or are they just in a tub/tank?

????????

 

[Redman]

One trick that I use vs smell that has worked wonders for me, is that I buy 50lb bags of rabbit chow at Tractor Supply at around $16 a bag, and use a layer of that as a substrate for my cricket tubs. NO ODOR problems and based on the rabbit feed contents, they can chew on it and it's not a bad thing.

The biggest thing for me was switching away from the box store type of house crickets. I used to lose sooooo many every time. Now, I rarely lose any unless I keep them well over a month.

The only caution is you don't want to introduce any moisture into the substrate or you will end up getting fungus. To keep that from happening, I make a tray for feeding out of aluminum foil which keeps veggies and any moisture from food from getting onto the rabbit pellets. Works for me. Find what works best for you. =)

 

[kyle_l]

Try a different supplier. May not be anything you are doing wrong. Keep them hydrated,ventilated, and warm. Make sure you remove any dead ones as soon as you can as they will cause others to die.

That's the thing, they all kind of die off at the same time. It's so bizarre!

 

[kyle_l]

Standard house crickets can carry a virus/disease that kills them off really quickly. Look up Cricket Paralysis Disease and see if it is anything like you are seeing. You could be better off with banded crickets.

I get mine from Top Hat Crickets and have never had an issue in several years.

They aren't the cheapest, but I get a few thousand at a time, and they live until I use them up. I can't ask for more than that.

Those are actually cheaper than Petsmart 100 at Petsmart are like 11 bucks. Small ones there are 500 for 11 bucks. My cham is still kind of small so that's the size I feed him right now. It's like overnight they all are just dead.

 

[Ramrod]

One trick that I use vs smell that has worked wonders for me, is that I buy 50lb bags of rabbit chow at Tractor Supply at around $16 a bag, and use a layer of that as a substrate for my cricket tubs. NO ODOR problems and based on the rabbit feed contents, they can chew on it and it's not a bad thing.

The biggest thing for me was switching away from the box store type of house crickets. I used to lose sooooo many every time. Now, I rarely lose any unless I keep them well over a month.

The only caution is you don't want to introduce any moisture into the substrate or you will end up getting fungus. To keep that from happening, I make a tray for feeding out of aluminum foil which keeps veggies and any moisture from food from getting onto the rabbit pellets. Works for me. Find what works best for you. =)

You can also use vermiculite as a substraight which will absorb moisture and help with the odor. Banded crickets are the way to go if you are using as a staple.

 

[Panda26]

Crickets actually stop moving when it’s to cold. If you put them in heat like under a hot light they can actually come back, it’s kind of creepy. Sometimes my crickets stop moving so I take a light and put it over the container for a couple minutes and they all start moving again. What temperature is the area you keep them in?

 

[Ares05]

Honestly I just have a bin that is tall enough so they can't jump out, and I don't use a lid. I also have a 75w heat light over them to keep them at 76-77 degrees so they don't die off from cold. I keep one of my windows open alot of the day to let fresh air circulate, but its cold right now, so in winter I put heat lights on my feeders.

 

[The Wild One]

I recommend dubia roaches, they're way easier to care for, and they live forever.

 

[Ramrod]

I recommend dubia roaches, they're way easier to care for, and they live forever.

Agree with dubias--better all around but some have problems feeding because of thier inactivity. I mix with a couple of crickets in a feeder to keep them moving.

 

[coastal_chameleon]

Agree with dubias--better all around but some have problems feeding because of thier inactivity. I mix with a couple of crickets in a feeder to keep them moving.

flipping them upside down also helps sometimes .. its frustration when they just sit there like a rock

 

[nightanole]

flipping them upside down also helps sometimes .. its frustration when they just sit there like a rock

Well lets be honest, they are really good at playing dead. Even flipped on their back, some of mind still tuck the legs and play dead for as long as possible.

 

[kyle_l]

Crickets actually stop moving when it’s to cold. If you put them in heat like under a hot light they can actually come back, it’s kind of creepy. Sometimes my crickets stop moving so I take a light and put it over the container for a couple minutes and they all start moving again. What temperature is the area you keep them in?

I keep the bin in my room. It's around 75 degrees. Because I have more than just a cham, I use the crickets to feed my Baby Beardie too. It's hard to feed them both because they keep dying.