Question about crickets & larva

[javsto]

I recently purchased 1000 1/4" crickets from the same store where i got my veiled baby cham. I puchased them last monday and most of the very small one have already died prior to feeding. I assumed that either they were trampled or eaten by the larger crix since it was a mixed lot. Yesterday I went back to the store and purchased 100 1/2" crix until my next batch of 1000 comes in later this week.

I placed the 1/2 inchers with the rest of the crix i already had in the same container, added more water crystals and some fresh tomatoes, broccalli, celery and other leafy greens as well as more fluckers high calcium crix food and put the container into the shelf beneath my cham cage. This morning when i went to gather some crix to feed I noticed that a majority of the 1/2" were dead!!!! I fished out about 10-12 of the alive ones, dusted them and placed them into the cage and when i went to clean out the dead one from the carrier I noticed some larva like things crawling around inside.

I dont know where they came from, possibly from a fly that had some how made it into the keeper? Is there a possiblity that my cham will get sick from eating the remainder of the live crix i fed him this morning? any signs of illness that i should be looking for? Should i buy a new crix container or should i just completly clean out and boil/sterilze the one that i have? Since he has been eating the 1/4" from last week, I havent noticed anything wrong with him, he just shed on sunday always moving around the cage, constantly "hunting" the free rangers, his color bars are starting to show, when i got him last month he was a solid lime green now some faint red bars are showing as well as his back spines are turning red as well, eyes nice and round, not sunken in, he has started to hiss at me when ever i reach in and grab him, as wll as puffing out his neck/chin. Im assuming these are all signs of a healthy baby boy?

 

[jastate09]

I never buy my crickets from a pet store and 1000 would be allot for one baby. Try an online cricket farm. Also chameleons don't like to be grabed. Try waiting for him to walk out onto your hand.

 

[laurie]

Hi, crickets are a pain for all of us except out chameleons. You can use cheap plastic containers from Walmart or that sort of place. If you are having dieing issues you may have to many cricket is one area so the climb on each other and the body heat kills them. Do you have eggs crates for them to climb on? I always try to keep different sizes in different tubs. Much easier to know what you are feeding. Buying 1000 crickets if you are feeding one chameleons means if you buy 1/2 inch crickets in a coupe of weeks you will be feeding your poor little chameleon full size crickets It is a lot safer for your cham to buy small amounts. If you need 1/2 inch for your guy buy 100 1/2", and 100 1/4 '. That way by the time you are ready to feed the 1/4 will be 1/2. Crickets need to be warm for not 100 degrees. Tell me what you are keeping them in and how you are doing it and I will see if I can help.

Now the larve, can you describe it? Color, size, moves a lot or a little and anything else you can think of. A picture will help us in the little pest.

 

[jdog1027]

What are your temperatures that you keep your crickets? 85-90F is optimal for steady growth. But like Laurie mentioned, if your buying them in lots of 1000, they will out grow what size your chameleon will need. Just buy in less quantity. You can also reduce the crickets temperatures to slow growth to a certain degree. Don't go below 70F. If you do reduce the temperatures, you might want to set aside what your going to feed your chameleon the night before, gutload and keep these at a higher temperature so that they process the gutload better. Are they getting enough water? Small crickets are a pain to keep watered properly. They will drown in a dish, and they will dry up quick if not given a steady supply of H20. You can use those water crystals, but I have personally never touched those things. I guess they work well, a lot of members on here use them. When I first saw them years ago, for some reason the word 'gimmick' was ringing aloud in my head. I see you are keeping them fed in your post, but one thing I'd like to mention is, cut out the brocoli. It has a high oxalate count which interferes with calcium absorbtion. Use some mustard/turnip/collard greens, carrots, apple, and squash. Use a good dry gutload as well, preferably something with spirulina or kelp, bee pollen and brewers yeast. As for the 'larva', if they are small maggots about 3/16 to 1/2", they are probably Phorid fly larva or what some people have called 'Fungus gnats'. Do you have small fruit-fly sized gnats or tiny 1/8" long brown pupae in your cricket containers? They are a true pest and are almost impossible to control. Post some good close-up pics if you can.