Stupid crickets keep dying.

[jacevy]

My daughter has a preying mantis that eats only 1 cricket a day.
We buy the $7 tubs from the pet store and for the first few months they lived happily for 2-3 weeks.
The last 4 lots we have purchased die after 4 or 5 days.
The cardboard egg carton is getting moist so I presume it is a humidity thing seeing as we are on the QLD coast. The last batch we took the egg carton out after 2 days and replaced it with a toilet roll.
The damn cricket still carked it! Another $7 down the drain.

How do I keep them alive?

I thought of getting woodies instead but thought maybe I would have the same problem.

Are these little mongrels easy to breed? If I can't keep them alive for 7 days I don't like my chance of breeding!!!!

 

[mad_at_arms]

Set up a bigger holding tub with a ventilated lid, they will last longer.
Replace the carrot or whatever vegie you provide as a moisture source every few days.

 

[andynic07]

I think it is natural selection if it is in case the "stupid" ones that keep dying.

 

[adz83]

buy a plastic tub and put the crickets into that....they should last alot longer for you that way

 

[Dapple]

$7 !! where are you buying them from.

What are you feeding them? Gutload is good for food.

Crickets need moisture to drink also, so vegies are good for food and water.

Also keep them in a cricket keeper, its a larger area so they dont kill each other.

hope this helps!

 

[jacevy]

$7 !! where are you buying them from.

What are you feeding them? Gutload is good for food.

Crickets need moisture to drink also, so vegies are good for food and water.

Also keep them in a cricket keeper, its a larger area so they dont kill each other.

hope this helps!

Did I not mention they are gold plated?
lol

Yes we change the carrot every two days and even leave it out for 2 hours after cutting as suggested by the petshop.

I will investigate this cricket keeper.

thanks

 

[Dapple]

Did I not mention they are gold plated?
lol

Yes we change the carrot every two days and even leave it out for 2 hours after cutting as suggested by the petshop.

I will investigate this cricket keeper.

thanks

haha yeah!

they are 4.92 at Petbarn.

 

[andynic07]

haha yeah!

they are 4.92 at Petbarn.

They are usually $6.95 here in Queensland for a chinese container of them.

 

[Thyla]

What temperature is it dropping to at night where you are? Maybe the cold weather is killing them

 

[jacevy]

Only getting down to 15 or so.
I think it is the humidity. Or at least that is the only thing I can think of.

 

[treeofgreen]

$4.99 at City Farmers

(got some yesterday)

 

[andynic07]

$4.99 at City Farmers

(got some yesterday)

I have looked in city farmers and they are usually half dead. Which one do you go to?

 

[user 23122]

crickets thrive in a warm environment set them up in a larger tub with a dirt sand substrate on top of a small heatmat and they will not only thrive but with a bit of extra moisture they will breed like crazy cooler nights under 20deg they will start to die you have to check your container regularly and remove any dead crickets as they appear. I maintain around 2000 crickets in two large tubs and the only time of year i dont provide heating at night is mid summer i rarely see dead crickets in my tubs and if i do i change over the substrate and re set up the tub with new crickets cheers

 

[treeofgreen]

I have looked in city farmers and they are usually half dead. Which one do you go to?

I have only been to the one at Underwood on Logan Rd. Never had an issue with their crickets. The staff are also really nice. I do grab the ones from the back Woolies style tho so fresh so cleaaaaan

 

[someday]

This guide works fine for me Livefoods Unlimited - Crickets
Make sure there clean and not living in a plague of there droppings.

 

[BIGBANG]

how do you breed crickets????
and yes i know when a daddy cricket loves a mummy cricket very much they get married and have a billion baby crickets

 

[Darlyn]

We had the same problem, we're switching to woodies, they seem easier (from what we have encountered anyway).

 

[Rogue5861]

Temps play a big part in deaths, they temps need 25-35c. Humidity doesnt phase crickets but it does roaches.

Im about to bulk buy some roaches and throw them in a 60ltr bin inside another bin, heat cord inbetween them and set it for 30c then throw them in the shed over winter, should turn 1000 into 5000 no worries.

Only problem is my frogs and geckos dont really like roaches, so i still need to out together a heated cricket bin and knuckle down on raising pinheads. Had them breed but all my pinheads died after 2 week from the cold weather.


Rick

 

[Reptiles101]

Did I not mention they are gold plated?
lol

Yes we change the carrot every two days and even leave it out for 2 hours after cutting as suggested by the petshop.

I will investigate this cricket keeper.

thanks

Why do you need to keep the cut up carrot out for 2 hours?

 

[Thyla]

No need to leave carrot out for 2 hours. In fact i recommend cutting it and putting it straight in (that way its full of moisture for the crickets to eat.
As previously said, temperature plays a big part. At one of the major breeding facilities, they kept their hatchies at 28celcius which was the lowest temperature maintained at any stage in the crickets life.
I recommend a heat mat cranked to the max (as ideally you want the air space around the crickets to be up around the 30 celcius mark.