# My crickets are all dying!!!???



## Psychobunny (Dec 13, 2011)

I get them from Ghann's cricket farm and they do not have visible parasites

or anything, and I have never had trouble in the past.

But, my latest batch of 500 are dying off fast!! every day I have to remove dozens

of dead ones.

They are in a large tub and I had a UTH set for 78F because the room temp there

is only high 60's in winter. I removed the UTH in case that may be the problem.

I thought they were too cold, but it doesnt seem to make any difference!!

Also, I have been feeding them a 50/50 mix of bee pollen and regular cricket food.

They like the stuff so much, they gorge on it and I have to keep filling the feeding bins.

I noticed that most of the dead ones have "bloated" abdomens!!

So, I thought maybe they were gorging themselves to death on the stuff (cricks are pretty

stupid!!) and now feeding normal 100% cricket chow.

I also give them lettuce and water gel cubes for moisture.

I just took them off the bee pollen yesterday, so I cant yet assess if that helped or not,

but they sure did LOVE the stuff!!

I now only have 100 or so cricks left and just ordered a week ago!!!


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## ismart (Dec 13, 2011)

Sounds like a bad batch. Are these crickets adults?


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## crucis (Dec 13, 2011)

im not sure if this will help in your case, but i always keep a tray of of 2-inch deep moist soil in with the crickets.. it's supposed to help the gravid females 'relieve' themselves of eggs.. They do get really bloated and will start stabbing the ground with their ovipositors and working themselves into a frenzy when they can't find anyplace to deposit their load.. (definitely not good for their general well-being).

Hmm other than that I can only think of fungal infections or cannibalism.. in both cases, overcrowding seems to be the biggest problem  

PS yup, if they are adults, they could just be getting old...

EDIT: Reading your post again... Since you didn't have problems with them in the past, did you feed them bee pollen too?


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## meaganelise9 (Dec 13, 2011)

Weird.. is the bee pollen a new thing you're doing? I suppose they are pretty dumb.. Maybe they could be eating themselves to death, or maybe crickets aren't accustomed to pollen in the wild? Have you been feeding them to the mantids without a problem?

That's a head-scratcher.


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## Peter Clausen (Dec 13, 2011)

When I keep mine warm and offer an inch or so of substrate and feed and provide moisture sources consistently, they do just fine. Temperature does seem to have the greatest affect on die-off. I'm wondering too about the age of the batch you got. Most of my crickets die less natural deaths.


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## rs4guy (Dec 13, 2011)

I only keep about 3-4 dozen usually at a time in a 80oz tub, but have kept many in the past for my herps. Anyways, it sounds like you just got a bad batch, I feed mine pollen all the time and they do just fine. Maybe try another vendor next time?


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## tradaroo (Dec 13, 2011)

Its not your fault, there is a wide spread cricket _diseases_ that has effected 80% of all the cricket farmers in the USA.... It will eventually hit all of them . The bad thing about this diseases is that no matter how well the farms clean there breeding cages, the diseases comes back...... the diseases is caled *cricket * paralysis virus... Alot of the farms are trying to breed the black crickets. From what i understand it shoud not harm the reptiles we feed, it only effects the crickets.


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## Psychobunny (Dec 13, 2011)

Sorry I forgot to say, these are nymphs, 1/4''.

I have never used any substrate at all, always thought it would be a big mess!!

I am gut loading them with added bee pollen for the mantids, since they get this in the wild

from bugs.

I have a whole bunch of that fine coconut fiber substrate like they use for reptiles. Would that work?

I have compressed bricks of the stuff. You stick it in a bucket water, and it expands like crazy!!

I use it for my tarantula and he has fun building mounds all over the place.

He has a huge mound at one end of his half log hide out so you cant see inside!!LOL

I dont think its a bad batch. I have keep crickets for years, but never tried feeding them bee pollen either!!

I really think they are eating themselves to death!! LOL!!

I am putting about 5 tablespoons full of this mixture in and the next day, its all gone!!!


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## Psychobunny (Dec 13, 2011)

rs4guy said:


> I only keep about 3-4 dozen usually at a time in a 80oz tub, but have kept many in the past for my herps. Anyways, it sounds like you just got a bad batch, I feed mine pollen all the time and they do just fine. Maybe try another vendor next time?


I have had trouble with ALL the crick farms, and I have tried a lot of them.

Fluker's is about the worst. Sometimes I have great luck with a vendor, then all of a sudden, they screw everything up and I have

to find another


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## Introvertebrate (Dec 13, 2011)

tradaroo said:


> Its not your fault, there is a wide spread cricket _diseases_ that has effected 80% of all the cricket farmers in the USA.... It will eventually hit all of them . The bad thing about this diseases is that no matter how well the farms clean there breeding cages, the diseases comes back...... the diseases is caled *cricket * paralysis virus... Alot of the farms are trying to breed the black crickets. From what i understand it shoud not harm the reptiles we feed, it only effects the crickets.


Acheta domesticus is susceptible to the cricket virus. Ghann's is in the process of switching from Acheta domesticus to Gryllus assimilis, which is immune to the cricket virus. I couldn't tell you which species Psychobunny got.


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## crucis (Dec 13, 2011)

a cricket pandemic...? wow this is starting to sound really disturbing. Especially if it spreads to wild individuals..

i was so glad when the pet stores in my country switched permanently over to Acheta... even the neighbours commented on the racket Gryllus was making (I live in an apartment)


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## Rick (Dec 14, 2011)

I just keep them in a rubbermaid tub with an inch or so of dry oatmeal as a substrate. You probably shouldn't feed them "cricket food" as that is simply a waste of money. Feed them fresh fruits and veggies along with dry dog food. They will also nibble on the oatmeal substrate. I never used any additional heat on them either. Sounds like you just got a bad batch. It happens.


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## Psychobunny (Dec 14, 2011)

I dont know what species I have, they look exactly the same as what I have been

getting for years. They are a light tan color. Maybe I will Google "cricket species" to

see if I can find them.

I know about the virus, but was told it was now under control and was only a big problem

a few years ago. Source of that info is not what I would call 100% relieable though!!


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## Psychobunny (Dec 14, 2011)

Rick said:


> I just keep them in a rubbermaid tub with an inch or so of dry oatmeal as a substrate. You probably shouldn't feed them "cricket food" as that is simply a waste of money. Feed them fresh fruits and veggies along with dry dog food. They will also nibble on the oatmeal substrate. I never used any additional heat on them either. Sounds like you just got a bad batch. It happens.


That sound like it would turn into a huge mess in a few weeks, esp when your substrate starts getting damp.

How do you keep it clean??

I have to clean my bin at least weekly and I get 1/2 a dustpan full of ###### w/o any substrate!!


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## hibiscusmile (Dec 14, 2011)

the crickets were prob sick or too cold in shipping, they die off fast if they have gotten to cold, I try to tell you guys to order from Rainbow mealworms, the crickets do not die off, they are the darker kind, but there are some lighter ones in the order, they have small or large, small is 1/4 " or less, large are 1/2 or bigger, order the smallest amount they offer, as they are very hardy. ps if you order, mention my name!


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## meaganelise9 (Dec 14, 2011)

I try to keep mine in smaller batches, so that I can clean out the poo more easily/frequently. I've never used a substrate either, though it might be a good idea.


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## massaman (Dec 14, 2011)

I always buy mine from a pet store called soldans in Michigan and get like 5 dozen large and small usually and just get them every other week when I run out instead of ordering online some of the pet stores may have better crickets then ordering them online but depends on location!


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## patrickfraser (Dec 14, 2011)

CRICKETS! UGH! :no:


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## lancaster1313 (Dec 14, 2011)

I keep a couple of small containers of crickets temporarily(not breeding) on an oatmeal substrate and it doesn't get bad at all. Actually, it seems to cut down on the cricket's odors. They ALL grab a piece to eat when they are introduced to their new substrate.  

I don't let the oatmeal get too moist. Fruits and veggies(in a dish) are the only water source for my crickets. I feed pond sticks (fish food) as a dry staple to all of my omnivorous insects. They like them and they don't mold over (as quickly as my dog's food does) in my more humid containers. Dog food will do fine for crickets but I already buy pond sticks for the insects cause they are so easy to chew up, even for tiny nymphs. Usually the only crickets that die are adults and occasional molting individuals(chewed on by others).

I guess a container of moist substrate can be placed on the oatmeal for laying if one wants to breed the crickets? I just don't feel like breeding them.


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## Psychobunny (Dec 14, 2011)

I have never wanted to bother breeding them either. To much work just keeping them

clean and alive.

Dubia roaches, on the other hand, will breed out of control simply by putting them in a

90F invironment with plenty of food and water (and egg cartons).

They also dont stink like cricks.

Only thing is, they are very good at hiding and will stay under any substrate for days.

Every time I clean cages I find them. Been there for days, hiding!!


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## hibiscusmile (Dec 14, 2011)

my crickets do not die, so they do not stink


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## massaman (Dec 14, 2011)

I dont use roaches as feeders just dont want to be bothered with them and dont mind crickets though and they can be annoying at night when they decide to sing but I can tolerate it and some people are just not able to use one or the other as feeders as some use crickets and others roaches its just a matter of linguistics!


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## patrickfraser (Dec 14, 2011)

Linguistics? What do you say??? :lol:


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## Introvertebrate (Dec 14, 2011)

Psychobunny said:


> I dont know what species I have, they look exactly the same as what I have been
> 
> getting for years. They are a light tan color......


Sounds like Ghann's is still selling Acheta domesticus. Here's a quote from Ghann's website: "We're happy to announce that we have just been granted permits by the USDA to LEGALLY produce the new VIRUS RESISTANT cricket that everyone is talking about, and TODAY we received our initial breeding stock - our "Adams &amp; Eves"! The species is Gryllus assimilis (commonly called the Jamaican Field Cricket), and it's VERY similar to the standard Acheta domesticus that we all know &amp; love. The adults get a little larger and are a little darker in color, but the MAJOR difference is... the deadly cricket virus that kills Achetas does NOT affect Gryllus assimilis!"



hibiscusmile said:


> .........I try to tell you guys to order from Rainbow mealworms, the crickets do not die off, they are the darker kind, but there are some lighter ones in the order.........they are very hardy.......


That sounds like Gryllus assimilis. They're darker.



crucis said:


> ........i was so glad when the pet stores in my country switched permanently over to Acheta... even the neighbours commented on the racket Gryllus was making.......


I was under the impression that Gryllus is the quieter species. Some people call it the 'silent cricket'.


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## crucis (Dec 14, 2011)

Introvertebrate said:


> I was under the impression that Gryllus is the quieter species. Some people call it the 'silent cricket'.


Hmm several species in that genus are dubbed 'Field Crickets', right? Those that I kept were really, REALLY loud somehow  I made the foolish experiment of keeping the males alone in deli cups, and this made them sing so enthusiastically my ears rang if I stood next to them at night

I cannot be sure that the Gryllus species I kept was G.assimilis (it was probably G.bimaculatus), but I was thinking that - since both species fall under the designation 'Field Cricket' - they are rather similar, and probably as loud as each other. I could easily be wrong though!


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## Rick (Dec 15, 2011)

Psychobunny said:


> That sound like it would turn into a huge mess in a few weeks, esp when your substrate starts getting damp.
> 
> How do you keep it clean??
> 
> I have to clean my bin at least weekly and I get 1/2 a dustpan full of ###### w/o any substrate!!


The oatmeal is never damp. Daily I remove uneaten food and that is it. I water using a small shallow dish with a sponge. Hiding places created with egg crates. I never mist crickets so not sure how you think the substrate would get damp. But when the oatmeal is getting thin I just dump it out and add more. It sounds like your issues are caused by your techniques. I find keeping crickets to be quite easy and I have had few problems over the years with this technique. Crickts get a bad rap and I believe it to be because people have no idea how to keep them.


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## Psychobunny (Dec 15, 2011)

I was thinking water from your water dish, plus whatever veggies, fruit you put in there would make it damp

over time. No, I was not thinking of misting them. Never hear of anyone doing that


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## Psychobunny (Dec 15, 2011)

hibiscusmile said:


> my crickets do not die, so they do not stink


Okay, on your advise, I ordered 500 from Rainbow !

If they all die, I'm a comin' after ya!! LOL


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## Rick (Dec 16, 2011)

Psychobunny said:


> I was thinking water from your water dish, plus whatever veggies, fruit you put in there would make it damp
> 
> over time. No, I was not thinking of misting them. Never hear of anyone doing that


Fruit would be more on the order of apples and the like. Those are occasional though. Majority of feed is dry dog food and leafy greens.


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## Small Pet Feeders (Dec 16, 2011)

Yea, the crickets from a lot of farms are getting chewed up by the cold. Try feeding fresh fruits and high protein items. And make sure you change the container they're in 4 times a month at least.


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## Krissim Klaw (Dec 16, 2011)

Sounds like a bad batch. From the petstores I consider it normal for at least 1/2 to die within the first few weeks. Rebecca raises a good point, which I never thought of. I always assumed it was from terrible care at the petstores but perhaps the strain of being shipped can trigger some of the deaths. I would probably avoid the vendor and try another.

Meanwhile in my 20 gallon tank I have everything from freshly hatched nymphs to adults and only find the occasional dead adult most likely one that has aged out. I have made no efforts to breed my crickets but from giving the proper environment for healthy living it naturally happens. They don't naturally smell. If someone is experiencing smelly crickets it is either because you aren't keeping the environment clean enough or what you are feeding. I always give my crickets some of the high quality dry dog food my dog is on at the time, and I have noticed on occasion I will happen on a food that makes for a stinky cricket cage.


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