cricket virus

[jetsky82]

Hi,

I found this article when I was looking for feeder crickets:

http://michiganmessenger.com/40966/deadly-cricket-virus-decimating-north-american-captive-bred-cricket-population-impacting-pet-industry-zoos

It claims that a new virus is decimating the cricket feeder industry, causing crickets to die quickly. After searching the mantid boards using the terms "crickets, virus" etc, I found a few cases where people claim their mantis got sick and died from eating a diseased cricket.

As a new mantis owner, I'm very interested in learning about this so-called "cricket paralysis virus". I was wondering if anyone has any first hand information, or can provide me with anything about this virus.

It seems that cricket farming, being the multi-million dollar industry that it is (kinda sarcastic-or not), would be wise to invest in a cricket virus cure. Just speculating, but it seems that an anti-viral drug could be designed and added to the drinking water for the crickets. Such drugs work for HIV patients by inactivating HIV proteins but not affecting the structurally different human proteins.

I bought some crickets this past weekend and within a day half had died. I wasn't sure if this is a cricket virus in action or just the short lifespan of a cricket. Anyway, any additional information would be useful.

Mike

 

[Krissim Klaw]

Not sure about any cricket viruses but petstore crickets are notoriously unhealthy. They are often deprived of food and water while languishing in the shops. They are forced to exist in overpopulated quarters and the females are left stabbing in vain hoping to find soft earth they aren't provided with until their ovipositors are bent in half. In my experience it isn't unusual for fifty percent to die within the first week. It is by no means natural aging out either. This is of course to be expected of a cheap feeder insect. Why take care of them when most pet owners eagerly support such stores and practices? Never mind the store owners themselves that are often clueless about cricket care. I actually got in an argument, with an owner of an exotic store no less, because he insisted there was no way my crickets would last more than a couple of weeks because they would cannibalize. I suppose it would never occur to him his were doing that because he didn't provide any food. No, that would be too logical.

On the other hand, I've had a lot of luck with my breeder tank of crickets. No need to constantly go to the store or order from other sites. They reproduce like, well crickets, and require hardly any maintenance work. I also get the benefits of their lovely music, although not everyone in the house finds it as soothing. ^.~

 

[PhilinYuma]

The major problem with your anti viral treatment for crickets, Jetsky, is that it would have to be given every day, and everyone buying crix would probably have to buy several antivirals and feed them to their captive crix. The treatment, if it were discovered, would be much more expensive than the crix.

Crickets, like mantids, die for lots of reasons, and most of the time we have no idea why. All that you can do is keep yr cricket enclosure clean and dry and feed them lots of veggies and some animal protein like dog/cat food. On the bright side, most viruses are species specific, so it is highly unlikely that they will infect yr mantids.

I should also add that in the various towns in AZ, including Yuma, Phoenix, Mesa, and Tucson, where I have bought them, I have never seen crickets that were badly raised. It is a basic of business that if you sell livestock, you need to be able to keep it alive until it is sold. I can't imagine buying crix from a retailer whose stock were living under bad conditions,. It seems to be asking for trouble. Raising yr own, as KK does, avoids this problem. I raised them myself for about half a year and had no problems, but sadly, I just don't like crix, and unlike one friend on this forum, I don't have any attack squirrels to hunt down escapees!

 

[Krissim Klaw]

I should also add that in the various towns in AZ, including Yuma, Phoenix, Mesa, and Tucson, where I have bought them, I have never seen crickets that were badly raised. It is a basic of business that if you sell livestock, you need to be able to keep it alive until it is sold. I can't imagine buying crix from a retailer whose stock were living under bad conditions,. It seems to be asking for trouble. Raising yr own, as KK does, avoids this problem. I raised them myself for about half a year and had no problems, but sadly, I just don't like crix, and unlike one friend on this forum, I don't have any attack squirrels to hunt down escapees!

The cricket care in many of the pet stores I have checked has been pretty terrible. I think a lot of the big time stores down here are relying on the fact that they will sell enough of their product before they have a chance to perish on the shelves. I don't however think the places they are getting from are near is bad. Obviously to get an adult cricket you need to be providing them with food and water. It seems like there is a dropping of the ball on their care once they reach some of the stores themselves. It isn't just crickets either. So many of the fish, reptiles, birds, and other little critters these stores tend to carry are also living in substandard settings.What surprises me most though was the worst care I ever saw was from an exotic store. I am talking venomous snakes, all sorts of goodie type of exotic store. I would have thought they if anyone would have known basic cricket care. Not only did they have no food or water but they didn't even provide any sort of shelter. No egg crate, they just dumped them into an empty bin... Needless to say I passed on purchasing any.

As for cricket catching, all you need is a Papillon. My dog Kirby catches any escapees between his paws, leaving them alive so I can toss them back in the tank. I was going to name him Cricket originally, but my mom hated the name choice so much I caved. ;o;

 

[Orin]

Other cricket species are not affected by the virus so it's likely the mantis story is urban legend.

 

[jetsky82]

The major problem with your anti viral treatment for crickets, Jetsky, is that it would have to be given every day, and everyone buying crix would probably have to buy several antivirals and feed them to their captive crix. The treatment, if it were discovered, would be much more expensive than the crix.

This is a strategy that has worked well for modern drug companies.

Thanks for the responses everyone. I suppose I should consider raising my own crickets, either that or flies.

 

[warpdrive]

being into reptiles, I have known about the worst cases of the cricket virus. it happened mostly to the breeders on the west coast.

since I live on the east cost I was mostly unafected, but others lost everything. it's the major reason why some places that offer crickets for sale have changed over to selling "black" crickets.

this virus, or what ever it was, basicly kills crickets when they reach 4 weeks old. so when you order some 3 week olds, they all up and die on you in a few days.

after a while, even the breeders were so greatly effected that they had to redo everything and start over.

I wish I had more info but if you goto the chameleon forums, I'm sure you'll get a lot of replys from people who were effected the most.

Harry

 

[Arwen9]

PetSmart raises their crickets in atrocious conditions, so I can see them dying off just from that, much less a virus. (though I have heard of it too)

When I buy crickets from PetSmart in desperation, I buy double what I actually need and put all of them in a "quarantine tank". (It's a 10 gal basic aquarium, stuffed with a layer of repti-bark and moss, a half log for shade, a light and terrarium heater for the winter, and misted twice daily)

One batch of PetSmart crickets started eating the moss and moist paper towels, they were so desperate. It was pitiful.

If at all possible, I keep my crickets in their new tanks and feeding on the food I provide for at least 2 days, sometimes longer. So far, that's cut down on my cricket losses. (in fact, several of these crickets molted to adulthood and started breeding. I had to curtail it before I had a population explosion like my fruit flies. :blink: )