Cricket Crisis in California

K

Kevy Baby

New Member
OK, sorry for the alliteration - it was unintentional.

I haven't seen this discussed elsewhere, but there appears to be a cricket crisis here in Southern California - a disease that has wiped out entire breeding colonies. I've heard Rainbow and one other company are on the verge of going under. Supplies are low and I haven't been able to get full-grown six week crickets in a while (more for my Beardies than my Chams). My regular source has had to get crickets out of Louisiana (of course, driving up prices.

Anybody else heard anything on this?
 
Petco seems to have a non-infected source. I've been able to buy crickets from them while my Reptile Store and PetSmart are both either limited or having none.

You might check them. They're price per cricket is higher than the Reptile Store, but actually lower than PetSmart if you become a Petco member! (yay! another key chain tag!).
 
The petcos in California have seen a sharp decline in the size of crickets, from what i assuming is the cricket virus. Parvo(sp.) as someone else said, it what its being identified as and according to that person wiped out most of the common cricket populations in Europe.

That information can be read in the thread Kent linked.

essentially from what I understand, is the virus effects crickets and kills them when they are close to reaching their final molt into adulthood ( as well as becoming their largest size ). This results in the pet store chains selling the crickets before that final molt, and in petcos case - smaller crickets for the same price.
 
SpinyFranky said:
The petcos in California have seen a sharp decline in the size of crickets, from what i assuming is the cricket virus. Parvo(sp.) as someone else said, it what its being identified as and according to that person wiped out most of the common cricket populations in Europe.

That information can be read in the thread Kent linked.

essentially from what I understand, is the virus effects crickets and kills them when they are close to reaching their final molt into adulthood ( as well as becoming their largest size ). This results in the pet store chains selling the crickets before that final molt, and in petcos case - smaller crickets for the same price.
Click to expand...

Can't you just order online. I've had no problem with my last week order thru premium cricket co. All adults and very healthy. maybe 10 our of 250 died from shipping and currently the ones I have a few finished their final molt winged a and everything.
 
Ordering online is great if you have a lot of big chameleons who'll eat a bunch of feeders quickly...me with my two tiny Fischers (the big one is 6 inches snout to vent) shipping costs are prohibitive. A $5 container of Phoenix worms can cost close to $10 to ship.
 
Kevy Baby said:
OK, sorry for the alliteration - it was unintentional.

I haven't seen this discussed elsewhere, but there appears to be a cricket crisis here in Southern California - a disease that has wiped out entire breeding colonies. I've heard Rainbow and one other company are on the verge of going under. Supplies are low and I haven't been able to get full-grown six week crickets in a while (more for my Beardies than my Chams). My regular source has had to get crickets out of Louisiana (of course, driving up prices.

Anybody else heard anything on this?
Click to expand...

Try cal pets on Chapman.They always have some when i go during the week.Phrestoric always keep some but the like to do the counting thing. No overcounts etc.Also you can run across people on craigs that can supply.hth
 
Elizadolots said:
Ordering online is great if you have a lot of big chameleons who'll eat a bunch of feeders quickly...me with my two tiny Fischers (the big one is 6 inches snout to vent) shipping costs are prohibitive. A $5 container of Phoenix worms can cost close to $10 to ship.
Click to expand...

so then do a lot of single or small chameleon keepers raise their own feeders??
 
Elizadolots said:
Ordering online is great if you have a lot of big chameleons who'll eat a bunch of feeders quickly...me with my two tiny Fischers (the big one is 6 inches snout to vent) shipping costs are prohibitive. A $5 container of Phoenix worms can cost close to $10 to ship.
Click to expand...

Why don't you order crickets along with the Phoenix Worms? That way you have more than one feeder, and it would be worth it
 
Elizadolots said:
Ordering online is great if you have a lot of big chameleons who'll eat a bunch of feeders quickly...me with my two tiny Fischers (the big one is 6 inches snout to vent) shipping costs are prohibitive. A $5 container of Phoenix worms can cost close to $10 to ship.
Click to expand...

Yes, but if there is a local "crisis" on feeder availability then you would have no other option. I see your point, but this is in regards to a cricket crisis local to the original thread starter not for someone who has two tiny fischers and a local supplier.
 
eppcheck said:
Yes, but if there is a local "crisis" on feeder availability then you would have no other option. I see your point, but this is in regards to a cricket crisis local to the original thread starter not for someone who has two tiny fischers and a local supplier.
Click to expand...

Um...the original poster was, from what was posted, someone like me who buys feeders and then feeds them to the chameleons.

This is not at all a local crisis, it is a world wide issue. From what I've seen on this board, the particular cricket species we all rely on has gone extinct in Europe from this virus. Many of the major providers are unable to ship crickets at the moment. It's possible that this particular brand of crickets is doomed globally and we all will be scraping for alternative food sources while the breeders work out what they are going to do.
 
Elizadolots said:
Um...the original poster was, from what was posted, someone like me who buys feeders and then feeds them to the chameleons.

This is not at all a local crisis, it is a world wide issue. From what I've seen on this board, the particular cricket species we all rely on has gone extinct in Europe from this virus. Many of the major providers are unable to ship crickets at the moment. It's possible that this particular brand of crickets is doomed globally and we all will be scraping for alternative food sources while the breeders work out what they are going to do.
Click to expand...

This is only effecting the cricket breeders that cross breed with other suppliers. My original post suggested premiumcrickets.com which is outside of this group of suppliers. I recently ordered from them a week ago adult crickets which have just finished their final shed. They are perfectly healthy and are not dying off anymore than usual.

Also, he said california not Europe so I don't even know why that was mentioned. Sorry europe...


Lastly, this isn't something that will doom this particular cricket species. This virus has been known about since 2002. There are preventive measures being taken in the states preventing it from spreading and plenty of breeders that this virus does not effect. It will limit the available providers, but there are plenty of breeders that keep breeding within their own business and therefore the virus can't spread to them. This is far from a serious global crisis. I can even get adult crickets perfectly fine here in Oregon at my local petstore and we are just a little bit north of him.

So, I stand by what I posted. Get them online temporarily till this blows over at your local area. Unless you are successfully "scraping" for alternative food sources locally. :rolleyes:
 
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