Cricket Troubles

[Chill]

Hey all, I have to go through at least 1,000 crickets in like 2 weeks!! but i also notice alot of the crickets are dying. I offer them food high in cal and i out some stuff in there to help supercharge the food to make it super healthy. I also throw in some lettuce stalks for them to drink from. Im just wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to keep crickets from dying. I spend like 30.00 on 1,000 crickets from nyworms.com and I cant keep buying all those if theyre just going to die. So if anyone has any suggestions to keep the crickets alive or if any one has a new place to buy crickets by the bulk. PLEASE send them my way.

 

[Electric]

how big are you buying your crickets? If you're buying them large than of course they're gonna die before you get to feed them all off.

 

[Dean Pulcini]

You got to keep them dry, clean, and warm and well ventilated. And your better off getting 3/4 not adults the 3/4 live longer and contain more moisture then the adults.

 

[Chill]

Yah i do buy em when theyre 3/4 haha. im not sure why they jus die off real fast. I keep em dry and warm my room is like around 80 on average. So im not too sure where do you guys get your crickets and for how much and do they live???

 

[Orin]

Put them in a 20 long with and inch of soil a bunch of egg carton and a screen lid with 60-watt bulb on one side.

 

[John33871]

how do you clean the soil. ive never heard of that and it could be a bad idea.

 

[Chill]

Iput them in a cricket keeper with a ton of cartons a dosh for food and i throw lettuce stalks in for moisture. ive heard of using corn cob on the bottom of the enclosure but not dirt?? dont you think cleaning and what not you would kill some of the crickets

 

[Orin]

Why would you clean the soil? I've had cricket cultures going for ten years in the same aquariums without 'cleaning' the soil. You don't want to give soil to the chameleons to eat but you shouldn't buy some odd substance that sticks to crickets (normal potting soil). One corner or side is kept damp for drinking. This is how you can keep them alive the longest.

According to another cricket thread here you should use cat food rather than dog food because dog food has high levels of vitamin A which may cause health issues.

 

[Orin]

how do you clean the soil. ive never heard of that and it could be a bad idea.

Every cricket you've ever bought started out as an egg laid in soil.

 

[LaserGecko]

Try putting some of the "water gel" in for them to drink. It made a huge difference in the amount of die off that I've experienced. Extremely convenient and cheap, too (if you buy the crystals and hydrate it yourself).

 

[Chill]

ill try the gel but doesnt that just hydrate the crix and wouldnt a lettuce stalk do the same??