crickets dying

[halesf98]

I have my crickets in a feeder box and keep that in a closed drawer so they can't get out. i have the cubes for water and some type of cereal-looking food for them also (both bought from the pet store near me). My problem with them is a lot of them are dying and that's super frustrating.

Any suggestions to keep a cricket alive longer both in its keeper and in the for dish?

THANKZ

 

[Beman]

So they are probably dying off because they are starving and do not have a good source of water. Ok so look at this page... https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/food/ Your gonna want to look at the part on gutloading. I am guessing the cereal is low quality. Also the cube jelly water things aren't that great. Cut a piece of potato for a water source. Are they in like a cricket holder or tub or the box that they got shipped in? In the search function you can find a ton of info as well. Type in feeder containers... and you will see different examples of what others use to hold theirs.

 

[Syreptyon]

If your crickets' food looks like cereal, you need to get a different gutload immediately.

 

[halesf98]

If your crickets' food looks like cereal, you need to get a different gutload immediately.

Lol it looks like chocolatey pebbles. Ill look into other options

 

[Beman]

Lol it looks like chocolatey pebbles. Ill look into other options

lol yeah no bueno at all. You can also use pre done gutloads as well. I know a lot of people use bug burger by repashy.

 

[Lennoncham]

they are probably dying from lack of air flow. They need a lot of air flow or the gasses the put off will build up and kill more of them.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

they are probably dying from lack of air flow. They need a lot of air flow or the gasses the put off will build up and kill more of them.

^This is the single largest cause of death in captivite crickets. Get a CPU cooling fan for about $10 on Amazon and keep it on top of their cage.

 

[Lennoncham]

^This is the single largest cause of death in captivite crickets. Get a CPU cooling fan for about $10 on Amazon and keep it on top of their cage.

Good idea. Do you want it blowing air into the container or pulling air out?

 

[insectovore]

I've had mass die offs of crickets only when there is a lack of ventilation or excessive moisture

 

[Thehippie]

me too, excessive moisture is usually what gets me. ive stopped buying bulk crickets, its too much for me to handle, and they STINK! i would also try some organic gutload like spinach or sweet potato, it seems to do well with mine.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Good idea. Do you want it blowing air into the container or pulling air out?

In

 

[Brodybreaux25]

When crickets die they put off a lot of ammonia during the decomposing process. It’s a chain reaction, the more dead crickets in your bin the faster it will kill the rest. Forcing air into the bin helps to purge those gases but is not a replacement for good housekeeping.

 

[salty dog]

I put mine in a metal screen cage, close to a fan, feed fresh organics every other day, I put a 2 inch deep container in there with moist sand and they are laying eggs like crazy, they don't die. The metal screen cage I made, diy 20" wide 20" long and 30" tall the door is on the top, nail together some 1x2s from home depot and staple some screen to it, buy some small hinges for the door, very easy