Crickets smell worse than normal

[creddjobs]

Hey guys ,
I searched the forum and really couldn't find an answer to what I'm looking for so I thought I would ask. I went to Petsmart last weekend to get Koopa some crickets since I was unable to order online (southerncricket.com). I bought a 25 count that comes prepacked. I noticed that they smelled bad! We all know crickets stink already but this smell was worse than normal. I thought maybe because the packaging was so small ("crickets to go"). I noticed some were dead and it looked like little worms were in the "food" they gave them. Well I moved them over to my cricket bin and started to gut load them. Well, I noticed that they were stinking to the point where if u held the individual cricket to your nose that you could smell it. I also noticed that some were very dark to the point where it looked black. I also noticed that Koopa didn't want to eat them. Some of them looked normal brown and didn't stink when you held it to your nose. So my question is, Is it possible to get a bad set of crickets? I stopped feeding them as he was not eating and has not ate all week (dubias either). I wont be buying anymore, I just wanted to get some insight.....

 

[Baldy]

smell

I use to raise crickets the main thing is they need water, moisture of some kind other wise the start dehydrating and turning dark black ,that and any food like a good chicken mash.If not they start eating each other bet that was the problem. Ty

 

[creddjobs]

Well it had some fluckers cubes in there. The ventilation was not too good but these guys reeked. Nothing like i ever smelled before on the crickets

 

[creddjobs]

thread is dead..

 

[Kate]

I think that's dead crickets you are smelling. The live ones will smell as they have been eating the dead. I smell it when the pet shop tries to sell me last weeks ones. If its hot where you are it could be because they are too hot in transit.

 

[ISA my Veiled]

Must be the death in there. Honestly I only buy those in case of an emergency and when I have it hasn't stunk as bad as you are saying but it doesn't smell that great. I normally pick through the ones and find the ones with the least death just to be sure. The black I think is a dying cricket, in my cricket bin sometimes when I clean out the dead ones they are pretty dark and almost black. But like baldy said it could have no gotten enough moisture so that might be your problem.

 

[creddjobs]

Well I wont be buying any more from them (petsmart) Yes It was a emergancy, I spent almost $8 for those two packages, such a waste of money!

 

[ISA my Veiled]

Yeah it is lol but when you need it and you don't want your chameleon to starve its worth the 8 bucks you have extra laying around. Regardless yeah its a big waste considering i get 1000 for 12 bucks lol