Crickets!

[lecaméléon]

I often lose crickets to this recent heat wave and all my adults are dying... I have constantly tried and tried to breed them but I have no luck! How do you magic users breed your crickets in this heat? They are my chameleon's main food source and even though he may enjoy a dubia or two, he refuses to eat more than two daily. (Of course, they thrive just fine in this heat)

 

[Decadancin]

Only advice I have is keep them clean and make sure food is fresh. No other magic advice.

 

[kinyonga]

How hot is it where you have them kept?
How closed in is the container?
Photos please?

 

[Tkrd69]

Need a good air supply, fresh air I've noticed is key. I keep mine at 76 to 80 degrees. Wife says they are noisy in the house but it keeps them longer.

 

[lecaméléon]

Need a good air supply, fresh air I've noticed is key. I keep mine at 76 to 80 degrees. Wife says they are noisy in the house but it keeps them longer.

That's probably it. I have a lid with small holes, but I doubt that's enough. I try to keep them minimalistic

Only advice I have is keep them clean and make sure food is fresh. No other magic advice.

I have two bins that I interchange them between when I clean. (Thats when they usually die) I use mustard greens and alfalfa and bee pollen (sometimes apples and collard greens) I change them out every day.

How hot is it where you have them kept?
How closed in is the container?
Photos please?

Usually, upper 80s at day and 70s at night. As I mentioned, I have a closed lid with pin holes in it. I will send photos as soon as I get home.

 

[kinyonga]

Photos would help!
You said…”Usually, upper 80s at day and 70s at night. As I mentioned, I have a closed lid with pin holes in it. I will send photos as soon as I get home.”…this is likely your problem…too closed in…not enough air flow.

@Decadancin said…”Only advice I have is keep them clean and make sure food is fresh. No other magic advice.”…I have to agree with this being right!

 

[lecaméléon]

Sorry for the wait, I changed the ventilation in the cricket bin but I don’t know if it’s enough. Now it is a small screen covered hole...

 

[kinyonga]

This site seems to have good information and explains it quite well…hope is helps…
https://www.thecritterdepot.com/blo...-the-summer-essential-tips-for-optimal-health

 

[kinyonga]

I’ve always used the largest one of these I could buy because I bought at least 1000 crickets at a time…
https://www.amazon.ca/Lees-20078-Kr...7&psc=1&mcid=c6f4003d924d3608a26e8ff87ad9a7a3

It’s necessary to provide many places for crickets to hide so they aren’t too crowded and won’t eat each other, etc.

 

[lecaméléon]

I’ve always used the largest one of these I could buy because I bought at least 1000 crickets at a time…
https://www.amazon.ca/Lees-20078-Kr...7&psc=1&mcid=c6f4003d924d3608a26e8ff87ad9a7a3

It’s necessary to provide many places for crickets to hide so they aren’t too crowded and won’t eat each other, etc.

Can cricket score use/hide in anything other than egg crates? I have more but they keep littering all over them and I fear that I may run out sooner or later. I saw in the reviews for that product that someone used toilet paper rolls, is that effective in any way. Thanks for your help! Hopefully my crickets will survive longer

 

[Tkrd69]

I use toilet paper and paper towel rolls too and egg crates. Here is my set up.

 

[kinyonga]

You can use toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, etc and there are places that you can buy the egg crate things from so you can change them.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi. So there are a couple of things that I’ve found that result in stinky and dead crickets. I use large storage bins to keep my 500-1000 crickets and I have vented them on the top and sides. They really need excellent ventilation as the gases from their poop and dead will kill them. The other is that not all crickets are created equally. When I get domestic crickets, they stink bad and die no matter what I do. I clean the bin and they die. I don’t clean the bin and they die. Usually at least half of what I buy will die off within a week or so. Yet when I get banded crickets, they have little odor and I have almost no die offs.

 

[insectovore]

You have to have ventilation and keep them dry (but with clean water for drinking and whatever you use to keep them from drowning also must be kept clean daily). If it's humid they will die off in my experience (except for a short time after they hatch).