Irritating Cricket Virus!

[tkilgour]

I just got 10k crickets yesterday and apparently the virus is killing them all off. Half of the crickets are dead. Most that are alive are barely alive. I toss them in the enclosures and they just lay there lethargic and can barely move. I caught about a dozen cicadas today so that will help for a minute. I try to mix up the diet and in the past crickets were the cheapest route. Now however, they have become one of the most expensive ways to feed. This stinks!

Title should say: Excessive heat can be irritating - Thanks guys

 

[Psi]

Are you sure it's the Virus instead of a bad shipping condition?

What sizes did you get?

Nothing I've read regarding the Virus has led me to believe that they act lethargic before dying.

 

[Kent67]

Sounds more like the heat got to them. The virus seems to kill them at a specific stage so if you've got a bunch of dead crickets of all sizes it was probably not that.

 

[tkilgour]

Good to know! Yes, they are lethargic so if that is a sign of getting too hot. Then they must have been exposed to excessive heat during shipping. They were all 3/8" in size.

I guess my title needs changed.

 

[Kent67]

Oh, well, if they were all 3/8" it might very well be the virus because that seems to be around the age it hits. Are these from the company with temporarily suspended live arrival guarantee?

 

[tkilgour]

Oh, well, if they were all 3/8" it might very well be the virus because that seems to be around the age it hits. Are these from the company with temporarily suspended live arrival guarantee?

Yes, they are.

 

[chameleon884]

i dont know if this is true, but i read somewhere that if one cricket dies, it leaves off a fume/odor that kills the other crickets. again i dont know if that is true.

 

[Kent67]

Yes, they are.

Bummer. If it's not one thing, it's another.

 

[tkilgour]

Bummer. If it's not one thing, it's another.

Lol, So very true!

 

[Lovereps]

With this exceptionally hot summer

Maybe it isn't hotter than usual elsewhere, but in NY, this has been a nearly-record-breaking hot summer.
As a result, I've been watching the local weather forecasts before ordering any feeders and I've paid extra for overnight delivery.
The result has been that everything has arrived alive and well.
To economize somewhat, I've been ordering all my feeders at once.
I do envy you Californians who have plenty of in-state suppliers.

 

[Syn]

It's been hitting 110 here almost daily after monsoon season. Oddly enough it's cloudy today even though we've had a week of no clouds.... so the swamp cooler is failing again and I've had to get all the fans running...

Probably a good thing I can deal with purchasing from pet stores.