What's going on with my locusts?

[WelshOneEmma]

Ok, I have just lost my whole batch of locusts (about 2 weeks worth) and am wondering if it is anything to do with their conditions? I bought them from the same place I always get them from.

They are kept in a plastic fish tank, with a netting top to allow ventilation and airflow. I am currently using oats as a floor covering, but sometimes use bran. They have lots of egg boxes to climb on / hide in, and get fed greens such as Kale, spring greens and sometimes a little cabbage. I usually mist this with a little water to provide hydration.

I have just gone to clean the tank out (cleaned once a week) and have noticed that they are all (bar 3) dead or dying. But really strangely. The first two sets of legs are curled under their bodies, like they can't move them, and the back legs kickly wildly, but they can't move, and those that were still alive (about 5) had some strange brown fluid coming out of their mouths. Is this something with my husbandry? Or something with the locusts? I have seen this maybe twice in the last year, with two individual locusts at different points, so thought it may be an individual problem with them. Now i am not so sure? It really looked like some sort of nerve thing with them, but I can't find anything on the internet. Any ideas?

 

[HairyScaryMark]

What conditions did you keep them in? How big? Did it have a heat source?

Did they seem healthy when you got them?

Baring in mind the time of year, I would suggest the low temperature combined with dampness (i.e water without heat to evaporate it) would be the most likely thing to kill them off. I wouldn't suggest misting unless you have a reasonably powerful heat source. They are after all dessert locusts. When I phoned insects direct the guy told me that they keep their locusts at 40C and the main ones you get in UK are African Locusts.

It's possible any of the vegetables you fed them could have had pesticides, insecticides or harmful fertilisers on it. That would explain the sudden death of most of them.

I've seen brown liquid come out of their mouths before although I've seen this more often with crickets. I believe it is something that grasshoppers just do.

I used to get large quantities of crickets dying very quickly when I used to keep them for my tarantula (who ate very little). I didn't know as much about how to keep them back then but my thoughts are, if you have the conditions wrong (i.e damp) they will die very suddenly.

 

[WelshOneEmma]

They are the same conditions I have kept them in since I started feeding locusts. They are kept in the kitchen, on top of the fridge. No heat source as such, kitchen is very warm, and the misting was literally a tiny bit of water on one leaf, so they had a small amount of water.

I have just been to buy some more, and explained this to the staff at the shop. they have said that they will email their supplier. They had this happen to a batch they recieved in May, sent them back but were told it was "one of those things". I haven't changed anything with the way I keep these, so its strange that a batch of about 20 locusts should just die like that. They almost look like they are fitting. Quite nasty to watch on the remaining few.

 

[DGray]

pesticides

sounds like what is seen when pesticides have been used nearby. Are you sure no one has sprayed any in the house?

 

[WelshOneEmma]

sounds like what is seen when pesticides have been used nearby. Are you sure no one has sprayed any in the house?

Nope. We had the carpet cleaned, but that was before we bought these crickets, and doesn't explain why it happened 2 weeks after buying them.

 

[Chamster]

where do you buy locusts from....???? i looked for them everywhere i couldnt find any..

 

[WelshOneEmma]

where do you buy locusts from....???? i looked for them everywhere i couldnt find any..

I buy them in a shop called Pet's Corner, but I am in the UK so its very easy to get them, which is good as my cham no longer eats crickets!

 

[WelshOneEmma]

Just in case anyone else has problems with this, i spoke to the shop i get them from today, and they seem to think its something to do with them being transported in cold weather, and it causing some long term problems. We will see if these latest ones get this!

 

[justjumpit621]

since they all died at the same time and 2 weeks after buying them, I suspect very strongly it was something on the greens you gave them. Do you wash your veggies VERY well before feeding? I am almost certain the cold is not the case and that is was the food.