Cricket Blues

[Desdemona]

So, I either got a really bad batch of crickets or I made a oops because I just had a mass cricket death (I buy them in small batches). I only have 4 left out of roughly 12.

I misted them with water because I forgot to bring up fresh fruit and it was late and I was tired. So, did that kill them?

What about the four living ones, safe to feed to Gecko or am I better off getting a new batch? I am really tempted to just switch over to the mealworm thing. The cricket smell is really starting to get to me and I clean their container every 3 or so days! Spend more time taking care of them then my actual pet.

 

[Brewboy74]

Get mealworms or supers crickets are a pain in the _____ and they stink.

 

[sablebeauty]

I started out with crickets. Then I switched to mealworms because crickets were too much dang work and they smell really bad. Right now I'm trying to breed some mealworms and superworms so hopefully I wont have to buy anymore. lol

 

[fl_orchidslave]

They are stupid bugs and can drown in a shallow water dish even. If water accumulates in container edges they can drown. A lot of people don't feed leos crickets anymore due to high upkeep. Some have always fed worms with outstanding results. I even went as far as to sell off all my cricket eating animals. If you're thinking about changing over, do it and don't look back There's enough other feeders to offer variety if you choose to do so. Thanks to the cricket virus a lot of people had to look at alternatives and never went back to crickets.

 

[ZooKeeperKarin]

I bred crickets when I first started, since all my geckos at the time were on them. I got all my geckos over to mealies. If I try to feed them crix, they don't even know what to do with them (Ya mean I have to CHASE this thing???). The only reason I still breed a few is for the red eyed tree frog.
Otherwise, mealies and don't look back! I second that!

 

[gothra]

So, I either got a really bad batch of crickets or I made a oops because I just had a mass cricket death (I buy them in small batches). I only have 4 left out of roughly 12.

I misted them with water because I forgot to bring up fresh fruit and it was late and I was tired. So, did that kill them?

What about the four living ones, safe to feed to Gecko or am I better off getting a new batch? I am really tempted to just switch over to the mealworm thing. The cricket smell is really starting to get to me and I clean their container every 3 or so days! Spend more time taking care of them then my actual pet.

That's a possibility. Crickets die easily if the humidity is too high. Just keep their container very well ventilated next time, they will survive.

 

[Designer Geckos]

Get mealworms or supers crickets are a pain in the _____ and they stink.

We no longer use any crickets, period. They are generally a good feeder and high in protein at 18%, but they can be problematic IMO because of all the obvious issues, not to mention that they can have high bacterial loads and can even harbor parasites.
Dubias are much preferred if you are looking for high protein feeders, 36%, but they can be pricey unless you breed them yourself or get lucky and find a great breeder. You also of course need to use the right size for leos...nickel to quarter size depending on leo size.
We only use mealies, supers (sparingly) and dubias.
Mealies, properly gutloaded, are a great staple and are the sole feeder used by the biggest breeders, who obviously do very well just using mealies. We use Pro Geckos gutload and Fluker's high calcium cricket food as well as fresh carrots for gutloading. Funny thing we've found, is when we use organic carrots the mealies really devour them and seem much juicier than with conv carrots. Might be worth the little extra to get organic carrots. Healthy feeders = healthy animals.

 

[Desdemona]

I buy organic anyways, so they will get organic carrots from the farmer's market (well after this weekend since I missed the FM last weekend. Perk of living in central Cali).

Today I plan on getting baby grains and carrots. I will probably give them the fish food I bought for the crickets too. It has spurillia (sp?) in it which is put in some bug food.

How many Mealies would you expect a roughly 3 to 4 month gecko to eat? I gave mine 3 last night and she did eat them pretty quick. I was worried about the over eating/puking thing so I left it at that. Should I let her just eat till she's done and hope she uses some regulation? How many do yours eat?