grrr crickets keep dying

[Ryanurso1]

So we have a small critter cage for our crickets with the orange slice things used for both water, vitamins and food source for the crickets changed every day as well as an egg carton. We buy usually 20-30 at a time and within a night or 2, a majority are dead. They are kept in room temperature. What are we doing wrong?! Getting very tired of the daily trips to petsmart/petco!!! please help!

 

[JordanAng420]

Use a LOT of egg carton. Each cricket needs an individual place to hide...they will trample and eat each other if there isn't enough hide spots. Try using a larger container with a lot more egg carton.

 

[Ryanurso1]

i figured so. i knew they bully/kill each other. so you think that's the only issue with our cricket enclosure?

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Are you using those pre-made orange cubes? If so, those are not enough. They need ample fresh veggies or fruits.

 

[M_surinamensis]

They also need adequate ventilation. Gas exchange will happen wherever there are holes but the area available for it needs to meet or exceed the rate at which the insects are respirating. Couple that with the gases which can be released by decaying food and the bacterial breakdown of waste. Asphyxiation is a pretty common reason for cricket death when they're house in high densities (based on the volume of space available).

 

[Ryanurso1]

okay i will definitely add more fresh fruit/veggies. what would you recommend to add? apples would probably go bad due to open air rather quickly so i'm assuming not those. also, is the small critter cage not enough? we added more egg carton in there but the cage is only 8x4 im assuming. maybe even slightly smaller.

 

[Alex G]

Carrots are good.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

A small cricket keeper has limited use. One of the best thing I found for keeping a smaller quantity of crickets is a sterlite file box, with a lot of holes in the top, or even using a screen top if there's a lot of crickets (100-200). Adequate ventilation is a must to keep crickets and their food from going bad, for the reasons Seamus stated above. Your best cricket source is a locally owned pet shop, knowing when they get their weekly shipment, and buying a week's worth right after they come in.

Crickets really are a PIA and a lot of folks use alternative feeders such as mealworms, superworms, and captive bred feeder roaches, instead of crickets.

 

[OnlineGeckos]

No matter what I've tried, about a 1/5 die within the first week. They're just too much trouble in my opinion. Dubia roaches on the other hand are much more robust, live much longer, and more nutritious.

 

[animeavatar]

I use a 10 gallon to house 250 crickets. Then I have egg crates, water gels, cat kibble, oats and friuts or veggies.

 

[Imperial Geckos]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAdQ8Hfm2QU&feature=channel_video_title

 

[JordanAng420]

I use a 10 gallon to house 250 crickets. Then I have egg crates, water gels, cat kibble, oats and friuts or veggies.

I would skip the cat food. Whatever is in that cat food is going into your gecko. Egg crates, water gels, oats, potatoes and carrots are all fine, but I would absolutely NOT gut load with cat food.

 

[animeavatar]

Okay thanks, I'll get rid of the dry cat food then.

 

[Ryanurso1]

Aren't mealworms considered more of a snack as opposed to a daily meal? Same with super worms

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Aren't mealworms considered more of a snack as opposed to a daily meal? Same with super worms

No, many keepers and breeders have fed mealworms and superworms as staple diets for years.