Cricket die off

[cowgirlinthesand]

Im having a bad problem with cricket die off all the sudden. I had ordered 1500 crickets two weeks ago. I usually order 1000 but Raichu's appitite has increased. I keep them in a sterilite container w/chicken food on the floor, collard greens and flukers quencher w/calcium. About 1/2 of them died. I cleaned out the tub (always do between shipments) and found a little mold in the chicken food so I thought that was what did it. I bought 1000 today and withing 5 hours between 1/4 to 1/2 were dead or dying. They appear to be paralyzed in the hind legs. I removed the healthy looking ones and put them in a different container with only collard greens to eat. Any ideas???

 

[lovemybeardies]

I use the Fluker's cricket feed and quencher and have had no problems at all. With 13 beardies, I usually have 2000-3000 crickets at a time. I order from Premium Crickets or Reptilefood.com. They both have had excellent products and shipping.

Julie

 

[midnight_962002]

Crickets need tons of space and tons of ventalation. I order them 5000 at a time and I have a huge container from the container store. I have 4 of the cricket flats in it and NO lid. I am order 1/2" crickets so they can't jump out. They usually last me 2 weeks with minimal die offs.

Oh ya. Keep them in a cool room. I keep them outside the dragon room and they are in the basement. The basement stays cool.

Good Luck

Ernie

 

[cowgirlinthesand]

They are in a big sterilite container with no lid and lots of the egg crates and the paper tubes. Ive had dragons for a year and a half and havent ever had this problem until now. Im at the bottom of the jar of the flukers quencher, Im wondering if the calcium was too concentrated.....

 

[midnight_962002]

where are you getting your crickets from?

 

[cowgirlinthesand]

I actually got the 1500 from a supplier that I mail order from that I have never had a problem with and the 1000 came from a local reptile store that I have also bought from many times and had no problems. The local one is more expensive but I buy from them when I run short and forget to order from the other.

 

[Paradon]

The calcium probably kill them. I hear if you feed them something that have a lot of calcium, they will die. They also need a lot of ventilation. I don't use any lid for mine and they last me over two weeks. I only have one dragon.

 

[cowgirlinthesand]

interesting.... I removed the flukers last night and gave them plain water crystals and the crickets that were paralyzed in the hind end have recovered by mid day today.

 

[Mommy of Sunny]

That is interesting to know. I keep my crickets in a plastic bin and only feed them greens and other veggies or whatever I have in the house for them. I don't usually have much die off with the 500 that I order at one time.

 

[Paradon]

You can gutload them with stuff like dry dog food and Fluker's cricket food to get stuff that have calcium into the crickets' guts, so your beardie will get them, too, but after awhile the crickets will start dying because of the calcium, and that's when you start giving them stuff that like veggies and greens instead.

 

[patrickb]

Yep, I believe that crickets have exoskeletons that are composed primarily of calcium. The problem with this is that if they get too much calcium, then the exoskeleton hardens up more and it makes it impossible for them to shed, which they have to do in order to grow (and ultimately live) I guess it would even make it difficult for them to move around as well. That Fluker's stuff with the calcium is a bit of a marketing thing more than anything.

 

[Paradon]

Matured crickets do not molt, but they do died from eating too much calcium....

 

[smilieone]

I have had a heck of a time recently also. This batch i have has tons of dead crickets daily i have to clean tons of dead ones out?
And i have always bought from the same supplier with no issues.
I also feed my crickets water bites and flukers cricket feed?... hmmmmm maybe the feed is doing it? but i never had a problem before this last time.