other insects in feeder shipment

[mojo505]

I ordered my crickets from Fluker Farms about 4 weeks ago and when I opened the box there were a few little black worms/larve in there. I was just cleaning out the cricket keeper and found tons of them. Does anyone have any idea what they might be? i am trying to get a picture added... they look like the worms that sometimes get into food stuff.

 

[zebraflavencs]

Oh I know what they are ! They are cleaner bugs ! they will eat the detritus (crix poo) and help keep the feeder bin cleaner ! I wouldn't worry about feeding those to the dragon(s), but no worries on them. If they weird you out, just use a pair of feeder tongs and remove them.
Hope this helps !
Janie.

 

[mojo505]

do all cricket orders come with cleaner bugs?

 

[chadwick757]

Ok, I had the same issue (and a few others) when I ordered them. First flukers says that it is normal to have some of these cleaner bugs in a shipment, but you shouldn't have alot. From the research I have done these aren't exactly bad but are typically not intentionally introduced into a cricket operation. Large numbers are also an indication of an unhealthy colony of crickets (they eat poop/dead crickets). Fluker's is the only company I have ordered from and had this problem with. IF you want a discount or replacements due to abnormal amounts of cleaners you will need to call them during business hours. Don't try to email them or they WILL ignore you. Your best option is to do an online search or look at feeders inc. and find a different supplier near you. This usually results in lower or free shipping and healthier bugs. An example of this is that I live in Michigan and order from Top hat crickets (located in michigan) they have great prices and shipping is free for me.

 

[mojo505]

i think the amount of these "cleaner bugs" is excessive... and it is my gut feeling that there's something not right about them being in there. as such, i believe i will try another vendor. thanks for your input, i appreciate all views on this topic

 

[Ryan Maguire]

dermestid larvae, cleans the bottom of your tank.

harmless. nothing wrong with having them, some people even breed them to do this exact job.

 

[spyder86]

I order from premiumcrickets.com and have had no problems at all, great service and quick shipping. I do the 2nd day air and have very few if any arive dead.

 

[Lilbear]

My son has been feeding crickets to his beardy "Spike" and found tiny worms in the cricket tank tubes. I took a look at them and these are tiny parasitic looking worms, in my opinion. They are very tiny (1/8") and white in color and hairless. I've done a search on this site for similiar threads and found really nothing that ressembles what these worms look like. This is the first time we've seen these. The cricket tank is cleaned before every batch of crickets. This last batch is four days old so I suspect they were on or in the crickets. My questions are, " have these types of worms been seen before", "are they harmful to Spike" and "what are they called?" Thanks for any help offered. By the way, this is one of the best forums I have ever been to. Very helpful, extremely dedicated members and any help offered seems to be well researched or documented.