Sudden Cricket Death

[Leopard Lady]

I know crickets are extremely short lived. And that roughly 10% percent dying off is to be expected. But yesterday, after moving my roughly 2 dozen to a new location and bigger tank; I found *6* dead in a Single DAY!!! I'm perplexed. I moved them in preparation for getting a larger number/colony. Now I'm wondering...

 

[acpart]

How big were the ones you moved? It could be that they are the same age and their time has come. I have also had many mysterious cricket deaths, so I'm no expert.

Aliza

 

[Leopard Lady]

Medium to large?? My Soul-Mate suggested last night that it might be the change in heat and humidity.

 

[JIMI]

I purchased about two dozen crickets at a Petsmart last summer and on the three minute drive home they all appeared as if they had died! It was around 110F outside and my car had no a/c so the heat must have taken them out, but I wasn't expecting such sudden death lol. I decided to see if I could exchange them, but this time I brought a small cricket bin and placed the bin on top of an ice pack so that I can dump the new crickets into the bin to see if I can keep them alive that way. I also placed the bag of apparently dead crickets into the bin, which was a good idea because by the time I had arrived at the store they had all revived! Lol. Just a story I wanted to share:lol: If the crickets have wings or sticks on their backsides (called ovipositors) they are adults. If the bins are not well ventilated that could be a reason.

 

[Leopard Lady]

That was a thought I had too. I opened the "Food Slot" the enclosure was a former fish tank; and I lost some more... But 4 this time. Brainstorming for solutions...

 

[thorrshamri]

Crickets are very sensitive to any excess in humidity. Overheating them also kills them easily. They need to be kept inside well-ventilated boxes such as those sold in pet shops to keep or transport small critters.

cuarentena.jpg Photo by Aravet | Photobucket

On top of that, they need to be fed. Without food, they don't survive more than a few days.

And...adult crickets are often sold once they have laid eggs. They can be used within a 2-3 weeks period of time provided they are kept in proper containers with proper food. Avoid temps over 35°C and any source of water. Crickets may drown just because of a light dew!

 

[Leopard Lady]

I HAVE been feeding them. The last of the survivors became Dinner last night. I'll try adjusting the other points with the next batch.