Banded Crickets - Why Did They Die?

[MarvelousHunt]

I'm trying to figure out why my recent purchase of banded crickets didn't survive.

I recently purchased an order of 100 banded crickets form a seller online. When I received them, half of them were dead. They were packed with gel cubes of cricket food, but they still didn't make it. I figured it was because they were in the mail too long.

Within two days, the majority of remaining 50 crickets quickly died...only five out of the original 100 have survived.

I have never kept banded crickets before. I have experience keeping house crickets and also breed house crickets. I haven't found any information online stating that banded crickets should be kept differently. The banded crickets were kept in the EXACT manner that I keep my house crickets (same type of bin, same food, same room).

My question is: do I need to care for banded crickets differently than house crickets or should I assume that the banded crickets I ordered were sick?

 

[Aimless]

how old were they? what is the climate where you are? extreme cold will kill them, as will old age.

 

[MarvelousHunt]

They're approximately 1/2", so they're young. It is not extremely cold here - they were shipped from California to Pennsylvania (that could have something to do with it) and a heat pack was included (also could have had something to do with it). They were delivered to my area when the daytime temps were in the mid-50's (Fahrenheit).

I can understand a bunch dying in transit from improper handling (the box did not state that there were live insects inside and there was no ventilation - which also could be a very likely cause of the deaths...more so than the heat pack...or it could explain the heat pack getting TOO hot as there was no way for any heat to escape).

What stumps me is the ones that died after they arrived. Was it just too much for them? Were they already doomed and I just didn't know it? Or did I miss something regarding their care requirements vs. those of house crickets?

Oh, and I miscounted...there are seven survivors. Just did a check on them as I wanted to clean their bin. So...yay?

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

They're approximately 1/2", so they're young. It is not extremely cold here - they were shipped from California to Pennsylvania (that could have something to do with it) and a heat pack was included (also could have had something to do with it). They were delivered to my area when the daytime temps were in the mid-50's (Fahrenheit).

I can understand a bunch dying in transit from improper handling (the box did not state that there were live insects inside and there was no ventilation - which also could be a very likely cause of the deaths...more so than the heat pack...or it could explain the heat pack getting TOO hot as there was no way for any heat to escape).

What stumps me is the ones that died after they arrived. Was it just too much for them? Were they already doomed and I just didn't know it? Or did I miss something regarding their care requirements vs. those of house crickets?

Oh, and I miscounted...there are seven survivors. Just did a check on them as I wanted to clean their bin. So...yay?

Is the seller a company? Sometimes, when contacted by the next day, companies replace your order. Crickets can perish when lots of crickets in one box die. That produces noxious fumes that cause more to die soon afterwards.

I've not kept banded crickets. I've never heard they require specialized care.

My cricket orders are shipped Overnight via FedEx. The boxes are clearly marked.

Two days ago I received a medium-sized order of 1/3 growns (1,000), 1/2 growns (1,000), and 2/3 growns (250). Arrival temps were in the 30s. They were double-boxed with 1 separate heat pack inside each box. There was no ventilation anywhere. Each inside box had ventilation holes covered. I unboxed most of them within 11-14 hours. It's the 2/3 growns that are difficult to keep alive. Each box contained potato wedges for moisture and egg cartons for hiding spots.

Giving crickets moisture in the form of a couple dampened paper towels that are moistened daily under the faucet, wrung out, and then placed on top of the egg flats + giving them a good 24/7 dry diet goes a long way in keeping them alive!

For 112 click: Updated Cricket Care Guidelines II -- July 2018 update

 

[MarvelousHunt]

As I was performing weekly cricket maintenance, I thought I should post an update.

The seller sold me sick crickets...or they just happened to sick during transit. Hard to say.

I ordered more banded crickets from Josh's Frogs last month. Keeping them exactly as I kept brown crickets in the past: no issues.

I really do like the banded crickets more then brown crickets. They're much more quiet, lol!