Cricket maintenance for Ts?

[Popkorn118]

Hello! I have been buying small (~0,5cm) crickets as feeders for 6 sling/juvenile Ts. I keep about 20-30 crickets at a time in a plastic tub (about 15×15×15cm) with holes on side and top partially covered. Bent cardboard inside, a thin layer of corn flour, and a cap where I put pieces of cucumber daily as a water source. Unfortunately eith this setup the crickets often do not last very long, maybe around 1 month, and I often find dead ones laying around the tub... I'm not sure what I am doing wrong, as this is the best setup i have tried so far to keep their container from getting too humid. Is there anything that keeps killing the crickets over time? I know some mortality is normal but it seems like too much.
Also, any tips on other easy food for the crickets that provides extra nutrients to the Ts? Should I be giving the crickets a protein source?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Tentacle Toast]

I use a penpal, with a single paper towel on the bottom, & a couple pieces of torn egg carton to hide in. Fluker Farms makes this cricket chow that looks like gelatinous cubes of carrot that I feed them exclusively, with a splash of water in the same dish so it doesn't dry out in less than 3-4 days.
I suffer very few losses, but I also don't buy more than just a few extra than I need at a time, just in case.

 

[TLSizzle]

Gosh I bought 100 small crix Sept 9th, and just threw away 20 males as the chirping was driving me crazy. And still have close to 20 females. I've had some deaths, but not many.

All I do is keep them in a plastic tub with vermiculite as the substrate, egg carton peices for hiding, fish flakes for food and a wet wadded up paper towel for water. They thrive.

 

[Introvertebrate]

Hello! I have been buying small (~0,5cm) crickets as feeders for 6 sling/juvenile Ts. I keep about 20-30 crickets at a time in a plastic tub (about 15×15×15cm) with holes on side and top partially covered. Bent cardboard inside, a thin layer of corn flour, and a cap where I put pieces of cucumber daily as a water source. Unfortunately eith this setup the crickets often do not last very long, maybe around 1 month, and I often find dead ones laying around the tub... I'm not sure what I am doing wrong, as this is the best setup i have tried so far to keep their container from getting too humid. Is there anything that keeps killing the crickets over time? I know some mortality is normal but it seems like too much.
Also, any tips on other easy food for the crickets that provides extra nutrients to the Ts? Should I be giving the crickets a protein source?
Thanks in advance.

First generations are always sickly. Just let them lay eggs. The next generation will be much healthier.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

I’ve done much of what the two success stories have said and my brown banded crix only last a week or two. Vermiculite, gel water with water added (no drowning). Fresh veg and those orange cubes and cricket chow that an entomologist recommended. Only had one make it a month.

 

[Introvertebrate]

The ones purchased from cricket farms are already carrying diseases. It's only a matter of time before they're afflicted. Homegrown crickets are isolated from diseases. I've got a batch that's still alive after 6 months. Not banded either. They are the descendants of Petco purchased house crickets. Old school Acheta domesticus.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

The ones purchased from cricket farms are already carrying diseases. It's only a matter of time before they're afflicted. Homegrown crickets are isolated from diseases. I've got a batch that's still alive after 6 months. Not banded either. They are the descendants of Petco purchased house crickets. Old school Acheta domesticus.

How many adults did u purchase from PetCo? I just saw they’d bagged 20 or so last night and 90% of them were female, most mature.

 

[Introvertebrate]

How many adults did u purchase from PetCo? I just saw they’d bagged 20 or so last night and 90% of them were female, most mature.

I started with about 30 adults back in December. I'm probably on the 10th generation by now.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

I started with about 30 adults back in December. I'm probably on the 10th generation by now.

How many T’s are you feeding? I’m just at 9 now from wee sling to sub-adult

 

[Popkorn118]

First generations are always sickly. Just let them lay eggs. The next generation will be much healthier.

Interesting, I never really let them get that big...

 

[ladyratri]

I suffer very few losses

They thrive.

Only had one make it a month.

What temperature is the room? Sometimes I wonder if my crickets die off faster because it's not warm enough.

 

[Tentacle Toast]

What temperature is the room? Sometimes I wonder if my crickets die off faster because it's not warm enough.

Never leaves the 60's F°. That could absolutely be an issue, as they seem to have zero tolerance for cold...

 

[Introvertebrate]

How many T’s are you feeding? I’m just at 9 now from wee sling to sub-adult

Not enough to justify the number of feeders that I keep.

 

[Introvertebrate]

What temperature is the room? Sometimes I wonder if my crickets die off faster because it's not warm enough.

Breeding requires elevated temperatures for the eggs to hatch.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

While mine will occasionally dip down to 66, I keep crix in the same room as the T’s which is normally 68-78.

 

[SpookySpooder]

Never leaves the 60's F°. That could absolutely be an issue, as they seem to have zero tolerance for cold...

What do you mean? I've frozen crickets and they survived being thawed

Left a bag of them in the freezer for a few minutes to slow them down. Forgot about them for 2 hours or so. Pulled them out and every one was stiff and motionless. Left them in the bag for about half an hour and they all started coming back to life.

I've kept crickets in a plastic tub when the house temperature has hit 53°F. They slow down but they don't die off.

I've got tons of them outside in the yard that survive overnight temps on wet soil.

For me, all they seem to need is a carrot and some water. Not enough to drown in, but nothing special either. They're pests, and quite hardy.

 

[Introvertebrate]

24 hours in the freezer is not enough to euthanize surplus dubias. Now I leave them in there for at least 3 days.

 

[Tentacle Toast]

What do you mean? I've frozen crickets and they survived being thawed

Left a bag of them in the freezer for a few minutes to slow them down. Forgot about them for 2 hours or so. Pulled them out and every one was stiff and motionless. Left them in the bag for about half an hour and they all started coming back to life.

I've kept crickets in a plastic tub when the house temperature has hit 53°F. They slow down but they don't die off.

I've got tons of them outside in the yard that survive overnight temps on wet soil.

For me, all they seem to need is a carrot and some water. Not enough to drown in, but nothing special either. They're pests, and quite hardy.

Well there's definitely a different species of cricket at play, because the ones that I get -& have always gotten- are most DEFINITELY not that durable. We had one lps that wrapped the bag of crickets in newspaper during the winter for the extra but of insulation. WAYYY back when I'd order them by the thousand (used to have an extensive gecko collection), I'd lose entire orders, because the delivery truck was delayed, & that extra time on board killed them. In my experience, kissing frosty temps kills them...

 

[SpookySpooder]

It definitely depends on the species.

"Different cricket types can have different freeze tolerance. In general, crickets do not survive winters. They all die as their metabolism rate decreases too low and they stay in a dormant state for too long. Studies have shown that some cricket species can survive for a week if kept in 18°F (-8°C). If crickets stay under minus 18°F (-8°C) for 24 hours, they will most likely not recover."

This is it. Literally nothing special, the only thing I noticed is they are susceptible to dehydration at younger stages and need more water than roaches. They're kept on bare wooden floor with no heating. I just cleaned out the water dish last night. The AF kicked some substrate from the laying dish into it.


I will note, these are not the fragile sickly crickets you get from BigBoxPetInc. Pretty sure these are banded crickets.

 

[Introvertebrate]

It definitely depends on the species.

"Different cricket types can have different freeze tolerance. In general, crickets do not survive winters. They all die as their metabolism rate decreases too low and they stay in a dormant state for too long. Studies have shown that some cricket species can survive for a week if kept in 18°F (-8°C). If crickets stay under minus 18°F (-8°C) for 24 hours, they will most likely not recover."

This is it. Literally nothing special, the only thing I noticed is they are susceptible to dehydration at younger stages and need more water than roaches. They're kept on bare wooden floor with no heating. I just cleaned out the water dish last night. The AF kicked some substrate from the laying dish into it.
View attachment 459208

I will note, these are not the fragile sickly crickets you get from BigBoxPetInc. Pretty sure these are banded crickets.

I see a variety of ages in there. Looks like some breeding is going on.