Cricket Quencher for Ts!?!

[GiantVinegaroon]

So I bought some cricket quencher for my hissing roaches and noticed that now Fluker's says on the label that it's "PERFECT FOR CRICKETS, TARANTULAS, AND SCORPIONS!"

Now has anyone tried this stuff out to see if it works for Ts and scorps? I thought they couldn't get hydrated from stuff like that...that they need a water dish like any other pet...

Also, why the heck would Fluker's point out that Cricket Quencher is perfect for crickets? Isn't the name "Cricket Quencher" enough to realize it's good for crickets? I've met some stupid people in my lifetime...but nobody can be THAT dumb...

NOTE: I have no intention of seeing if I can get away of using this stuff instead of simply giving my Ts water. They're too cool to risk losing.

 

[Drachenjager]

So I bought some cricket quencher for my hissing roaches and noticed that now Fluker's says on the label that it's "PERFECT FOR CRICKETS, TARANTULAS, AND SCORPIONS!"

Now has anyone tried this stuff out to see if it works for Ts and scorps? I thought they couldn't get hydrated from stuff like that...that they need a water dish like any other pet...

Also, why the heck would Fluker's point out that Cricket Quencher is perfect for crickets? Isn't the name "Cricket Quencher" enough to realize it's good for crickets? I've met some stupid people in my lifetime...but nobody can be THAT dumb...

NOTE: I have no intention of seeing if I can get away of using this stuff instead of simply giving my Ts water. They're too cool to risk losing.

i had a little P. cancerides sling eat some of that stuff once. I am sure it got water from it. I do not think that it is a good way to water spiders tho.
and yes if people are dumb enough to buy that stuff they are dumb enough to not know its good for watering crickets lol
what i mean is you spend 3.99 to 5.99 for 16 oz of hydrated water jell wen you can buy enough crystals to make 1 gallon of water jell for about $1.00 lol

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

i had a little P. cancerides sling eat some of that stuff once. I am sure it got water from it. I do not think that it is a good way to water spiders tho.
and yes if people are dumb enough to buy that stuff they are dumb enough to not know its good for watering crickets lol
what i mean is you spend 3.99 to 5.99 for 16 oz of hydrated water jell wen you can buy enough crystals to make 1 gallon of water jell for about $1.00 lol

Crap, I'm a dumb person!

 

[Scorpendra]

i read once that they don't recognize it as a water source, or at least have a hard time with it. regular ol' water is a simpler solution anyway.

 

[Drachenjager]

Crap, I'm a dumb person!

not anymore.
www.watersorb.com
get the large crystals

 

[Zebo777]

Try good ole H2o in a dish

 

[ZergFront]

Just use good ol' H2o - but be careful where you put it in. I have a suspicion my crickets got copper poisoning from the jelly jar lid I used that had rusted a little without me knowing. Now it's in a little plastic deli cup lid and I got to get more crickets.. :wall:

 

[Arachnobrian]

I have seen a poor little spider in a pet store drinking? or attempting to drink from the blue gel. Not really sure if it worked or not, the pet store no longer exists.

My collection seems to do fine with tap water in a small plastic or stainless steel water dishes.

 

[WelshTan]

plain water is better for T's than those stupid gel tubs/crystals.... its jst a gimick to make money ... ok for crickets maybe but not for T's... they simply cannot gain enough water from them .... its also a lazy way i think instead of simply topping up/filling water dishes

 

[curiousme]

Now has anyone tried this stuff out to see if it works for Ts and scorps? I thought they couldn't get hydrated from stuff like that...that they need a water dish like any other pet...

That is what i have always read, but there was a thread the other day where someone said their Ts did eat them. We have never used them, so i don't know first-hand.(and won't ever)

NOTE: I have no intention of seeing if I can get away of using this stuff instead of simply giving my Ts water. They're too cool to risk losing.

There is no reason to tell the OP to use a water dish. He was asking if anyone had experience with the product and Ts, not that he was using them or intended on using them for his Ts.

 

[MIC]

For me agar-agar gel is the most suitable solution for crickets and roaches. It's natural, nutrient, inexpensive and safe for pinheads.

For Ts, fresh water, possibly filtered, is the only solution.

 

[Bill S]

Just use good ol' H2o - but be careful where you put it in. I have a suspicion my crickets got copper poisoning from the jelly jar lid I used that had rusted a little without me knowing. Now it's in a little plastic deli cup lid and I got to get more crickets.. :wall:

While technically copper does not rust (it corrodes), your point is a good one. I suspect that rusting and corrosion could still happen with gel products, since they would hold moisture against metal surfaces. I also would wonder if a permanently damp surface such as a gel would be likely to serve as an incubator for molds, yeasts and bacteria. At least good ol' H2O containers can be emptied and cleaned out as often as you like.

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

plain water is better for T's than those stupid gel tubs/crystals.... its jst a gimick to make money ... ok for crickets maybe but not for T's... they simply cannot gain enough water from them .... its also a lazy way i think instead of simply topping up/filling water dishes

Well shouldn't something be done about that label if it's not true? I mean...c'mon...Fluker's should know better than this...this can kill hundreds of pet Ts...this makes them look really bad

 

[Steve Calceatum]

Also, why the heck would Fluker's point out that Cricket Quencher is perfect for crickets? Isn't the name "Cricket Quencher" enough to realize it's good for crickets? I've met some stupid people in my lifetime...but nobody can be THAT dumb...

You would be soooo surprised at some of the people I've met..... :wall:

Well shouldn't something be done about that label if it's not true? I mean...c'mon...Fluker's should know better than this...this can kill hundreds of pet Ts...this makes them look really bad

The fact that anyone really buys this is a testament to the genius of the Pet-Trade Industry, and a monument to the ineptitude of the consumer. We've all been there at one point or another. I bought a jar of Fluker's a while back, then found out about water crystals not even two days later. That one sent me looking for the nearest hard surface to smash my head against. I felt really stupid, and really ripped off.

The LPS can't make any money on dried water cystals. Most people feed off their feeder insects as soon as they get home, and others will buy up a small stock in order to limit their trips to the pet store. Cricket Keepers, and Cricket gel are available products in case the consumer wants to be able to keep a few crickets around, or gutload them before feeding them off. This type of consumer strategy still doesn't warrant the frequent purchase of dried water crystals......and who is going to run through a gallon of those in a week, anyway? But if you pre-hydrate them, add an attractive color (FD&C Blue #5...which can't really be all that good for the bugs in the first place), and wrap it up in a nice package, the Pet Industry can get away with upcharging the consumer 1,900%!!!!!! That alone is a pretty good reason not to divulge the possibility of alternatives to the neophyte exotic animal owner, let alone the average enthusiast. Any successful consumer-based industry requires a level of dependance from the comsumer population.

For 1 jar of Fluker's bought at a pet shop, you will spend about $5 for $0.25 worth of material readily available to anyone who knows where to look. These days, we have Google and Ask.com at our fingertips, so there is no excuse for not knowing where they can be purchased. Here is a Google search for "Water Crystals."

You'll find out that these are used for houseplants, gardening, candles, even some medical uses. Then go find lawn and garden centers near your home. There are seven near my house, and less than 5 blocks away is a hydroponic gardening supply (a great place to get high quality vermiculite at cheap prices). Most anything you need in this hobby can be purchased from lawn and garden centers, Home Depot, Wal Mart, and your local Dollar Store. A few extra minutes of research will save you a crap-ton of unnecessary time and money.

 

[ZergFront]

While technically copper does not rust (it corrodes), your point is a good one. I suspect that rusting and corrosion could still happen with gel products, since they would hold moisture against metal surfaces. I also would wonder if a permanently damp surface such as a gel would be likely to serve as an incubator for molds, yeasts and bacteria. At least good ol' H2O containers can be emptied and cleaned out as often as you like.

Good to know. Hmmm, maybe it wasn't copper. I really don't know what the lid was made of but there was a rusty red around the inner rim and my crickets were acting really strange (couldn't get off their backs, sometimes a leg would no longer move) before dying so I thought I'd better replace it. None were adults so I don't see how it could have been old age..
They weren't on any gels - I HATE them! The crickets always poop on them and look really nasty when they start to dry. A lot less hassle for me is just a little water in a deli cup lid that I refill and clean when needed.

 

[nickn]

The pet store I went to today was the cleanest and best kept reptile store I have ever seen, lots of Tarantulas too. But I was quite puzzled when I looked in the T's cages and seen there water bowls were all the "gel" water.

I thought this stuff was bad for them?

 

[Steve Calceatum]

The pet store I went to today was the cleanest and best kept reptile store I have ever seen, lots of Tarantulas too. But I was quite puzzled when I looked in the T's cages and seen there water bowls were all the "gel" water.

I thought this stuff was bad for them?

I will agree there are plenty of good pet stores out there, but that's few and far between. Hardly any of them will keep all their animals "perfectly." There's this place out here where the owner keeps his inverts very well. He is also quite knowledgable about everything for sale in his store. However, he too has to make a buck at the end of the day. His prices for supplies like substrate, cages, etc. are pretty steep in some cases.

Up the road a little ways from that shop is another LPS. Same place that sold me that jar of Fluker's (When I got that jar, they also gave me some "Cricket Bites" to try out. I don't know what smelled worse....the crickets or the bites). Anyways, they keep their T's in almost deplorable conditions. I mentioned this to them one time, and they told me they weren't going to sell anything more than rose hairs because the exotic spiders didn't sell too well. I went to this place last month to pick up some substrate (cheapest prices in town for coco-fiber). When I walked in, the ladies there were so happy to try and sell me one of those "Exotic spiders that sell too well." I just asked them if they had some rediculous new-fangled terrarium gadget that I knew they didn't carry, and walked right out the door to give my money to the guy who's actualy trying.

 

[Bill S]

Good to know. Hmmm, maybe it wasn't copper. I really don't know what the lid was made of but there was a rusty red around the inner rim and my crickets were acting really strange (couldn't get off their backs, sometimes a leg would no longer move) before dying so I thought I'd better replace it. None were adults so I don't see how it could have been old age...

When copper corrodes it turns green, not rusty red. You probably had rust, which by itself is harmless. As for your crickets - not sure what killed them off. However, I've had similar die-offs. Sometimes a batch of crickets just seems to have a problem sweeping through it. Makes me a little nervous when it happens, but it hasn't seemed to affect my tarantulas. Maybe crickets get too beat up during shipment? Or they don't get anything nutritious to eat once they get to the pet shop? Maybe just too much stress from shipping, handling and crowding. It seems that when I've kept crickets on deep natural substrate (potting soil) they do better than when I keep them in containers with little substrate, but that might just be coincidence.

On a side note - For a long time I was finding dermestid beetle larvae in my cricket cage. They no doubt ate a lot of the dead crickets, which in turn kept down the smell and probably made the cage a healthier environment for the crickets. Not long ago I did a complete cleaning and set up a new cage - without dermestid beetles. The batches of crickets I've bought since then did not contain dermestids - and the cricket cage STINKS. And I have a higher die-off rate. I'm hoping that a few dermestids show up in the next batches of crickets I buy.

 

[arachna-nono]

I'm an LPS guys, and while I sell SOME Flukers Cricket Quencher, I always TELL people they can use plain old water in a juice cap with a CLEAN cotton ball, too. I personally use the Flukers gel for all my crickets and roaches at home (and even though I don't pay the retail price, I think I'm gonna try the crystals next-definitely worth a try if it's THAT cheap!). If it spills, I don't have cricket death, and it lasts longer than a bit of water will. I let people make up their own mind. They are literally paying for convenience, and lots of people actually want to!

As far as using for a T, even if I hadn't read this thread, I would NEVER sell the gel for them to use as a water source. I think it depends on the store and the people you're talking too as far as what you will be told is okay.

 

[ZergFront]

When copper corrodes it turns green, not rusty red. You probably had rust, which by itself is harmless. As for your crickets - not sure what killed them off. However, I've had similar die-offs. Sometimes a batch of crickets just seems to have a problem sweeping through it. Makes me a little nervous when it happens, but it hasn't seemed to affect my tarantulas. Maybe crickets get too beat up during shipment? Or they don't get anything nutritious to eat once they get to the pet shop? Maybe just too much stress from shipping, handling and crowding. It seems that when I've kept crickets on deep natural substrate (potting soil) they do better than when I keep them in containers with little substrate, but that might just be coincidence.

On a side note - For a long time I was finding dermestid beetle larvae in my cricket cage. They no doubt ate a lot of the dead crickets, which in turn kept down the smell and probably made the cage a healthier environment for the crickets. Not long ago I did a complete cleaning and set up a new cage - without dermestid beetles. The batches of crickets I've bought since then did not contain dermestids - and the cricket cage STINKS. And I have a higher die-off rate. I'm hoping that a few dermestids show up in the next batches of crickets I buy.

Hmmm, I may try using a substrate. I thought crickets would do fine on a barren container with egg cartons. I'm also trying to collect locusts from my nearby hikes to see if I could breed those. Only thing is, they are ALOT stronger than crickets and they push themselves out of my fingers quite easily - oh, and not to mention the brown spit-up! LOL!