Having problems keeping feeder crickets

[ahicks51]

I know, really basic problem. How can I manage tarantulas if I can't keep crickets?

A couple of days ago, I bought feeder crickets. I cut the bottom off the bag, and give them a few hours to tumble into a cup. I left the 5-week crickets in the cups, and took the 2-week crickets to a separate, clear plastic container.

All of them were fed bits of a tangerine for meals. 48 hours later, all the 5-week crickets are alive. But within 24 hours, the 2-week crickets I put in the plastic container were dead or dying- on their backs, weakly kicking. They were fine just 8 hours before.

No pesticides or chemicals- the container was run through the dishwasher, same as the cups were- and the only thing in there was the tangerine (no egg crate, etc.). No added moisture. The containers are the same I use for keeping some of my tarantulas (water-clear polystyrene). No bright lights, and the temperature was 68-70F.

I can't seem to keep 2-week feeder crickets alive, and even larger crickets have high mortality in my care. I've tried peat, I've tried paper, I've tried bare plastic, and keeping them crowded in plastic cups seems to be the best option (if not the most humane) for short-term care.

What am I doing wrong?

 

[KyuZo]

stress maybe?
the larger ones might be able to take the stress better than the little ones

 

[ParabuthusKing]

make sure to provide VENTILATION.. a cup with the lid on is fine for a tarantula in most cases for the short term, but crickets really do not do well with stagnant air.. also make sure to introduce some type of food high in protein such as dog food or fish food flakes.. hope that helps some, if not ask more questions

 

[Galapoheros]

What do you mean "5-week crickets" and "2-week crickets", I'm missing something simple there. Anyway, when I used to buy crickets to raise, they would all die within a few days ...both the matures and immature. But babies from those crickets that managed to lay eggs before they died would thrive, I would get 100's of them and they would make it to adults with very few deaths. I don't know why the CB crickets lived and the store bought died so fast. Maybe stress from the environment they used to be in, maybe even viruses, parasites, who knows...

 

[ahicks51]

What do you mean "5-week crickets" and "2-week crickets", I'm missing something simple there./QUOTE]

5-week crickets are the mature adults- the big 'uns.

2-week crickets are just two weeks old, maybe 1/8" to 1/4" long at the most.

 

[Galapoheros]

Oh, "age", OK. I considered that but then I saw that you had them only a couple of days, I wasn't getting it. I kept mine in a 20 gal rubbermaid tub with a about 1/4 of it on a heating pad and no top. It was too tall for them to hop out. They died off in the winter though when it cooled down even though the pad was there. I've read they like it pretty hot.

 

[peterUK]

Something is definately wrong somewhere.
Do you have an airfreshener in the room or any other type of 'smelly thingy' ?

My problem is that the crickets grow too fast !!!

As everyone probably knows, the UK and US have different words for the same things so this may be confusing.

Example;
US ---- UK
Gas = Petrol
Smokes ? = Fags
Pants = Trousers
Shorts = Pants

Crickets in the UK are usually sized by how many moults they had gone through.
This may be of some use... http://www.livefoods.co.uk/sizes.php

I have found that 'pinheads' (newly hatched) and number 1's (1st instars .. next size up) MUST have high humidity to survive more than a day.
From number 2's (2nd instars) and upwards they dont need the high humidity.

I keep pinheads and no 1's in the smallest penpal (lid removed) with the complete top covered by 'clingfilm' (foodwrap ?) with one finger hole poked through in the middle. The bottom is bare and I use small sections of egg carton for the crickets to climb on and most importantly I lightly mist the eggs carton sections daily. I use distilled so that there are NO water marks on the penpal sides for the very small crickets to climb up. Food is tropical fish flake, just enough for 1 day as it will go moldy due to the high humidity.

Number 2 and upwards are kept in larger penpals or large plastic containers. The bottom is covered with either bran or porridge oats (smells nicer) larger sections of egg carton for the crickets to climb over.
Number 2's have carrot for moisture.
Number 3's and upwards have water supplied via a jar lid (water is changed daily and jar lid is thoughly cleaned)
Food is the substrate itself, fishflakes and cheap cereal based fish pond pellets.
I have raised pinheads up to adults with no problems using this method, I did go through a period when I bred my own crickets when kept dendrobate dart frogs and I found out the hard way that the very small instars need the humidity to shed and survive.
In the UK pinhead and number 1's are sold with NO ventilation at all and with very slightly damp bran in the containers. Larger sizes are sold with dry bran and plenty of ventilation.

Hope this helps

My crickets