Mites in Crickets?

[ShyDragoness]

Its newb O'clock~ P sure these are mites but wasnt sure, any idea what I should do? Im guessing start a new and clean more often, wishin I could use dubias instead :/

Thanks for any help

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I tell you what works for me with crickets.

1) Put those in a kinda KK XL (or even bigger) enclosure. Top notch ventilation, always a plus.

2) No substrate at all

3) For hides, those sort of "egg" grey paper stuff (I don't know the english name!) are cool.

4) Fresh and well clean carrots and veggies and, if you can find that, buy crickets food (a sort of cricket fodder, I don't know the name... we use those stuff).

Done.

 

[ShyDragoness]

I tell you what works for me with crickets.

1) Put those in a kinda KK XL (or even bigger) enclosure. Top notch ventilation, always a plus.

2) No substrate at all

3) For hides, those sort of "egg" grey paper stuff (I don't know the english name!) are cool.

4) Fresh and well clean carrots and veggies and, if you can find that, buy crickets food (a sort of cricket fodder, I don't know the name... we use those stuff).

Done.

got cricket food, will do no sub, this had egg boxes in, everytime I put carrots in it was covered in mold the next day, probably due to lack of ventilation in this box(which is now outside in the trash) so will get a kk like box with better vents, Thank you for the advice!!

 

[Chris LXXIX]

got cricket food, will do no sub, this had egg boxes in, everytime I put carrots in it was covered in mold the next day, probably due to lack of ventilation in this box(which is now outside in the trash) so will get a kk like box with better vents, Thank you for the advice!!

Ah I see... if carrots are covered in mold the next day then 99% is due to lack of ventilation <-- my Sherlock wisdom u_u

Yup do that and I think things will turn better

 

[ShyDragoness]

I had a small cricket keeper previously but got tired of escapees

 

[EulersK]

You may want to post questions about insects in the appropriate subforum, you'll get a lot more specific help:
http://arachnoboards.com/forums/insects-other-invertebrates-arthropods.18/

@AphonopelmaTX, care to move this?

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I had a small cricket keeper previously but got tired of escapees

But small crickets in a small KK, are a recipe for escape.

Put medium/adult crickets in a XL or XXL KK, and no escapes.

A Chinese sage of once said that :-s

 

[ShyDragoness]

You may want to post questions about insects in the appropriate subforum, you'll get a lot more specific help:
http://arachnoboards.com/forums/insects-other-invertebrates-arthropods.18/

Ah sorry ! Wasnt sure where to put it Thanks for correcting me!

 

[The Grym Reaper]

They're only grain/scavenger mites, more of a minor nuisance than anything else.

Below is what worked for me when I kept crickets. I had hardly any die off, no mites and there was no noticeable smell to speak of.

Enclosure/food/water:

- Put them in a large, well-ventilated container (they need a fair bit of room because they die if conditions are too cramped).
- Loads of egg cartons for hides (ties in with above, not enough hides = clustered crickets = dead crickets).
- No substrate (just makes cleaning a pain in the anus).
- Mix up some fish food (the flakes, sounds weird but they love it) with the cricket feed, I quickly stopped bothering with fresh veggies (because they're a pain in the anus and attract fungus gnats).
- Bug gel for water.

As for maintenance:

- Remove dead bodies as and when you find them.
- Change the bug gel whenever it becomes too soiled.
- Clean out poop and discarded food/exuviae twice a month.
- Replace the egg cartons once a month.

 

[Aquarimax]

I agree with the post above, and would add that proper temperature goes a long way towards keeping crickets healthy. I keep mine somewhere between 78-90 F and they do very well. I breed my own, and haven't needed to buy crickets since I started.