Red runners dying

[joshhaugh]

So I have recently started a colony of lats and they are not doing great. Temps are in the low-mid 80s, but humidity (I live in NM) is very low, usually around 15-20%. I'm feeding them chick starter since I had some around, along with some fruits and veggies and I have water crystals in there for them. Any ideas?

 

[Matts inverts]

I would feed more vegetables. The chick starter usually has growth hormones and is toxic to most inverts. Feed more things like organic or washed and pealed lettuce, squash, carrots, and apples

 

[Matts inverts]

I do not use water crystals because oranges and squash work fine. Instead of the chick starter, try dubia roach food or you can make your own with Cheerios, oats, and fish food.

 

[Matts inverts]

You can also poor water or mist once or twice a week

 

[Dry Desert]

So I have recently started a colony of lats and they are not doing great. Temps are in the low-mid 80s, but humidity (I live in NM) is very low, usually around 15-20%. I'm feeding them chick starter since I had some around, along with some fruits and veggies and I have water crystals in there for them. Any ideas?

For them to breed etc. Temperature needs to be 85 F minimum and keep one part of the substrate moist, they like it moist but not wet. As your R.H. is very low you will have to keep an eye on humidity.

 

[joshhaugh]

I guess I should've mentioned the chick starter is antibiotic/hormone free and I used it with no problems to feed crickets, before the chirping drove me nuts and I stopped breeding them. Thanks for the tips! I will trying misting. Everything I have read says they should be kept as dry as possible, but I think the care advice is usually written for people who live in places where the relative humidity is higher than 15-20%.

 

[ccTroi]

i don’t think the chick starter feed is the problem. i know of keepers who use the feed bc of their incredible value. admittedly, i have yet to use chick starter feed only bc the closest store that sells them is a couple hour drive away. i don’t know why you’re experiencing deaths, and i wish i can help. low humidity shouldn’t cause deaths in lats bc i keep them like this. a breeder i met at an expo told me humidity is important for hatching the oothecas. he kept his in a container with eggcrates, no substrate. he told me he mists the sides and lightly on the eggcrates but just enough that it doesn’t cause any issues

 

[Liquifin]

For them to breed etc. Temperature needs to be 85 F minimum and keep one part of the substrate moist, they like it moist but not wet. As your R.H. is very low you will have to keep an eye on humidity.

85 F as a minimum is not true. Ideally 85 F would be great, but it's not a minimum required. I've raised colonies of red runners at 73F-75F with no problems. Also red runners can do without substrate as it just just becomes a hassle once red runner feces build up over the substrate. Humidity is and isn't issue, the only thing that humidity is somewhat relevant for is hatching ootheca faster, but even in dry humidity climates, they'll hatch fine most likely. Higher humidity just makes the ootheca hatching more optimal, but isn't as important as most would think.

 

[Dry Desert]

85 F as a minimum is not true. Ideally 85 F would be great, but it's not a minimum required. I've raised colonies of red runners at 73F-75F with no problems. Also red runners can do without substrate as it just just becomes a hassle once red runner feces build up over the substrate. Humidity is and isn't issue, the only thing that humidity is somewhat relevant for is hatching ootheca faster, but even in dry humidity climates, they'll hatch fine most likely. Higher humidity just makes the ootheca hatching more optimal, but isn't as important as most would think.

So you tell the OP what his problem is !! And once again as you all have the answers theres no need for my input - once again

 

[Liquifin]

So you tell the OP what his problem is !!

That's the problem, I can't pin-point a problem if all I have is just a couple sentences of describing what is wrong. A picture would surely help much more.

Red runners can have a lot or a little amount of problems, but specifically trying to find the problem isn't an easy one based off what we have to start on. I can make suggestions and whatnot, but even then it's just speculation like everything else posted on this thread.