Why'd my crickets die?

[Tired Teacher Vibes]

I've been keeping crickets in a almost 3 gallon, bioactive, critter keeper. My T isn't very big so I don't go through crickets very quickly (I buy 10 and wait to run out before getting more). I want to keep the crickets healthy and well fed before feeding them to my T. They're also just fun to watch.

• Plants are succulents.
• Using broken terracotta pots too - for hides and surface area.
• Leaf litter, bark, and sphagnum are sprinkled around.
• Been feeding the enclosure fish flakes & pellets, dried shrimp, potatoes, carrots, oatmeal.
• Kept with mealworms and mealworm beetles - the mealworms are doing great, one of the beetles was eaten (missing head).
• Also powder orange isopods and springtails.

After watering some of the plants (I water them on different days/weeks to avoid it being overly humid, there is a damp spot though for those who need it) I noticed a lot less crickets. found 2 dead and saw something weird on one of them.

This has happened 2x now, I'll water, the crickets hang out in the wetter spots and I find a bunch dead the next day. I use distilled water (Straight distilled, not distilled for drinking. The stuff used for sensitive plants.) and I've used 2 different brands.

Again, no problems until recently. Everything else seems fine. Is something messing with them? Is it the food? Bad batches? Concussions from jumping into the tank wall? But also what's that weird thing?

 

[Isaax Critterz]

Bio active is excessive. The mealworms might have eaten the crickets

 

[Introvertebrate]

Pet store crickets are already carrying the cricket virus. It just hasn't killed them yet. Let them lay eggs. The next generation will be way healthier.

 

[Tired Teacher Vibes]

Pet store crickets are already carrying the cricket virus. It just hasn't killed them yet. Let them lay eggs. The next generation will be way healthier.

Oh, that's lame. Should I get adult ones and try breeding then?

I want to do a larger bioactive feeder bin.

 

[Introvertebrate]

Oh, that's lame. Should I get adult ones and try breeding then?

I want to do a larger bioactive feeder bin.

I'm on my 4th generation now, but I keep it simple. Egg crates, water crystals, poultry feed, and a little bowl of substrate for egg laying.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I'm on my 4th generation now, but I keep it simple. Egg crates, water crystals, poultry feed, and a little bowl of substrate for egg laying.

So they can be kept like roaches ? We’re do you get poultry feed ?

Pet store crickets are already carrying the cricket virus. It just hasn't killed them yet. Let them lay eggs. The next generation will be way healthier.

Why don’t pet stores sell adult crickets? They’re little ones die to fast for me to ever breed them . So I just buy roaches and superworms now ..

 

[Introvertebrate]

So they can be kept like roaches ?

More or less. Much shorter life cycle though.

We’re do you get poultry feed ?

Tractor Supply. I grind it up finer in a blender.

Why don’t pet stores sell adult crickets?

I thought they offer whatever size you want.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

More or less. Much shorter life cycle though.

Tractor Supply. I grind it up finer in a blender.

I thought they offer whatever size you want.

Ahh I gotta to go to pet smart(farther away ) for the bigger ones as pet supplies and another lps don’t sell big crickets. I’m sure you can special order them but .. a hassel I prob won’t bother with crickets again until I get more Ts which could be a while
Away . Still looking for a non labor intense job .