so i cleaned out my cricket tub the other day, and there were a few crickets dead/husks from the 2000 3/8" crickets i was keeping, so i cleaned it out and took out the greens, i did not put any back in when i was done because of the smell, although i this was the first time i had left anything in there besides the gut load stuff, and yesterday i went to get some crickets, and about 80% of them were dead, like i had to scavenge for some food. could they have died from no greens, even though i never kept them in the other times before? also im looking to start my colony of dubia roaches really soon, i got the 125 starter kit, but i dont want to wait that long with the cricket shortages/virus going around, so how many would i have to buy to start feeding in say, a few weeks.
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about 1000 crickets just died??
- Thread starter grimm
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It's possible that the humidy was too high. Just a guess.
How wet are the egg crates? If they are kind of squishy then your humidity is too high. You could have also left trace amounts of cleaner in the bin. Crix are VERY sensitive to chemicals. I use Dawn dish soap to clean mine. It kills bacteria and but if any is left behind I found it does not hurt the crickets.
i didnt use ANY cleaner, i just wiped it out with a paper towel. im guessing it just the "A BUNCH OF DEAD CRICKETS" smell, but it was that sulferish smell that kinda stings your nose after they all died, and the cardboard wasnt wet, the tub is in the exact same place its always been.
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It could've been the place you got them from, too. I got some crickets from this one pet store, and the next day, almost all of them were dead. Their crickets seemed all 'soggy', which may have created a high humidity.
Also, is your cricket bin/tub well ventilated? There must be very good ventilation when having that many crickets.
Also, is your cricket bin/tub well ventilated? There must be very good ventilation when having that many crickets.
I think it is the humidity too. What size bin are they in and how big is the ventilation hole? Can you post some pictures of your cricket bin? I have had my problems with them and seem to have a good handle on them now, my friend today called me the cricket master. Out of 2000 crickets I only loose maybe 100. That is when they don't escape...I just had the screen fall in my bin making a ramp for about 500 to climbed up the screen and out of the bin. With it being outside in the shed there was no catching any of them.
its a fairly large bin, and its not that humid in my room, very low humidity in the tank, its weird cause i got them from ghaans, had them for about 2 weeks if not a little more with zero problems, i wipe the tub out and then they all died. same tub ive kept all my crickets in from ghaans.
how many egg creates do you have for them? can you post pics of you cricket bin? I had that happen to a batch of crix from Ghanns too a couple of months ago. Is this the first time you have had this many crix? do you have them on substrate?
cant post a pic cause i threw everything away in the tub, i used about 4 full sized egg crates, then a few smaller ones, and yes ive had that many before. and no i dont use a substrate. im just bothered since they all died at once since they seemed fine for almost 2 weeks.
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Hmm, I'm trying to think if other causes..
Is it really hot or really cold in your room? Oh, and you said the crickets all died at once. Do you mean like in one day, overnight, etc ?? In what time frame?
Is it really hot or really cold in your room? Oh, and you said the crickets all died at once. Do you mean like in one day, overnight, etc ?? In what time frame?
did you use any chemicals near the crickets? Not in the bin but in the same room as them? This could just end up being one of those, just don't knows. I do think you should use a 1:10 bleach solution, wash it out really good and let it sit for a day to air out. This will make sure if it was a bacteria, or anything it is dead and will not affect any other crickets.
did you wash the greens before you put them in the bin?
did you wash the greens before you put them in the bin?
ok heres a few pics of the tub, its a 69 liter or 18 gallon.
its usually around 76-85 in my room, and im thinking between 24-36 hours was the timeframe of the death, i skipped a few feeds of looking in there since i was feeding the remainder of my 1/2" to him at the time.
its usually around 76-85 in my room, and im thinking between 24-36 hours was the timeframe of the death, i skipped a few feeds of looking in there since i was feeding the remainder of my 1/2" to him at the time.
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Temperature and ventilation are good. Hmm..... How long were the crickets without food?
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Oh okay. Well I'm at a loss for other possible causes. Maybe you just got an unlucky bad batch.
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Yeah, that makes sense, sorry. Wish I could be of more help.
