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Crickets keep dying requesting HELP

Petchy

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Hi,
I have a problem I have been trying to breed some crickets to feed to by desert scorpion but they keep dying on me.
This is my 4th try and they just keep dying.
I know they eat each other if there not fed so I give them the gutload that comes with the container straight away and I give them dechlorinated water in a sponge.
They are usually dead within a week and long before they have eaten the gutload or the bit of carrot that comes with the container.
I need help ASAP as i'm buying more crickets tomorrow and really don't need them dying on me again.

Thank you
 

Greatwtehunter

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Try adding some different foods like oatmeal, bran flakes, greens, stuff like that. They need to have a constant source of food.

Can you describe your setup? Is there high humidity inside the tank?
 

Petchy

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There not in a tank there in a large plastic container.
They have the full gutload sachet and a peice of carrot.
I spray dechlorinated water in it every second day but only a tiny bit.
As for substrate I have used Potting Mix, peat moss, Dirt and bare bottom
ALL wind up plenty dead.
These crickets are fully healthy when I get them, they have no hormones and anything like that and my meal worms came from the same place and i have 150 something beetles now. So its obviously something I'm doing
 

Alejandro

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I strongly suspect the gutloading formula is a big contributor to their mass mortality. You should only gutload them just a day before feeding them to your animals. In the meantime just stick to veggies such as carrots and oranges (for moisture) and may be some fish flakes.
 

jclee

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To follow with Alejandro's comments, high-calcium in their diets will kill crickets, and I would be willing to bet that the gutloading product you're feeding them has added calcium. Try switching to other staples and see what happens.
 

Petchy

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They have carrot in there aswell.
Its like a choice thing for them
As i figured they like a variety
but thanks
i'll try again
Can you tell me how long it'll take them to start breeding and to start laying eggs and how long it'll be until the eggs hatch and all
I have an Australian desert scorpion BTW and would you be able to give any other insects I could try other then crickets
thanks
 

Mac Myers

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Petchy.... When they begin breeding depends on the age. By the time the females have a fully developed ovipositor (that thing sticking out the back) then they will have already mated.
You will need to have a separate container for them to lay in. I used to use those little rubbermaid sandwich containers (on the bottom of a larger bare bottomed container) filled with moist soil (keep it moist but NOT wet) and lots of sticks and what not for them to climb up to get in there.
After 4-7 (or 2) days (you will see the females sticking their ovipositor in the dirt to lay eggs... and they'll do it right away) I took it out and put it in a a separate large container with a "rim" of vaseline at the very top (pinheads can climb anything). After about 10 days you will begin to see tiny little pinhead crickets. LOTS of them. You can remove the soil container and put it back with the adults if you want.
Feed fish flakes, keep carrots or potato for moisture (but not a slimy wet surface or they will get stuck and die). After a few weeks you'll have crickets you can feed to your animals. You'll need to repeat the process to keep a steady food supply going but until you get better at supply management be prepared to have more crickets than you can feed before they mature (and die). I had 17 animals at one time and still gave crickets to my local herp shop guy in exchange for store credit.
As the others stated. Don't gut load until a day or two before you feed.... just provide a healthy diet. :D
 

nhaislip

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Also how warm are they being kept? Crickets breed best at temperatures around ~27-32C. If it gets too cold they will die as well. Also, if not kept pretty warm, the eggs will not hatch or you will have high mortality of your pins. I have hatched pins in temps around 24-25C before, but they do much better at warmer temps.
 
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