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 #1382481


Brigman
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 Bad luck keeping crickets

Or rather, I suspect I’m doing something wrong. I have a "cricket keeper" house with the two black tubes for the crix to hide in (and be fed to the froggie). Unfortunately, recently a good third of the crickets are ending up dead on the bottom of the keeper. I’ve had the cricket food and that orange-gel water stuff in little lids in there, but it doesn’t seem to help - they aren’t living very long. They also stink when dead, and decompose messily.

Any suggestions? I’d rather not throw out a third of the crix I buy.
07/31/07  06:28pm

 #1382709


Froggy&Gribbit
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   Message To: Brigman   In reference to Message Id: 1382481


 Bad luck keeping crickets

I have never used the cricket keeper or the cricket food or gel. I will let you know how I care for mine and you can see what might help.

I keep mine in a nice warm spot. They die sooner if they are not warm enough. My tank stays at at least 74 degrees. I actually keep them in a spare 10gal tank I have, alot of airration less smell.

I use egg crates for them to hide in and also toilet roll tubes. (makes it easy to pick them up and feed the frogs) I feed them fish food flakes, cornmeal, and fresh fruit and veges like potato and carrot and apple. For water I put a wet kitchen sponge in a dish. I rinse this each day.
We find when we first bring the crickets from the shop they are VERY thirsty and hungry. They all gather on the sponge and then the food................

Our crickets last very well this way. I usually purchase them some at 1/4 inch and if the PTF don’t eat them quick enough they grow big enough for the WTF to eat them at 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch.
Remember crickets only live for 6 weeks so if you are buying large crickets they only have about 2 weeks left to live, if that. So we buy only about a weeks worth of large then get mediums which live longer and saves me having to go to the store so often.



07/31/07  08:27pm

 #1382981


Rrrragdoll
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   Message To: Froggy&Gribbit   In reference to Message Id: 1382709


 Bad luck keeping crickets

Also alot of those gels etc are for gutloading, not feed. Which means that they were intended to be fed to the crickets 24-48 hrs before the frogs get them.

I also use fish flakes, grain cricket meal and fruit. You can either use a plain (not orange or gutload) cricket water gel, or cheaper is the sponge method or soaking cotton balls. Keeping them a bit cooler makes them grow less quickly too.



07/31/07  11:49pm

 #1384602


Creepy Crawly_06
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   Message To: Rrrragdoll   In reference to Message Id: 1382981


 Bad luck keeping crickets

i keep my crickets in a plastic bin with a hole in the top. i covered the hole with plastic wrap and poked a million little holes in it. I feed them flukers gut load and i have a small dish with cotton balls soaked in water. they seem to do great in it. try buying smaller crickets, they last longer and my frogs like to eat lots so giving them a bunch of little ones is perfect.

ALSO! when a cricket dies the odor actually harms the rest of the living ones. try to clean the tank every other day to keep more cricket alive.



08/01/07  11:12pm

 #1384605


Creepy Crawly_06
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   Message To: Rrrragdoll   In reference to Message Id: 1382981


 Bad luck keeping crickets

i keep my crickets in a plastic bin with a hole in the top. i covered the hole with plastic wrap and poked a million little holes in it. I feed them flukers gut load and i have a small dish with cotton balls soaked in water. they seem to do great in it. try buying smaller crickets, they last longer and my frogs like to eat lots so giving them a bunch of little ones is perfect.

ALSO! when a cricket dies the odor actually harms the rest of the living ones. try to clean the tank every other day to keep more cricket alive.



08/01/07  11:13pm

 #1385522


Brigman
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   Message To: Creepy Crawly_06   In reference to Message Id: 1384605


 Bad luck keeping crickets

I just wonder if some kind of bacteria is in the plastic tank. I’ve washed it carefully and rinsed it well, multiple times. But we bought crix two days ago and already three are dead on the bottom of the keeper. I’d guess that, over the course of a week, we lose 7 or so crix to death before they get fed to the froggie.

I’ve removed the dead ones, wiped down the keeper, and added substrate (something I hadn’t done before). I’m gonna try a cotton ball for water for them instead of the orange gel; maybe that will help.

Thanks all for the advice!
08/02/07  04:40pm

 #1387379


Brigman
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   Message To: Brigman   In reference to Message Id: 1385522


 Bad luck keeping crickets

Adding the substrate really seems to have helped so far. There aren’t flattened, decomposing crix on the bottom of the plastic tank anymore... no dead ones at all that I can see.
08/03/07  08:48pm

 #1388076


Creepy Crawly_06
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   Message To: Brigman   In reference to Message Id: 1387379


 Bad luck keeping crickets

just a question: where do you get your crix? i find that smaller pet stores have really bad crix. i get mine at petsmart and i only lose about 3 or 4 every time i buy them (about 2 times a months)
08/04/07  11:43am

 #1389325


King_nothing_
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   Message To: Creepy Crawly_06   In reference to Message Id: 1388076


 Bad luck keeping crickets

buying crickets at a pet store is kinda a waste, isnt it? unless you need smaller ones, of course.

I get mine from a bait shop down the road, and they sell me 50 for a dollar. I asked how much for crickets at pets mart and its like 12 cents EACH. rediculous. and its not like they’re feeding them special food at the pet store to gut load them either. I just get the bait shop ones and guy load them with some fruits covered in calcium powder and feed them to my stuff a day or 2 later. it’s infinately cheaper.
08/05/07  10:52am

 #1389617


Brigman
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   Message To: King_nothing_   In reference to Message Id: 1389325


 Bad luck keeping crickets

I usually buy mine at the same place I bought my WTF - Pet Club - and they cost $1 for 20. Not too bad, but not "bait-shop good" either...
08/05/07  03:13pm


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