Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have 2 hatchlings that I feed pinhead crickets. I buy crickets 1-2 dozen at a time. I store them in a butter container with air slits cut in it along with cardboard egg carton/toilet paper rolls inside. The crix keep dying before I can use them. I have tried adding a potato for a water/nutrient source with little extra success. This last batch had about a 50% survival rate. Any suggestions? (I am also curious as to how people buy crix in bulk and keep them alive for feeding..) Thanks in advance for the help.
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1.1 Western Painted Turtle (Mougly, Scooter)
0.1.2 Albino Leopard Gecko (Daphne)

Your container might be too small, the crickets might be too warm, or you just may be buying bad crickets.

>>Your container might be too small, the crickets might be too warm, or you just may be buying bad crickets.

I do get some pretty significant die off myself, but I'd start out by trying a bit bigger container; you'll need it when you have bigger crickets later anyway. Also, the crickets definitely need to be fed. There are several good commercial cricket foods available, or lots of people use carrots or orange slices. I've used the Fluker's orange cubes in the past, and currently use something called Cricket Yummies. Both of those seem to work reasonably well.
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear

I use a smaller critter container (I dunno, the things you can put hamsters in or small lizards) with a milk cap filled with cricket quencher, and carrots. I buy 2 dozen large crickets with only a few that die.

You might want to give something with a lot of protein and fat. I read crickets will eat each other if they don't get enough protein. I have great sucess keeping crickets alive for weeks. The food I used are chick mash, crushed good quality dog kibbles, and tropical fish flakes. All these food mentioned are very high in protein and other stuff like calcium and other vitamins and minerals. Use these to powerfeed the crickets to boost the nutritional value of your crickets and your will see the difference; the crickets will actually live longer. One time I bought small crickets for my leo hathlings and they surived for 2 months before being all fed to my animals. I actually had to buy more because they grow so fast on the stuff and I just fed it to my larger lizards and frogs. For moisture I use a very shallow water dish, but this is for small and large crickets, the pinheads may actually drown in it, so I suggest you keep several fresh apple slices in there with the crickets instead. When it starts molding, throw it out and put in new ones.

And on other thing, you may need a bigger cage for your crickets. I hear they will kill each other if they don't have enough space. Get a ten gallon, which is cheap, and a screen lid. That should work well. Make sure you have plenty of ventalation, especially in this hot weather. From my experience the crickets survive better with a well ventalated cage. Good luck to you!

Well...try cricket food bought from stores, and put a piece of a cut up apple for water and liquids. Maybe you should put them in a bigger container with better airholes...I hoped that helped a little...

I also like the orange cubes. They tend to dry out before mold sets in, unlike apples or potatoes, and mold will almost certainly kill crix fast.
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1.0 Hypo stripe, Het RW from JL (BJ)
1.0 HypoTang from Crested (Apricot)
1.0 Tremper Albino from Petsmart (Cloud)
1.0 SHCT hatched by me! (Sunny)
0.1 Hi-Yellow Leopard gecko from Petco (Beatrice)
0.1 Stripe female (rehabilitated rescue)(Pepper)
0.1 Normal from 2001 (Freckles)
0.1 SHCT Leopard Gecko from Petco (Brite)
0.1 Tangy Mutt Leopard Gecko from Petco (Rainbow)
0.1 Jungle het RW hatched by me! (Jungle Bunny)
0.1 Stripe poss. het RW hatched by me! (unnamed yet)
RIP Peaches, Ghost, Bill
Adopted out: Goldie, Leucy, "Q"
Hatched: ~50
Available:
11 month male circleback tang

They are probably not getting enought ventilation.
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This is courage.. to bear unflinching what heaven sends. -unknown

2.1 chocolate labs and bassett (Harley, Barker and Capone)
1.0 leopard gecko (Nacho)

Gut load food should have enough moisture in it that as long as it is fresh for them then it should be good food and water source for them.