Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just wanted to let everyone know. Last few shipments from Wormman and Reptilefood have had a bunch of dead ones. So decided to look for a new provider. I just got shipment from superwormfarm www.superwormfarm.com. Got 2 thousand 1/2" and 2000 3/4". Very impressed shipments were loaded with bugs. All were living. Very nice to see. Offer overnight 2day and usps standard frieght. The crickets are packed in large boxes. So theyaren't overcrowded. Will let people know how they are in a few days. Also it is in PA which could be nice for us in the northeast (shorter distance to travel).
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Derek Affonce
DeKeAff Exotics
dekeaffexotics.com

I ordered from superwormfarm.com 2 weeks ago. I ordered 2000 1/2 inch crickets and maybe 10 out of both boxes were alive!! No lie not more then 10. I live the next state over N.J. All this and maybe they were 1/4 inch even smaller. Nowhere near the 1/2 inchers I get at reptilefood.com. I was very unhappy with them, and I'm still waiting for the credit to be refunded to my card. Could not believe almost the whole two boxes dumped out dead!!! If you get some dead out off reptilefood.com I never had problems getting them replaced. They have a section where they ask about how many died down to like 25% of the box maybe even lower don't recall. If you get that many dead they'll replace them no questions asked. Plus their fast service I've found no one faster, or with better policies. Maybe I got a beat order, but I never had a problem this bad. Not even with the other cricket places I thought were bad before.

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Mystical Dragons

Wow that is amazing. That is as bad as it gets. Basically I really hate to go back to places that I have more than a few issues with. If I get a bunk order of crickets it creates a headache. Because I can not get more crickets shipped to me. Imagine what it is like to have 50 hungry babies and no crickets. Means I ahve to drive to providence and pay a good amount of money to get crickets to feed my babies. I must say the service at reptilefood.com is remarkable. Even if you do no live arrival garanttee (i do sometimes as there is a half hour window when i am bringing my wife to work) they replace the crickets promptly. Same can be said for wormman. Just sharing a good experience. I will know to be on the lookout now.
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Derek Affonce
DeKeAff Exotics
dekeaffexotics.com

Yeah, with babies that sure would be a costly mishap. Even with the 9 mouths I got it costs a bunch of money if I got to buy from the pet store for 2 days. I could imagine with babies. I bought worms from superworm farm with no problems. They are one of the only few places that offer small,med, superworms. Plus it was Thursday when I got all those dead, and they could not ship a replacement again till Mon for Wed. arrival. That would have been a real killer, I was dead out too. So for now on I made a deal to not try the new place. I have a problem always searching for the best,lol . At least reptilefood God forbid this happens next spring when I plan to have a few hungry hatchlings running around myself, they still will come the next day, and not cost me 50 bucks at the pet store. So far the best I received from was americancricketranch.com which I order from a few times now and then when I'm unexpectly low, and I missed reptilefoods 3pm cutoff. It's only 12pm there so I catch the next day delivery,lol. Yeah they travel across the USA and still come amazingly healthy, VERY few dead, and they last the longest!!
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Mystical Dragons

I tired them twice and both times the crickets arrive 99% dead or died within a few hours, I think it was their packaging, opening them up and they were damp and smelly, there was just no air circulation.

Then having to run all over and pay .10 each for a several hunderd to feed my hungry crew was enough to make me never try them again, its not just being out the lose of my order, its the cost to feed then til I can get another order in... even when replaced, I am stillout about $100

Our best luck has always been with Reptilefood.com or Armstrongs, almost all orders have arrived fresh and alive. We have grown to needing enough that we are able to get them delivered weekly by a wholesaler now to our house, so can avoid the shipping, which is the real expense for crickets.

Derek, imagine when I had three other rescues like the one girl I sent to you eating like that... those 4 alone were going through 400 a day!!! Try buying those in a pet store...... augh! We always place the rescued/rehabs free, but I figure usually 2 months care to get them in shape and with meds, I spend about $100-$150 on each one. Expensive hobby, but seeing them turn around makes it worth it.

Oh i hear you. Luckily I can usually just run down to regal reptiles (the only thing they are good for is feeders) and get crickets for $16/1000 on almost any day. That is a good safety net. So when dead one arrives it is just more of an inconvience.
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Derek Affonce
DeKeAff Exotics
dekeaffexotics.com

to our door by him. I think as the popularity of more reptiles increase, we will start to see more wholesalers (middlemen) that buy in bulk and break down and deliver to breeders. I still order 20,000 to 30,000 occassional when I can get a good price, but for the most part we are using the local person now.

As much as I like Armstrong and reptilefood.com when feeding so many that are not ours or to keep, its just gets too expensive. I swear, nothing eats like a rehab dragon back on track, they eat like there is no tomorrow for feeding... I thinks its prior times going hungry or neglected, they do not trust there will be a meal there tomorrow, plus they are healing and growing, even when adults.

That's not bad at all 16 bucks for a thousand in the event of a problem. I'm stuck with 12 for a buck!! I can drive an hour and get 1000 for 30 bucks from another pet store though, still it's tripple the cost.
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Mystical Dragons

There is a pet shop in Jackson...........I think its Jackson, Krazy Kreatures I think its called. They sell boxes of 1000 for $20. In the past thats where I have bought mine in emergencies........just dont let them put the crickets in plastic bags for the drive home!! Lots of crickets in a plastic airtight bag does not last long.

At the april/may show at white plains ny I bought 5000 crickets from komodo reptiles (After a shipment gone bad). OMG one of the boxes was open some how. Put them in the back of the truck went out to eat. Got back in the truck and there were hundreds (I crap you not) loose. My wife and a female friend with us were freaking out. Here I am in a mall parking lot cleaning crickets out of my truck. They sorta look like roaches at a distance. Was getting some nice looks. My wife and our friend are shrieking. OMG I was ready to kill someone. went back to the show, the guy from komodo was awesome gave me a refund for 3 boxes. I had to go spend $10 cleaning and vacuuming the truck or my wife and our friend wouldn't drive home (boston) in the truck. Wife made me put the rest of the crickets in dual garbage bads. Said they would be all set if I inflated them. Well the humidity is what kills them. I lost lots of those crickets (to the parking lot, vaccuum, and death because of humidity). Just thought it was a funny story that chris reminded me of with the plastic bag comment. plastic bags are bad.
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Derek Affonce
DeKeAff Exotics
dekeaffexotics.com

Oh man! I remember when that happened, lol. That sure must have sucked. Two women who will not get in the truck untill the last one out of 5000 is picked out from the springs in the seats. Yeah I see how that trip is more trouble then it's worth. Did not realize how far of a drive you have to go to get that 16 bucks 1000. Guess just the gas is ten bucks through Boston in traffic
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Mystical Dragons

Thanks in an emergency that's great to know. I've been to that store just never asked about the crix. I was going up to Wall for them and paying through the nose well 30 bucks for 1000 once in a while 25 if he's getting more the next day. You saved me half the trip and 10 bucks. Thanks Chris. The few places around me will not sell by the thousand. They all have small reptile sections. That place in Jackson has a pretty big reptile section so I guess they need a lot more, and can spare them.
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Mystical Dragons

Matt you are right $16/1000 isn't bad. I pay $12.50/1000 shipped. The issue is I am just slightly north of boston and have to drive to providence to get these crickets. So drive through boston (I am one of the people that make boston such a bad place to drive, we are i think in the top 3 of bad driver or at least rude ones) and then down to providence and then back. About 3-4 hours depending on traffic. Not how I want to spend a night. That is alot of animal work that I miss out on, this is why it angers me soo much to get dead crickets. Not to mention if there are lots of dead crickets there will be lots more to follow which stink to high heck. I will keep you updated on what I get from superwormfarm. I was impressed with reptilefood last week though (there were some dead) but ordered it 2 day and it arrived the next day.
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Derek Affonce
DeKeAff Exotics
dekeaffexotics.com