# Why do my Crickets go all mushy, die and they stink!?



## papercut2008uk (Mar 12, 2012)

This never used to happen, i could quite easily keep them alive and healthy for a few weeks.

I get a tub now of brown adult crickets (i used to buy a bulk bag), for my reptiles and spiders. I have tried keeping them in the tubs and the next day they go all mushy and 50% or more are dead and the stench of amonia is very strong, i bought a 'cricket keeper' a long time ago and they used to be fine in it now the same thing happens as in the tub. it has tubes and the crickets after a few days are all dead in there. they go all mushy and gooey and they stink really bad.

i have tried everything, i clean the cricket keeper with disinfectant and rins it off with lots of water but they still all die.

anyone else have this happen?? anyone know why or how to stop this from happening?

i'm feeding them with gut loader (the multicoloured granule stuff) and a powder food that they use at the pet shops.

i also give them water with cotton wool so they dont drown in it. water is changed every 2 days, but topped up every day and is in small trays.


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## Dubia82 (Jan 19, 2012)

I don't breed crickets myself, but seems you doing similar to what I would.

Ventilation/Humidity/Temperature is what I would check first... if you're 100% sure you've disinfected properly then I would consider what they're being fed... you putting anything that moulds/rots quickly?

Unless your gutload/powder food is especially for crickets, I would check out the ingredients for that. I know of some that gutload what an insect might not normally eat with the plan being for the animal eating them to have already done so before the insect reacts badly.

Probably not the cause of your problems, but I avoid the cotton wool method.

It's also possible you've done everything fine and it's something to do with the supplier, but I've no idea about that side of things; I heard the likes of locusts may not handle a change of diet or digesting below a certain temperature (though not experienced these problems myself).


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

whenever I've had the same thing happen with them it's been down to a few things:
1 - sticking too many in a cricket keeper. They stuff themselves in the tube and turn to jam
2 - not putting enough ventilation in the tub (by 'not enough' I actually mean forgetting to drill holes in the tub).
3 - a combination of 1 & 2. Too many crickets in a tub without enough ventilation.


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## OrigamiB (Feb 19, 2008)

Meko said:


> whenever I've had the same thing happen with them it's been down to a few things:
> 1 - sticking too many in a cricket keeper. They stuff themselves in the tube and turn to jam
> 2 - not putting enough ventilation in the tub (by 'not enough' I actually mean forgetting to drill holes in the tub).
> 3 - a combination of 1 & 2. Too many crickets in a tub without enough ventilation.


This. Ventilation is key to cricket keeping. Even slightly higher humidity levels kill crickets, so once one dies it sets off a chain reaction as they go 'mushy' and further increase humidity.

Ditch the sponge and just use fresh veg, I find this keeps the humidity more localized to the veg and doesn't cause as much problems, or try and raise the veg up closer to the vents. powder diets and water gel are useless in my opinion... Feed fresh fruit and veg as a staple and supplement with the powder if you want.


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## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

It will be humidity being too high that is doing it, I find. Improving ventilation and mot using veg that ups humidity to jucb such as cucumber is good. 

jay


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## OrigamiB (Feb 19, 2008)

Spikebrit said:


> It will be humidity being too high that is doing it, I find. Improving ventilation and mot using veg that ups humidity to jucb such as cucumber is good.
> 
> jay


this too  forgot to mention veg! try using carrot peelings and leafy veg, I find there the best


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