# Dead locust



## reptolad (Feb 18, 2011)

Aggh!!! so frustrating...after two months of trying to breed locust I finally got babies about 4 days ago. I fed them "washed" lettuce today and about half an hour later they're all dead or dying. Even the adult momma that was in with them looks half dead. 

Any chance this is because of temps as they've been at the warm end of the viv since yesterday which could get up to 40c? I really hope it isn't insecticides as I won't be feeding them veggies again if it was. :bash:


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## 123dragon (Jan 15, 2011)

reptolad said:


> Aggh!!! so frustrating...after two months of trying to breed locust I finally got babies about 4 days ago. I fed them "washed" lettuce today and about half an hour later they're all dead or dying. Even the adult momma that was in with them looks half dead.
> 
> Any chance this is because of temps as they've been at the warm end of the viv since yesterday which could get up to 40c? I really hope it isn't insecticides as I won't be feeding them veggies again if it was. :bash:


what have you been feeding them before this, 
they can dye from shock from a sudden change in diet


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## reptolad (Feb 18, 2011)

123dragon said:


> what have you been feeding them before this,
> they can dye from shock from a sudden change in diet


I was feeding them bug grub and lettuce (different packet) since they hatched.

What do you mean when you say they can die of shock?


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## 123dragon (Jan 15, 2011)

reptolad said:


> I was feeding them bug grub and lettuce (different packet) since they hatched.
> 
> What do you mean when you say they can die of shock?


if you suddenly change diet, their bodys can go into shock and they can die,


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## reptolad (Feb 18, 2011)

Are the effects permanent or should I put them out of their misery?


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## 123dragon (Jan 15, 2011)

reptolad said:


> Are the effects permanent or should I put them out of their misery?


any that look like they are dieing will die if they look and are acting normal then they should be ok


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## reptolad (Feb 18, 2011)

123dragon said:


> any that look like they are dieing will die if they look and are acting normal then they should be ok


oh well, there goes my locust farm. thanks


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## sbarton (Aug 5, 2012)

unlucky, i never knew that they died from shock though. i have had 10 or so batches of them over the years (ive had them as pets since i was a kid as i wasn't alowed anything bigger) and i got them at all sorts of diferent sizes and imidiatley put in thoes funy living salad things you get from liddle and none of them died even though they had that funy sawdusty stuf before, i had some last year, 2 boxes of quite small ones and within the first 2 days of having the living salad in with them it was all gone and none of them died (atleased not for a few weeks after this), though i did leave there old food in with them so that might be why.


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## tomcannon (Jan 2, 2008)

I too give my locusts a some-what varied diet, i use spring (collard) green, Kale, rocket, watercress, dandelion leaves, grass, but i swap and change different days/weeks, it's totally random, whatever I grab first. I've had very little casualties, about 3 from 300 in about a month.

Never heard of this death by shock either and I read up a lot before I began my breeding setup. Personally, from my experience, I cant believe it. I'd say much more likely a dodgy batch of lettuce (pesticides) or even possibly something to do with the high water volume in lettuce (I doubt this last one), that's all I can think.


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## 2 for Trippin (Aug 7, 2012)

How can they be so resilient in the wild and cause havoc on crops, but one little piece of lettuce leaves them all dead?


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## tomcannon (Jan 2, 2008)

humidity?

I really don't have an answer!


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