Weird - albino cricket !

[frogluver]

Autumn and Kristen,
You both like this guy !
I'm having a heart attack !!! lol
I'm going to have a nightmare tonight !!!!
This is ONE truly , creepy, looking cricket.
I had to touch it to move it into the (you know what bin !!! ) hahahah
Gosh knows what I'll have if he reproduces !

Haha, my mom would be the same way! She gets jittery around my cricket container all the time (shhh don't tell her I said that lol)
A colony of albino crickets....now that would be creepy !

[GrifTheGreat]

There is a species of cricket called Ghost Crickets, but they don't look like that.

[flybyferns]

Okay , so here he is. 'Casper the Friendly Ghost'-- cricket !!
I shinned a light in is eyes- as close I wanted to get. No red.
He is different, for sure.
NOT jumpy. And, he likes to hang out in the egg laying area.









I'll keep him , and see what happens?
OMG, now I have to worry about a cricket !!!!!

Lynn

[JeffreH]

Beautiful = )

It isn't an albino though, as insects do not contain tyrosinase and can therefore not produce melanin.

That being said - it could be a random phenotype. I would breed it to see if it is genetic. Could just be a reduced pigment specimen, hypopigmented, etc.

Follow up question: does he feel different than the other crickets? Is his exoskeleton as hard?

[flybyferns]

Beautiful = )

It isn't an albino though, as insects do not contain tyrosinase and can therefore not produce melanin.

That being said - it could be a random phenotype. I would breed it to see if it is genetic. Could just be a reduced pigment specimen, hypopigmented, etc.

Follow up question: does he feel different than the other crickets? Is his exoskeleton as hard?

No, he is softer.

[JeffreH]

I can tell that his wings look just slightly "off"

He might have reduced chitin within the exoskeleton, something that might normally be selected against but would prove incredibly useful to us using them as feeders. This would also explain his desire to stay in the moist area of the enclosure, as humidity is vital during the time of ecdysis for most species.

Does he otherwise behave normally? Can he eat fine and move about fine?

[flybyferns]

I can tell that his wings look just slightly "off"

He might have reduced chitin within the exoskeleton, something that might normally be selected against but would prove incredibly useful to us using them as feeders. This would also explain his desire to stay in the moist area of the enclosure, as humidity is vital during the time of ecdysis for most species.

Does he otherwise behave normally? Can he eat fine and move about fine?

Yes , he is acting normally as far as I can tell. In fact, I see him in the food dish a lot ?
He does NOT spend time on the cotton balls/for water though.
He likes the cocoa fiber that I keep damp for them to lay their eggs in?
He does hang around the others in the 'nursery' area.
I set this repro bin up about 1 week ago. It's cool in my basement, so it will be a while.
There is, also , another ( very light colored - tanish ) colored male in the mix?

[Kristen87]

Okay , so here he is. 'Casper the Friendly Ghost'-- cricket !!
I shinned a light in is eyes- as close I wanted to get. No red.
He is different, for sure.
NOT jumpy. And, he likes to hang out in the egg laying area.









I'll keep him , and see what happens?
OMG, now I have to worry about a cricket !!!!!

Lynn

Hahaha how cute, you now have a pet cricket :P Bet you never expected that one!

[fluffypanda]

i have a pet beetle! i was trying to breed the 'Giant Mealworms' and he was the only survivor! I've had him for a few months now and his name is max

[frogluver]

Casper would be a fitting name Lynn lol! ;D

[GrifTheGreat]

Is it possible their was a lack of a specific vitamin or mineral like calcium that may have prevented the hardening of his exoskeleton rather than a genetic anomoly?

[Kristen87]

i have a pet beetle! i was trying to breed the 'Giant Mealworms' and he was the only survivor! I've had him for a few months now and his name is max

lol cuuuute! ugh giant mealworms though, they are the CREEPIEST things ever lol. I'm getting the shivers just thinking about them.

[Whistly]

Casper looks awesome I would breed him and sell albino crickets people would probably go nuts for them.

[NetworkLabs]

Lolwut to above.

I think if this is genetic, and shows no harm to our beloved animals, that this would be a better feeding choice than the regular House Cricket! It has a softer exoskeleton/body right? That means easier to take in and diejest(Damn, couldn't spell it!) the cricket! So I agree with Jeff, Get Babies ASAP!

[Whistly]

Lolwut to above.

I think if this is genetic, and shows no harm to our beloved animals, that this would be a better feeding choice than the regular House Cricket! It has a softer exoskeleton/body right? That means easier to take in and diejest(Damn, couldn't spell it!) the cricket! So I agree with Jeff, Get Babies ASAP!

Digest lol spelling isn't my strong point either.

[Whistly]

Also this thread has had 29 now 30 replies in 24 hours so just think how people will go MAD if you can breed them and sell them.