Crickets moulting

[Bebi]

Hello all,

I've just spent a few hours Googling but haven't found anyone asking this specific question so I thought I'd join up and ask.

I've recently become the proud newbie owner of three WTFs, they're settling in and eating well, but I've noticed something a bit strange (or maybe it's normal and that's why nobody else has asked?) with the feeder crickets. Every time I feed them it seems one cricket will always moult almost instantly they get put into the vivarium, they're all black and normal looking when they're taken from the cricket keeper and given to the frogs, but then I see a larger white one sat there when there wasn't one a minute ago. The frogs don't seem to have an issue, the crickets get snapped up pretty fast, but it's bugging me (pun unintentional!) as to why the crickets keep doing this. The only thing I've found is a Google excerpt from a book that says "insects usually molt in the early morning, when the humidity is normally high" so could these crickets be ready for moulting and the change in humidity when I pop them into the tank is triggering an instant moult? The humidity is between 50% and 60% mostly (can go up to 70% immediately after misting), is that considered "high" for insects?

Would it be best to get a smaller size to allow for the cricket moulting to prevent possible choking issues? We got the frogs from a local reptile rescue centre and they'd just been moved from 2nd moult to 3rd moult crickets in the days before we picked them up so 3rd moult is the size we got. We only got a small container of about 200 to start off with (got lots of places that sell feeder insects locally so getting more at short notice isn't an issue) so if it's best to change to the next size down I can do that first thing in the morning as soon as the shops open.

Apologies if these are really obvious or silly questions, this is all still a bit new to me and I want to make sure I'm doing everything right for them.

[privet01]

I raise my own crickets for my fire belly toads. Molting is necessary for crickets. Their exoskeleton doesn't stretch very well, so they have to get rid of it to grow.

[Bebi]

Sorry, I should have been clearer in my original post, still a newbie so there may be some inadvertent confusion while I get up to speed on terminology etc and what info I need to give for ease of answering. I'm aware that they naturally moult, I'm just trying to figure out why they seem to be triggered into doing it when I feed them to my frogs and whether I should go down a size to avoid potential issues.

I've not had a single one moult in the keeper yet, they're all still the same size (the ones that I have seen freshly moulted seem to be huge compared to the "stock" in the keeper) with no empty moults laying around and I keep checking them regularly to see if I can catch one at it - hubby keeps joking that maybe we should have saved the money we spent on the frogs and just got crickets for the amount of time I spend looking at them trying to spot a moulter lol

[privet01]

I'm just trying to figure out why they seem to be triggered into doing it when I feed them to my frogs and whether I should go down a size to avoid potential issues.

I don't give crickets in the process of molting to my FBT's because they only prey on food that moves alot. The molting ones are too still to attract their attention. However if their lack of movement isn't an issue for your WTF's, then I don't think there is any other problem with regards to health and safety. The only issue I see is the littered 'skins' left in your viv.

I'm just trying to figure out why they seem to be triggered into doing it when I feed them to my frogs

I don't know what to say on that. I don't have that issue. but I remove uneaten crickets after a few hours if I can find them. They poop everywhere constantly. I do see crickets molting in the bins all the time, usually when I'm cleaning out the old food that I find them hiding.

and whether I should go down a size to avoid potential issues.

The freshly molted crickets are much softer and should be easier on the frogs digestive track than the hard exoskeleton of the others. Hmmm... makes me want to go down to the coast and get a soft shell crab sandwich at a little hole-in-the wall restaurant I know... <<grin>>

the ones that I have seen freshly moulted seem to be huge compared to the "stock" in the keeper

That is why they molt, they outgrow their former exoskeleton. I suppose some process causes their softer parts to swell up as they molt, so when the new exoskeleton hardens it is big enough to last a little while.

hubby keeps joking that maybe we should have saved the money we spent on the frogs and just got crickets for the amount of time I spend looking at them

I find them at least if not more interesting that the FBT's I feed mine too. It was almost comical when a brood of my crickets got a disease that makes them infertile but turns them into little sex maniacs.

[privet01]

If my answer to you question got lost in the above, it just boils down to "it's not an issue". Your WTF's know what they want to eat. If they regularly shun them when other crickets are available, then there is your answer.

[Bebi]

Thank you, you've put my mind at rest ^^

My WTFs tend to go for them as long as they've seen some form of movement. They'll sit watching them (and sometimes stalk them like a cat) and are quite happy to snap them up when they've paused on one of the plants. I've seen one spot and snag a cricket that was sat on a vine and only twitching it's antennae. I've been removing them after about an hour if they've not all been eaten and the frogs are no longer showing any interest in hunting, also any empty shells (which are definitely easier to "catch" lol).

If I get some crickets moult in the keeper, what's the best way to dispose of them if they're too large for the frogs and have the hardened exoskeleton? I'm guessing dropping them in a glass jar of water is an effective way to kill them? I don't have any issues watching the frogs eat them but the thought of squishing them myself gives me the heebie jeebies ~sheepish grin~ so I'd prefer a method that doesn't involve squishing. I definitely don't want to release them for the wild frogs living in my pond and the garden birds to eat as I'm fairly sure black crickets aren't native to the UK.

I'm not sure I'm ready to keep them separate and let them age enough to start breeding them yet as I'm still learning with both the frogs and the crickets and would prefer to purchase the live food at the moment until I'm a bit more experienced with everything and in a better position to dedicate more time to learning how to breed and raise crickets from birth properly. I do like the idea of it (plus just killing them off without them being food seems wasteful), and will look into it more in coming months, but at the moment I want to make sure I have the basics of caring for the frogs and purchased crickets as second nature before I start with something else new.

That disease sounds insane! I'd be torn between wanting to watch and worrying about what it said about my state of mind that I was watching crickets doing that in the first place haha