Insect illness/dying for no reason

[bugoodle]

Hello, I keep insects as pets and wish to know more about them. Recently, a cricket we raised from an egg died - for no reason. We only had him for 5 months. No signs of illness. He was very healthy, eating, driving us mad with his night time chirping. But, one morning I woke up to him was convulsing. His legs curling, like many bugs die. I separated him in a different enclosure and I'll tell you this had to be the most depressing episode with a bug. He lived for 2 days, although paralyzed. I almost felt like hitting him with the bug spray to put him out of his misery. 

Yesterday, I found my adult American carrion beetle on his back, not moving. Pretty much dead looking. When I flipped him over he was ok. This would happen to my darkling beetles, but whenever my carrion beetle would fall, he could get back up. Today my mom told me that my carrion beetle looked dead, my niece said he was on his back, legs curled, only his antennae were moving. However when I went to see him, he was up and eating. I'm starting to worry that there could be disease or something, I put a flower in their tank(a flower from a bouquet you get at food lion), but the only insect that ate it was the katydid and he's still alive and hissing, but I seriously can't imagine disease, but correct me if I'm wrong.  I've had these bugs for a long time(cave cricket and darkling beetle 7 months, both raised young/mealworm, carrion beetle and katydid we both found as adults, the carrion beetle we've had for about 8 months, katydid for about 5-6 months) but if he dies, it'll be the 2nd bug this month which is kinda suspicious.  I'm relieved to know he can get off his back, but why is this happening? Will it spread to my others bugs?

Thank you for any help. All of it is appreciated.

[nomihoudai]

I guess the flower has been treated with some bug poison. It is enough for insects to touch the plants to get poisoned, they don't need to eat it. Never put anything from a flower shop into a container with pet insects.

For the cricket, 5 months is well beyond its lifespan. So it simply died of old age and must have had a good life.

[exoticimports]

Has the humidity level or temperature changed?

Your pet bugs are at the end of their lifespan. Don’t be surprised if they die soon.

[bugoodle]

Thank you guys so much! I spray their tank down every morning, and yes the temperature has changed. It's room temperature, but I placed them next to the hermit crab tank which has a heating pad so I don't know the exact humidity and temperature. Their tank stayed on an in-shelf in the wall where I keep one of my turtles, hoping that they can share some of the UVA light together. However, during the winter it can get very cold up there and I think the bugs were feeling it. The katydid stopped hissing and remained on the ground. After the cricket died we assumed temperature might of been a factor. But being a fall field cricket I would imagine a warmer climate insect like the katydid would of been the first to go.

The bugs seem to be a lot more happier now in warmer conditions. The katydid is hissing the night away on his little log, but my darkling beetle isn't, but I think for a good reason. He likes to sit next to the area where the hermit crab tank is at. I bet he loves the heat.

Last night I separated my carrion beetle in another tank by himself. He loves his substrate moist, thus why he enjoyed going under the water dish. I made his substrate(coconut husk) nice and moist under this cave thing I rigged up for him. He's doing pretty good in there. He ate last night. Found him under his cave this morning, not burrowed, just head down. Tapping on the glass usually gets his attention but he didn't budge. Thinking he passed on, I went in to grab him. he fidgeted around right when I touched him. Poor guy must be exhausted.

Another reason I think might of caused the cricket's death is from fighting with another bug. My orthopodteras didn't get along at times. They will chase each other off for food. The cave cricket's size usually intimidated the katydid and cricket into fleeing at sight, however, as my cricket grew larger he became more fierce and brave. While I've never seen my cave cricket bite, I have seen my fall field cricket bite and head butt the cave cricket. It doesn't seem to faze the cave cricket. She usually overwhelms the cricket by annoyingly tickling him with her legs. She will also rear kick if the cricket if he is behind her. These attacks never seemed to not faze him and would only piss him off even more. Eventually it would end with someone giving up, usually the cave cricket neither would have injuries as well. It was kind of silly to watch, like 2 tiny bumper cars. Though, could a simple "kicking fight" with the cave cricket(with only one hind leg; it was already missing when I caught her.) caused the death? My other insects don't like going into the log cabin house where she's always at. It makes me wonder if she's causing more problems than I expected. She's only active at night so I can't keep tabs on her behavior. She has plenty of food to eat so I can't see why she wants to cause harm to the other insects unless cave crickets are naturally territorial.

[kevinkk]

Change is the bane of animals, if things are going well, moving or changing the environment can be fatal. A long time ago, I read in

a reptile book- "if you keep live animals, sooner or later, you'll have dead and dying ones".

I have fish that inexplicably die weeks, or longer after coming home from the pet shop. Caterpillars that expire for inexplicable reasons,

others catch viruses.

Most insects don't live longer than a spring/summer season to begin with, although with care indoors, that can be increased, I've kept

mantids for nearly a year before.

Replicating a natural environment and leaving it that way is the best course, along with foods from known sources, and chain of custody.

Insects will expire quickly when it's their time, and offer few ways to show distress or age.

[bugoodle]

Thank you. The carrion beetle seems to be behaving more normal now exploring his habitat more. Unless I didn't see and he got up himself, I haven't seen him on his back. He has been eating differently lately though. Instead of digging in his bowl of food like a pig, he's now eating little piece by piece. I'll be watching him.


But I do understand, these guys are getting pretty old. I can't hold on to them forever. lol Well, after preserving them in acrylic I can.

[Paul K]

Jan 28, 2020 6:25:58 GMT -8 bugoodle said:

I can't hold on to them forever. lol Well, after preserving them in acrylic I can.

You can preserve them also on the insect pin in the special drawer or box to keep insects. You can find a lot info here how to do it.
You could actually keep all your insects this way, not only beetles.

[bugoodle]

Thanks! But when they die, my niece wants me to make a necklace with them. Yes, pretty much all of them can be preserved. I still have our cricket(I have our dead bugs from the past and I collect dead specimens too). I think using the pin to make a bug clock would be cool.  I'll look into that with my carrion beetle. I used to have a butterfly pinned in a box.

[bugoodle]

Jesus am I just unlucky or what?! 2020 is without a doubt the year of  the dead bug. My darkling beetle just drowned in his water bowl! Poor Steve. He was such a cute little bug...


EDIT:  A cute little ZOMBIE bug!
Up to eat some malto meal and old oats!

(I really thought he was dead that's why I put him in the container with the  dead cricket. lol)