B.Craniifer die off problem

I

island reptiles

Third Instar
this colony to start off was 100 mixed nymphs 6 adults kept if a 56qt bin with 35% hole cut and screened for ventilation

as this colony grew we noticed a superworm colony was also starting to grow it killed 7 adults (no nymphs) we got rid of the majority of the supers (all that we could find)

few weeks later the colony is doing great 15-20 new adults molted all doing well

after a few weeks I noticed one had died then a few days later another so I checked the bin for superworms and nothing

I then moved them into a 45gal bin the front is about 80% screen

it seems every few days I find a dead adult and I cant figure out why

they are fed the same diet as always:roach chow,oranges,carrots,lettuce,bug burger (when Im not to lazy to make it)

the substrate is eco earth,mulch,leaf litter,moss with dead branches and cork bark

the deep end has about 6in for them to dig and what not

I mist the bins every other day,the mist is depends on how much moisture is already in the bin

im finding is very odd that its only adults and I think its mostly females dont always check the sex

any Ideas

the pic is the start of the bin alot more branches and cork bark was added it wouldnt let me upload that pic

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I have one craniifer roach and it craves protein equally as fruit and vegetable matter from cat food to cooked beef, it demolishes it. If you say its mostly females, it might be lack of protein looking at what you feed, and I would assume females need extra protein to produce ootheca which might explain why your males aren't dying.

Other than that things look fine, no sign or internal parasites, I think roaches can carry horsehair worms or something.

 
they are on flexwatt set to 90 4in sorry forgot to add that all our racks are heated

I check the tape all the time to make sure its hot but ill have to go in the bins and manually check them

the room itself doesnt go below 75 we incubate and raise alot of mantis also

 
Hi guys,

I have the similar problem with craniifers. Mines, by the way sometimes dying right after the last molt but I found many specimen dead with hardened exoskeleton. I keep them on room temperature with very good ventilation (same like other colonies) and they eat the very same food as the others. I give them cucumbers, apples, dried bun and dry cat food for protein. The substrate is aprox. 5 cm deep (barely 2 inches). It's a mix of coconut fiber and universal plant soil. They have nothing else in the 45 liter IKEA container. Every other colonies are absolutely fine. It is really embarrassing. I found an average 3-4 dead adults every day. I cannot find any parasites so I do not know what could be the problem. Their number is aprox. 200-300 maybe but I'm not sure. And the nymphs are fine too.

Can someone help me? :(

Shipi

P.s.: I'm going to rehouse them without substrate so I can monitoring better dying. What do you think?

 
I just woke up and the first thing I did in the morning was checking the craniifers. I found 5 dead adults (3 males, 2 females). I don't see any parasites on them. I'm gonna make some autopsy asap.

 
Shipi said:
I just woke up and the first thing I did in the morning was checking the craniifers. I found 5 dead adults (3 males, 2 females). I don't see any parasites on them. I'm gonna make some autopsy asap.
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I'm sorry about your losses. Heat is important. Some species, i'm not sure all, also need a cool spot to retreat to. Also when you give them fresh fruit and the like, it's a good idea to peel it and rinse it really good to get rid of any pesticide. Will pray.
 
My 2 Cents: I have my colony at 75 F with minimal ventilation. I have 3 inches of moist coir sub with a winging platform. They just eat dry dog food. They are always dark. They reproduce in high numbers and only rarely die of old age.

 
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that sounds like something to try I wouldnt use dog food but cutting down the ventilation could help build the humidity higer and add more platforms

our Eublaberus Posticus is set up that way and it consistently producing more then enough

 
Mine have a bigger die off, especially adults, if I let the container get too warm and dry. I keep them at room temp so they don't dry out as fast. If it gets too dry, sometimes the colony will attack molting roaches.

I purposefully keep my colonies small by infrequent feeding, as I don't have anything to feed them to.

 
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