Published October 26, 2026 · The Cricket Depot, San Antonio, Texas
Losing a few crickets is part of keeping feeders. Losing a lot of them, day after day, means something in the setup needs to change. The good news is that the causes are usually ordinary and fixable. This troubleshooting guide lists the problems we see most often, how to recognize each one and what to do about it. If you are setting up for the first time, our keeper setup guide covers the basics that prevent most of these issues.
First: how many deaths are normal?
Some loss after shipping is expected, especially in very hot or cold weather, which is why we offer a live arrival guarantee. After that, an occasional dead cricket each day is normal, particularly with adults, which are near the end of their natural lifespan. Warning signs are a sudden jump in deaths, many deaths in a single day, a strong smell, or crickets that look sluggish and stop eating. If your order arrives with heavy losses, text us at (210) 461-9760 the same day with a photo.
Overcrowding
Signs: crickets packed in corners or on top of each other, dead crickets with missing legs or chewed bodies, smell building quickly.
Crickets need surface area. In a crowded bin, waste builds up faster, weaker crickets cannot reach food or water, and cannibalism rises. Fix: add more egg crate stood on end, move some crickets into a second container, or use a larger bin.
Too much moisture
Signs: condensation on the lid, damp egg crate, mold, a sour or ammonia smell, crickets dying near wet food or the water source.
This is one of the most common killers. Wet conditions encourage mold and bacteria, and crickets can drown in surprisingly little water. Fix: remove any open water, switch to water gel or crystals, cut back on wet produce, replace damp egg crate and increase ventilation.
Dehydration
Signs: crickets crowding around produce or the water source, lethargy, deaths during hot or dry weather.
The opposite problem looks different. If crickets have no reliable moisture, they weaken quickly, especially in heat. Fix: keep a steady source of water gel available and replace it before it dries out, and add a slice of potato or carrot as a backup.
Temperature problems
Too hot: bins left in sun, near a heater, or in a garage, car or shed in summer can kill crickets in a short time. You may find many dead at once. Too cold: below the comfortable range, crickets slow down, stop eating and may die over several days. Fix: keep them around 75 to 85°F, out of direct sun and drafts. A thermometer inside the bin removes the guesswork.
Ammonia and dirty bins
Signs: a sharp smell when you open the lid, a layer of frass on the floor, dead crickets that have been there a while.
Waste and dead crickets break down and release ammonia, and in a poorly ventilated bin it can build to harmful levels. Dead crickets also invite healthy ones to scavenge, which may spread disease. Fix: remove dead crickets and old food every day, do a full clean when frass builds up, and add screened ventilation to the lid.
Hunger and poor food
Signs: crickets eating each other, crickets looking thin, deaths increasing a few days after arrival.
Crickets that go without food become stressed, cannibalistic and weak. Fix: keep a dry food base in the bin at all times and add small portions of fresh vegetables. See our gut-loading guide for good options.
Chemicals and contamination
Signs: sudden, widespread deaths with no obvious cause, often after a change such as new produce, cleaning or pest control in the home.
Crickets are insects, and insecticides that work on household pests can kill them too. Sprays, foggers, flea treatments, scented air fresheners and residue on unwashed produce are all possible causes. Fix: keep crickets away from any room being treated, rinse produce well, clean bins with hot water only and avoid feeding plants that might have been sprayed.
Old age
House crickets live only a matter of weeks as adults. If you bought adults and they slowly die off over two or three weeks despite good care, age may simply be the reason. Buying smaller sizes, or smaller quantities more often, means fresher crickets when you need them.
Disease
Crickets can be affected by viral and other diseases, and in commercial farming some of these have historically caused serious losses. In a home keeper, it is hard to tell disease apart from the environmental problems above, so it is best to correct the setup first. If deaths continue with a clean, dry, well-ventilated bin at a good temperature, start fresh: empty and clean the container thoroughly and do not mix new crickets with the remaining ones.
Shipping and acclimation
The first day home is a vulnerable time. Crickets have spent hours in a box, and temperature swings during transit are stressful. Open the box promptly, move the crickets into a prepared bin with egg crate, water gel and dry food, and let them settle before you start feeding them off. Avoid putting them straight into a very hot or very cold room. If you are ordering during extreme heat or cold, plan to be home on delivery day so the box does not sit on a porch.
Quick checklist
- Enough space and egg crate?
- Bin dry, with moisture only from gel or produce?
- Lid screened and well ventilated?
- Temperature in the 75–85°F range?
- Dead crickets and old food removed daily?
- Dry food always available?
- No sprays or chemicals nearby?
Work through the list, change one or two things at a time and watch for a few days. Most die-offs stop once the setup is right. For more on the life stages of house crickets, see our cricket life cycle page.