My latest batch of crickets has a couple of unknown bugs. I can't see them being harmful but before i feed to my beardie i thought i better make sure.

They are quite small, about 15mm long. They look a bit like a caterpilla as they wiggle and have hairs radiating out from them... but they aren't squidgy, they feel plated. I think they have a few legs but not down the whole length of them, like near the head. They're kinda dark grey in colour.

Anyone know what they are?

Thanks

they look a bit like maggots?? think there meant to clean up any s**t and that that the crix leave. a few people who have had live food delivered have found them in theirs aswell

They are the larvae of the dermestid beetle, it eats cricket corpses and poo.

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Ah ok Thought it was careless to let other bugs in with the feeders... kinda makes sense if they're supposed to be there.

Thanks

ewwwwwww no way are they!! i was always confused as to what they were...fancy your diet being cricket poo..yuk!

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it deffo sounds like dermistid beatle larve (Dermestes maculatus)

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Yes, they're Dermestid larvae. They're NOT supposed to be in there - they infest insect colonies and start off by eating the poo and corpses... but when there's none of that left, then they go after the live crickets.

Also they turn into annoying flying beetles.

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- Ssthisto





Lizards: 2.1 E. macularius1.2 H. caudicinctus1.0 R. ciliatus0.3 A. fragilis1.1 T. merianae1.0 V. niloticus ittibittiusColubrids: 5.7.10 P. guttattus1.0 P. guttatus X E. climacophora1.1 P. o. rossalini1.0 P. o. lindheimeri0.1 E. anomala0.1 C. radiatus1.2 Lamprophis spp1.0 L. g. nigritus0.1 L. g. californiae1.0 H. n. nasicus1.0 P. m. melanoleucusBoids: 1.1 E. c. maurus 0.1 E. conicus12.14.4 P. regius1.1 A. maculosa
We HAD a three-bedroom house... Current lodgers: 1.0 E. c. maurus, 0.1 P. regius

Oh, i thought suppliers would put them in so that they wouldn't have to clean out the crickets etc with them eating poop and corpses etc

Thanks for the info guys

well said on that one, annoying little fuckers

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they are added to keep down waste and smell, and apart from being a bloody pain in the back side, if your reptile has even the slightest nick or cut, they WILL find it and star eating.

I failed to spot these once, and over night they had eaten a lump from a leos tail.

I hate them and now pick them all out before i use the crix.

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