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Home » Forums » General Discussion

Field Crickets

I have some field crickets, and I noted that one of them is missing his back right leg. I thought this peculiar. I went outside to look for more bugs to raise, and I saw two other field crickets about the same siz emissing the same leg. Is this normal? I don't think it would be, but so far it looks like it.
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Contributed by chaotic_grey on 11 November, 2008 - 4:22pm

Well I've noticed
Well I've noticed when I collect specimens that their legs are extremely fragile on the field crickets. Sometimes in the jar they will just fall off, but most often they fall off during the pinning. Maybe your crickets are just older?
… Cody R. Hough, 11 November, 2008 - 4:25pm login or register to post comments

 
I wouldn't think so
My cricket just shed its skin yesterday at about this time, and they are very small. The big ones are prolly altogether 1cm longer than these. And the little ones with missing legs don't have wings yet. Still immature. And the leg could've fallen off, if it did all evidence would be gone from my beetles. And mine haven't been pinned yet, still living.
… chaotic_grey, 11 November, 2008 - 4:37pm login or register to post comments

 
Fights
are the answer to your question. I've turned over logs to find a whole groups of field crickets before... Males can be very vicious with their menacing jaws. Adults males mainly will defend their territory, and will attack even passing immature males
… Vespula Vulgaris, 11 November, 2008 - 5:41pm login or register to post comments

 
I've noticed Tree Crickets are often missing a rear leg
One of the Black-horned TCs that I raised this past summer had trouble freeing one leg from the hole in the stem from which it hatched. He struggled quite a bit, but just couldn't free it. I softened the stem with water, and coaxed some of the bark away. The little guy finally got free...but his leg didn't work and eventually he lost it. He still managed to grow to adulthood without any problems.
… Wisconsin Oecanthinancy, 11 November, 2008 - 6:52pm login or register to post comments

 
Another problem I can think of is
Molting. I have had crickets that have had trouble molting their skin. I have no idea why, but they would not be able to molt it properly and wind up losing a leg or two if they were lucky (the unlucky ones just died half in their old skin, unable to finish climbing out)
… Vespula Vulgaris, 11 November, 2008 - 7:34pm login or register to post comments

 
Then I guess I named mine right
I named mine lucky because he is missing a back leg and antenna. The leg was lost before molting, but the antenna was lost afterwards, I am not sure when though. I got to watch it molt, it was cool.
… chaotic_grey, 11 November, 2008 - 8:10pm login or register to post comments

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