Why do my Crickets go all mushy and die and they stink!?

First, find out what day your pet shop has the crickets delivered to them! Ours is a Wednesday, so we try and buy ours from them late on a wednesday so they haven't been kept in the plastic containers too long without water. When we get them home, we put them in a much larger container, which is a vivarium that is now to small for our dragon, so we keep a light on to keep it a bit warm. But we put a few wc rolls or egg boxes in so they can hide in them for darkness. We cut up a small cleaning sponge and put it in a plastic lid and keep that moist for them to drink from, swilling it under a very hot tap every few days to keep it fresh, this seems to last for some time before needing to be renewed. Also we add a slice of carrot and a slice of cucumber for them to eat and get more moisture from. Then add either porridge oats, crushed digestive biscuit or 'bug grub' for them to feed on. We have been following this method for ages and have no problems. Perhaps it's the cotton wool that is causing your problems? We also disinfect the whole thing, but I do try to leave it a few hours to really dry out before adding fresh crickets. Removing the water sponge and only replacing it and the new food and hiding places when adding the new crickets.

are you feeding your crickets? and giving them water? you can go to the pet store and pick up cricket food and cricket water cubes and they will stay alive a lot longer. and they are healthier for your reptiles and spiders.