Invert General

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Who needs fly swatters?

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>keep fly pupae in the fridge to delay their hatching
>want to take out just a few to have food for the week
>after only 2 minutes outside the fridge they start a mass hatch
what the fuck

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>>2331885
>accidentally leave fly container open
>about 15 or so escape before I notice
>like the retards they are they all fly to the window
>*unsheathes mantis*
>*teleports to window*
>>2331882
>nothing personnel, kid

Seriously though, he was done with all of them in about 15 minutes, the little glutton.

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>>2331885
I feel you, seriously
I fucking hate it when that happens

and the Lucilia sp. are the worst regarding this "problem"

>>2331882
nice, I did that a few times too, but with Gongylus, they are the best fly catchers I know

also, is that a Plistospilota guineensis male?

>>2331894
Yes it is. The female is still subadult, hopefully gonna become adult soon.

And they suck at catching flies, very persistent though. And hungry. The female probably eats more than 70 per week, I've stopped counting.

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>>2331895
>The female probably eats more than 70 per week
holy fucking shit

I often thought about keeping these, would you recommend this species?
if so, why?

>>2331910
Well it's about 10 per day, I'm pretty sure I give her more like 12-15 though, so it would be even higher.
When I run out of flies I switch to dubias.


>I often thought about keeping these, would you recommend this species?
>if so, why?

Well, I got them because I just wanted a big mantis again after doing small fancy ones for so long. And I wanted something more robust, so no Gongylus or Idolomantis. And P. guinensis is exactly that. Big, mean and easy as fuck but still a lot "fancier" than your standard Hierodula or Sphrodomantis. Also the females actually get bigger than those. You've seen the adult male, the subadult female is about his size but thicker and you probably know how much size a mantis can put on from subadult to adult. And with good food and temps they grow fast, I got them as L2 at the end of October.

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>>2331944
I'm currently raising three Rhombodera cf. megaera and I'm excited to see how big those are gonna get. My female is now L8 and about the size of the adult S. lineola I've kept. According to the seller they are adult in L10, so it should still have some more room for growth.

>>2331955
Awesome, never knew they could get this big, I might get some when I'm done breeding the P. guinensis then.


>>2331910
Is that a male D. diadema? I need one badly, I have two adult females and can't seem to find a male for them anywhere.

Anyone knows of a decent sized(a few hundreds if not thousands) online archive of Creative Commons Zero spider images?
I need it for a project, but i could only find very small archives(less than 20 pics) or decent sized ones but hosted on sites which won't allow hotlinking, and I need these pics to be online and not on a private server, so I can't just download them and host them myself.

>>2331972
https://www.flickr.com/search/

You can pick which license you want on the left.

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>>2331944
thanks for the infos, didn't think they grow that fast, wow


>>2331960
>Is that a male D. diadema?
nope, it's one of my juvenile Euphrynichus bacillifer

but a friend of mine breeds D. diadema, I can ask him if he has any spare males if you want

>>2331993
I'll try my luck in Hamm on saturday but if I don't find one please ask him.

Also what species of millipede is that? It's fucking amazing.

>>2332001
>if I don't find one please ask him
will do

>what species of millipede is that?
Aphistigoniulus cf. hova, notorious for dying in captivity and very hard to breed because they are extremely sensitive for high Temperatures and could be considered specialized eaters.

A shame really, one of the most beautiful millipedes I think. I really hope I´m able to breed them.

>>2331840
>want to get some species of tarantula or scorpion in the future
>been interested in arachnids since I was a kid: think spiders are very cute and that scorpions are very interesting
>Don't want it to be an impulse buy only to get tired of it afterwards
What's a good way to know if I actually want any as pets? I've had to take care of reptiles before so I'm not unfamiliar with the concept of a pet that isn't into interaction

>>2332024
You could start with something short lived like a Nephila and see how you like spiders as pets.

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>>2332022
I wish you the best of luck, it really is the prettiest millipede I know of.

>>2332024
Full disclosure: Tarantulas or scorpions won't really "do" very much, at least during daytime. There are many that you might not even see for weeks at a time. That makes them extremely low maintenance though, we're talking less than 10 minutes per week here. Think of them less like pets and more like decorations, unless you have more than a few of them.

Unless you're fascinated by their life and biology, raising them and watching them grow, you're probably gonna get bored pretty quickly. Lots of people get a tarantula for example to show off or because they think they're some sort of vivious murder machine that makes them look cool.

A good test is this: https://tomsbigspiders.wordpress.com/beginner-guides/

If you're bored by reading those (all of them) then it's probably not for you.

>>2332028
Nephila are quite a bit of effort and require lots of room though, I think starting out with a T or a big scorpion would be better, especially since you can always find someone that takes them from you if you get bored.

>>2332028
>Taken care of reptiles before
Pretty much the same principle, more about looks and knowing its in there since depending on the species you usually wont be seeing much of it.

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Are photos of wild ones okay. Went outside and noticed this one chilling on one of my little roses.

>>2332110
of course

what a qt

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i've been looking into raising some bug bros for a while an i really want to have either stag beetles or orchid mantids. anyone know the best place to order them to the US?

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>>2332115
Sorry if the quality isn't great or the photos flip. I just have my phone for photos.

>>2332117
Same here, the problem is that I live in Brazil, over here is actually prohibited to raise invertebrates in general, bummer.

>>2332121
>>>2332115
>Sorry if the quality isn't great or the photos flip. I just have my phone for photos.
It's actually a nice shot, hes so cute!

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>>2332121
>>2332110
I love jumpers

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Does anyone know whether woodlice species overlap in the wild? I've been looking for A. vulgare, but I've only been able to find A. nasatum in my backyard and what I think were O. asellus at a local park.

>>2332208
They do overlap usually, for example O. asellus and P. scaber are sympatric in alsmot their entire range. I don't know for sure if this applies to Armadillidium species but I don't see why not.

>>2332117
I can't tell you where to order them in the US but I can give you a bit of general advice. Stag beetles are nice but quite a bit of work, at least compared to other beetles. (I assume you want to raise them from larvas and not buy adults, as the adults only live for a few months)

If you haven't had mantids before H. coronatus might be a bit too steep of a learning curve, they are not an easy species. I'd collect a bit of experience with other species first before you try your luck with them.

As for buying stuff, the only advice I can give you is don't buy from pet shops. The best place to get inverts is from private breeders, either by contacting them directly or going to a convention.

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>>2332434
Can you even buy stag beetles and mantids from a pet store? I went to my state's biggest reptile shop (i.e. The only people who bother stocking more than one Tarantula at a time) and they didn't have any stag beetles or mantids. I was impressed they had any beetles in the first place.

>>2332454
Very occasionally, which is why they usually have no idea what they're doing.

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>>2332477
Reptile shops tend to be jacks of all trades and masters of absolutely none

>>2332432
Thanks. The search continues then.

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>>2332056
Not him but how would something like this be to keep? Im not 100% on what it is but i had one in my backyard a few years ago and always liked seeing it.

>>2332653
See those guys all the time in Florida.

Never bothered capturing one, Just loved seeing them out front and out back, Had ten fo them at once at one point. Pretty cool stuff.

>>2332656
Yea i was in south georgia at the time and they make attractive webs up there with the banana spiders, im wanting to build a vivarium with something attractive i wont really handle and im trying to pick an animal before i buy a tank

>>2332660
Pick something nice and high for them to web on

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIDxw81yMI0

Like I've said, I've never tried keeping them, but this guy's setup might be what you're looking for

>>2332653
Looks like some sort of Argiope. They look great, build awesome nets and are totally harmless. Males are usually much smaller and less conspicuous though. You can try these but you're gonna have to catch them yourself, I know of no place that sells them. I think they need it pretty warm though so you're gonna need extra heating.

Or you could get a Nephila, I'd personally put that in something a little bigger than in that video >>2332662 though. That enclosre is not big enough for them to build a normal sized web in.

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>>2332720
I was looking at that guys nephila video where it had died and it looked like he was feeding it one of these, i thought they were no good for animals to eat though.
Anyway what do you feed them when they get that large?

>>2332756
Oh don't look at these youtubers video for advice, they have no idea what they're doing except with tarantulas (and I suspect they only successfully keep those because they're extremely hardy). Every time they get something that's not a T there will be a video a few months later about how it "mysteriously" died or you will never hear from it again. Most of them can't even seem to read the latin names correctly (and I don't mean the pronounciation by that).

>Anyway what do you feed them when they get that large?
Lots of small prey. Flies, moths, bees, wasps, like in the wild. It's way safer and usually healthier but more effort of course.

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>>2332783
I just know about those grasshoppers because every year we would get tons of tiny black+bright colored grasshoppers and they grow into those larger ones later in the year that eat up peoples gardens and just about nothing seems to eat them but ants. I believe they are some kind of toxic but i dont know if that would kill a spider if it doesnt kill an ant.

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>>2332790
Even if it's not toxic, it has enough strength and barbs in and on its legs to do some serious damage to your pet.

>>2332792
What a dumbass. It looked about as big as his spider too.

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>>2332793
I mean that's just the thing. AS long as it can't hurt your spider that's fine, as long as it's powerful enough to take it down

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JkZgwcjxJ4

But no, don;t ever feed anything to you animal that can fight back

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>>2332793
The only thing I would feed big feeders too is really big tarantulas or centipedes, and even then there's a risk. The spines of locust hind legs can inflict serious harm. Crickets bite back and are omnivorous, a weakened or passive animal might get bitten or even killed by them. Roaches are a lot safer but they take forever to die and struggle for a very long time which should not be a problem if you feed the right size but as you've seen these people are lazy and feeding one big thing sporadically is less effort than many smaller ones regularly.

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>tfw

Fucking (((Ybyrapora))) diversipes though. We had a good laugh at that.

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>>2332996
I don't even care about what the biochemfags say. They need morphologists

Which, at any rate, is why I plan on entering the field.

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I know its an absolutely retarded idea to get any Theraphosa as a first T, and so asking if it would be a good idea to get a stirmi as my first tarantula may sound monumentally ridiculous to most of you (because it is), but you have NO idea how bad I want this species. I dunno why I want a spider the size of my face so bad. I just do

I've looked them up on at least seven different care sheets and they seem way more forgiving and easy to care for than a blondi or an apophysis. They also seems way better tempered too.

I've been looking into Ts for at least eight years now. Am I really that stupid for wanting this? I'm this [ ] damn close to dropping 150 on an adult female, not to mention an additional 40-60 bucks proper enclosure, substrate and feeder animals.

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>>2332996
>Fucking (((Ybyrapora)))
hahah
It will take a while for everyone to acclimate to the new names

Nice Metallyticus, good luck with breeding them
If you should ever have some spare nymphs, I would gladly take some

>>2333020
>I don't even care about what the biochemfags say.
kek

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>>2333556
You know what I mean

Chemists and morphologists have to work together or we're gonna keep getting taxonomic clusterfucks like this.

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Yesterday at the petshop they had tiny Central American horned tarantula slings. I had no idea NW horned tarantulas were a thing. Maybe I should treat myself to some 8-legged unicorns for my birthday

>>2333535
Start with an LP instead. Pretty much the same size, much cheaper and easy to keep. It's not like you're going to own a single tarantula for very long, anyway.

>>2333557
>Chemists and morphologists have to work together or we're gonna keep getting taxonomic clusterfucks like this.
thank you

>>2333665
What are the horns for?

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>>2333703
Nobody knows, two theories are anchors for sucking stomach muscles, or fluid storage

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>>2333665
LP is next on my list so who knows. I just might do that.

>>2333810
You said you've done your research, but just a reminder, those hairs aren't fun. Be sure to wear rubber gloves for cage maintenance and try not to get kicked at.

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>>2333837
Oh I know about that. I still don't know how resistant I am, but I've got enough latex gloves in store to never have ti find out.

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>>2332996 again

One of the Amazonica slings didn't make it and I have no idea why. The other spiders I got are all doing fine and have eaten already. One started webbing and the others are exploring their boxes right now. I have no idea what happened :(

The P. horrida are awesome, they actually do come to the front of the tank to check out movement (and they're WAY bigger than I imagined, thank god I have lots of empty tanks on standby).

The absolute highlight are the Metallyticus though, I've never seen a mantis that was this aware of its surroundings, and the tiny L2 M. violaceus actually managed to spot springtails on the ground from ~15 cm away.

>>2333849
Are you keeping the mantids in a group? I've heard they make little territories around a piece of bark and show social behavior when meeting others.

>>2333856
Yup, I'm keeping them together. Both sellers told me they don't separate them. They haven't really had time to establish territories yes, I redid their setups today (removed the rear cork wall since they and their food managed to get behind there, now it just looks like a really bad game of Tetris in there). They do however signal at each other occasionally. And I learned they jump, both surprisingly far and surprisingly accurately, and not just when they're fleeing from their big mean keeper.

>>2333863
>establish territories yes

*yet

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My B. vagans being his usual weird self

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>>2334136
Might wanna get more substrate or a shallower enclosure. Don't want him falling now

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>>2334252
Every now and then he just decides that he wants to be arboreal for a few minutes. He doesn't do it often so I'm not worried

>>2334273
It only takes one unlucky drop to injure her.

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>>2334281
Yeah I know. He knows what he's doing though. I don't bother him when he's up on the wall incase he falls. And yes, HE is a male confirmed.

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Since these are the first Tarantulas I got (>>2332996) I wann ask you guy if this setup looks ok to you. These are former mantis boxes. Two sides are mesh, the holes in the lid are covered. The little vial with the cloth is filled with water to help keep the humidity up a bit. They sit at room temperature, which is 22/71 to 25/77 during the day and 20/68 - 21/70 C/F at night (south facing room with big window, it actually gets too warm for many of my pedes in here in summer).

Same setup for all of them. They've all started making their webs behind the piece of cork.

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>>2334432
looks pretty a-ok to me , boss

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>>2334432
I would get rid of the cloth and just put a water bowl in there, as long as it's small enough for the tarantula to climb out of it won't be a problem. Avics can swim anyway.

Enjoy your new spiders

>>2334447
Well I don't have anything fitting, that's why those are there. The caps for these vials as so shallow they evaporate in like 2 hours. I'm gonna look around to see if I can find anything.

>dat feel when properly identifying an obscure weird spider

I can now say I'm the proud "owner" of around 30 Tropical Tent-web Spiders. Gonna write up a report later to send to the local wildlife institute, this spider has only been recorded once in my area so I'm pretty excited to help them.

>>2334452
Just get a water/soda bottle cap.

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Anyone here with a Zilla critter cage?

I want to know if anyone has modified the lid of theirs. The reason why I modified mine is because every time I try to move the excessively secure lid, it makes a bunch of noise, and spooks the fuck out of my little rosea. I used a box cutter (my special weapon) to shave off bits of plastic. I managed to reduce the removal noise by like 1.5dB, so now it's only like 68.5 dB.

I did fix the issue of the lid's metal mesh making too much noise by placing non-acoustic foam across the top. She seemed to enjoy that improvement.

Should have bought the one with the doors on the front.

Or at least this nifty one which looks like mine but has that sweet ass door on the lid. I'm a /diy/ke myself, so I'm not afraid to make my own little door in my lid.

Hey since I can no longer delete this thread (>>2334566) I made before seeing that there was a general for inverts, could you answer my question here?

>>2334587
Well there are only 3 species of mantis known in Missouri: http://insectoid.info/checklist/mantodea/missouri/

The largest of those is Tenodera aridifolia, which looks to be about the size of the one in your image. Can't really be certain though without more pictures. There is always the freak chance that you stumbled on someones pet, though Hierodulas or Sphrodomantis don't get much bigger anyway. Females generally are bigger and bulkier than the males, the one in your image is definitly a female.

All the mantis species you have there overwinter as eggs in the ootheca, so the nymphs will hatch in spring.

You feed them Drosophila, house flies and green/blue bottle flies depending on their size. Drosophila and flightless house flies can be bought at pet stores or online, bottle fly maggots can be bought at pet and fishing stores or online as well. You can also feed wild caught stuff like moths, butterflies, bees and so on but you have to be careful as those could carry parasites.

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>>2334609
The other pictures I took were regrettably blurry, but here they are

>>2334612
I still can't say anything definitive from those pictures but I'm heavily leaning towards T. aridifolia, especially from the outside wing margin coloration. You always have to keep in mind that females will be larger and more massive than males.

>>2334619
very neat. I'll look into finding some state entomologist to contact, maybe there's a population somewhere.

Finally, is there any way I can tell if the eggs I have are viable and not remnants from previous seasons? My carolina ootheca is pretty beat up, almost half of it is missing.

>>2334528
Bumping, got the exact same issue.

>>2334629
>Finally, is there any way I can tell if the eggs I have are viable and not remnants from previous seasons?
Welp, I just sliced the margin of the partially destroyed carolina mantis ootheca and murdered 4+ nymphs, I guess it's still viable.

>>2334789
> I just sliced the margin of the partially destroyed carolina mantis ootheca and murdered 4+ nymphs
:(
There isn't really a way to tell without opening it. If it's intact and not warped it's a good sign (when the nymphs hatch the foam gets soft again and it looks very warped after they all wiggle out).

You could just collect a bunch and put them in your garden (they won't get far if you check daily) or into a net cage outside (don't take them inside yet, they are adapted to hatch at the correct time and temperature).

fucking hell

The substrate in one of my millipede enclosures is molding really badly (IN the substrate, not ON the substrate)
this one is relatively newly set up, if that matters

I never had this happen before, what should I do?
change the whole substrate?

the mold is green, if that helps

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>>2334904
Clean the whole damn thing out.

The "fuzz" on the mold is only the fruiting body of the fungus. The actual rest of the organism is spread abroad. Toss it all out.

This is also why you toss out the whole loaf if you see mold on a slice. The fruiting body may only cover a small portion or a slice, but the actual fungus is in the entire loaf.

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How do they even notice a fly sitting perfectly still so far away from their net? And wow, they can pounce pretty quick.

>people actually drop food right into their nets so they can "find" it

Is this a meme or am I just lucky/stupid? All of them found their fly within 10 minutes.

>>2334904
After you've clean the enclosure I suggest you invest in bioactive substrate/clean-up crew.

Woodlice are amazing for dealing with mold in high-humidity enclosures. My snails used to get a lot of mold on their wooden decor until I introduced woodlice to them. Some people also use springtails, I have springtails too but I kinda don't like them since they spread like wildfire throughout the enclosure and I often see them running over my snails.

Worms are also a good addition to bioactive substrate but don't help with mold.

>>2334914
>I have springtails too but I kinda don't like them since they spread like wildfire throughout the enclosure

Just wait, the population will bounce back down after a while. From what I've observed it will fluctuate heavily over a few months and eventually settle down.

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>>2334908
>The "fuzz" on the mold is only the fruiting body of the fungus. The actual rest of the organism is spread abroad. Toss it all out.
yep, I know that, and thanks for the advice

>>2334914
thanks for the advice too
what exactly do you mean with "bioactive substrate"?
I always use a mix of white rotting wood, forest topsoil (or whatever the fuck this is called in english), rotting leaves of various stages and a bit of calcium for all my millipede species

I always put springtails in, but never use isopods, at least not with species that are hard to breed

I guess this counts as bioactive?

what might be the cause of the mold?
as I said, I've kept millipedes for a few years now, but never had the substrate mold like this

shitty pic, but that what it looks like through the container wall

>>2334948
topsoil should be enough already, but it takes a while to get going, it needs to "balance" itself out to the exact setup you have and that can take weeks to a month or two

did you set up this one recently? if it isn't balanced yet lots of things can happen, like a massive springtail population or the mold breakout you got

all you can really do is wait until it's over (remove the animals of course) or just set it up again and hope it works that time

>>2335081
nice image, is that yours?

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yay

>>2335084
Thems be some funky looking mantids

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Dude stop, please. You're gonna explode.

>>2335687
S U C C

How do they hunt? Does one just jump the prey, start eating and others join as they feel like?

>>2335691
It seems so from what I've seen so far. They definitely don't share willingly though, I watched one drag a cricket across the entire enclosure, pursued by two others trying to get a bite (or suck, in that case). Also the bigger ones nab prey from smaller ones and bully them away with their hind legs. The smaller ones return later though.

Also they definitely try to not approach from the front, they go around the side before they tackle their prey.

Holy shit, my chinese mantis ootheca hatched this morning.

I've segregated out the 8 that I'm keeping into separate cups and released the rest into a greenhouse with a mosquito problem. Should I keep two in each cup and let the stronger/more fit one eat the other?

I was kicking myself for buying some fruit flies yesterday, thinking that they would die before the mantises hatched. Guess I made a good buy, though the mantises don't seem hungry right now

>>2335786
>Should I keep two in each cup and let the stronger/more fit one eat the other?
No. Young nymphs are very fragile and if you only keep 4 there is quite the risk some will just die and you'll have none left. I'd start with at least 10 honestly.

>I was kicking myself for buying some fruit flies yesterday, thinking that they would die before the mantises hatched
Adult Drosophila can live for weeks if they have food.

>though the mantises don't seem hungry right now
Try offering some every day, they'll most likely start eating within 2 to 3 days.

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>>2331882
Neat.

I do this with jumping spiders.

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Does anyone have that nice Webm file where the katydid is preying on an insect, only to be grabbed by an orchid mantis?

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>>2335844
Here you go my dude. That insect is actually a first instad orchid mantis nymph.

also
>using my image
t-thanks

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I don't have time to breed these two (they had to be bought as a pair) but I wish I could. This species is so pretty

>>2335844
I thought katydids were strictly herbivorous?

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>>2336106
Absolutely not.

>>2336144
Oh

Well then no wonder the little bastards can bite so hard

>>2335959
Isn't it like super low effort to breed beetles though? I thought all you needed was a box full of dirt and rotting wood and then just put it somewhere and wait.

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>>2336168
It's just that I'm living abroad right now, and they take too long to pupate since I'll only be here a year. I wanna try breeding when I go back to the US though.

>>2336225
Smuggle some eggs :^)

Just kidding.

I never really got into beetles, I guess I just don't have the patience. It's probably really rewarding though. Also I've heard those big Dorcus can actually snap a pencil in half. Is that true? And if so, can you try it?

I don't know if I'm allowed to shill my Youtube channel here, but if anyone here is interested in moths and butterflies.. I breed about 60 species. Here's a video on the species I bred last year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=194ET-oyVW0

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>>2336259
moths r cool

>>2336259
VERY interested in fact. It's one of those things I'll probably never do due to space and time limitations.

What do you do with the adults btw? Pin them? Release them?

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After some doubts I'm not pretty sure I do actually have two female D. diadema. The spines in the circle are the ones I'm supposed to be looking at right?

In that case, can the one friendly anon ask his friend is he has any adult/subadult males?

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>>2336309
and this is the other one

>>2336286
Beautiful and cute

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Look who's getting ready to molt. Can only be a few days now. I hope the male stays fit enough to get it on for another 3 weeks or so.

>>2336259
I'm pleasantly surprised. Nice videos dude, I subbed. Do you breed any Sphingidae currently?

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>>2335083
>nice image, is that yours?
thank you, yes it's one of my females
I took the pic with my phone, that's why the quality is a bit shitty.
Well, what can I do, my cam is still broken >>2336309
>can the one friendly anon ask his friend is he has any adult/subadult males?
will ask him
I will let you know as soon as I know the answer

Has anyone here ever kept Cubaris murina? I was thinking of ordering some from roach crossing.

>>2336365
Thanks mate, I appreciate it.

I'll pay for it, of course.

What's /invert/'s favorite feeder insect?

A new aquarium shop just showed up in town, and now I can choose what feeders I want instead of having to buy marked up crickets from the big box pet shop.

>>2336413
Why those specifically? Is there anything special about them?

>>2336707
That really depends on the animal, though as a general feeder I like dubia roaches because they are just so nutritious if fed well. My centipedes prefer locusts though.

What do you want to feed?

>>2332653
fuck you, why keep it if its just living in your backyard? like i have huge spiders in mine but i leave them there

>>2332653
>>2332656
Idk if you're still around but holy fuck do not let them propagate

I had a couple spin neat webs in my back yard, didn't think too much of them and I liked the cool webs too. After a few weeks my entire back porch was inundated with about two or three DOZEN of the ducking things. I like spoders because they're cool and eat mosquitos but I had to get rid of them. And by get rid of them I mean I whacked every single one of them with a big stick

Felt kinda bad about it but I needed to reclaim my homeland

>>2336737
probably because he wants to be able to observe it more easily

>>2336734
I was going to go with Dubia reaches as well. I figured that's the favorite around here anyways, but it's fun to fish for replies.

>>2336734
No particular reason. I just thought they looked nice and want to try keeping some isopods I can't find locally.

>>2336738
They never got that bad. In all the years I lived there, I never saw more than ten at once

where do you guys order your bugs from? am i better off ordering mantids from an egg sac or as nymphs?

>>2337040
Where do you live? I know that in America chinese mantis ooths are frequently sold as pest control, so they should be cheap. Ooths of other species can be quite expensive though.

If you are starting out, it'd be best to get a few L3/L4 nymphs and raise those.

>>2337040
Where are you from?
If you're from europe I can point you to some good sites to order from.

Also what >>2337203 said. Get some L3/4 nymphs instead of an ooth or L1/2. Those are more expensive but they're out of the critical phase.

>>2336286
Atlas moth! Easy to breed. But the larvae eat fucking tons!
>>2336303
Neither pinning (not because I think it's unethical, collecting is just not my hobby - though I do sometimes kill and sell specimens to collectors) - and neither releasing since they are exotics.
>>2336325
I do! Mainly European ones. Exotic Sphingidae are hard to get as their pupae do not handle shipping very well.

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>>2337219
>I do! Mainly European ones. Exotic Sphingidae are hard to get as their pupae do not handle shipping very well.

Can't you ship them as eggs?

Also Sphingidae are the one family of insects where I think we really lucked out in europe. We have some of the most spectacular ones here, there isn't even a need to turn to tropical species. I dare you to find a tropical one that's prettier than this.

>>2337203
>>2337206
i live on the US east coast. its still not warm enough here so im just planning ahead

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Fucking hell, these things are psychopaths. Plenty of smaller food around but oh no, they have to go for the biggest one.

Can anyone tell me what A. maculatum babies look like? Do they already have the zebra pattern or are they just small and brown? Because it seems a few very small brown baby pillbugs just appeared in my A. maculatum box.

>>2337347
What'd I tell you?

Assassin bugs are lunatics

>>2337382
Awesome to watch though, and pretty.

Can't wait for them to start breeding.

Maybe I should just carry a dozen of them with me at all time and throw them at my enemies.

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>>2337397
>Maybe I should just carry a dozen of them with me at all time and throw them at my enemies.

I would sooner see you use mustard gas.
That's just psychotic, man.

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>>2337443
You're right, that's unreliable.

Do you think I could extract the venom and store it in a fridge?

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>>2337473
Throwing capsules of Sarin gas would be more humane, anon

Anyone bought one of those deco cubes from bugsincyberspace? If so, how is it? Decent enough for a curly hair or Mexican red rump?

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>tfw bumping the insect with the lens when taking pics

>>2338059
Who's she gonna get fed to

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>>2338190
>assuming gender

Get out you heteronormative CIS male

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>>2338196
make me

>>2338200
Beuatiful spider. Is that yours?

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>>2338224
Nope
Don't have one yet :_:

I've persuaded my school that owning a tarantula is no hassle (it's against school housing policy to have pets, but I was able to convince them when i told them female T pheromones chase away other spiders), I've persuaded my apartment manager (who wants a cat, but can't have one), and now my final hurdle is getting over the complex owners, who won't even allow fish on the premises. I've emailed them, but I haven't gotten a response yet

Fingers crossed though

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>>2338227
>was able to convince them when i told them female T pheromones chase away other spiders
kek
10/10

>I've emailed them, but I haven't gotten a response yet
Shouldn't have bothered. No one notices one or even ten tarantulas. Now they know and might check for it.

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>>2338230
hmm

You know what? The email was only to the "connective service" (the owner's actual mails are not accessible to tenants) so I'm willing to bet that the owners will never know anyway.

Hell with it. I'm just gonna go and get one once my paycheck comes in. They don't like it, they can deal with it.

>>2338234
If it's not in a big glass terrarium literally no one will notice if you don't specifically point it out. And if it is you can still easily put that in a closet if they turn up.

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>>2338252
'zactly

A. hentzi and/or LP and/or B Albopilosum, here I come

>>2336259
been subscribed for a long time love your stuff man

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albos are so stinkin cute

>>2338504
G. pulchra and Euathlus sp. fire are at least 32% cuter. Thats a fact.

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>>2338523
NO

They're cute, but they're not albo cute

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tegCC2xXxA

>>2338525
>meh
>meh
>meh
>great this autist is going to touch all of my legs in order
>meh
>okay going up now
>meh

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>spend several hours looking for caterpillars and other stuff to photograph
>find out my macro lens is broken
>cant find anything bigger than a tortrix anyway
>found this little guy at home under a rock
I love their stupid legs, this more than makes up for today

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>>2338656
better than
>KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL
>DESTROY
>KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL

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>>2338683
There's always exceptions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pt1sjYnEqw&t=114s

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>>2338711
Isn't that the guy that manges to kill anything that's not a tarantula after a few months and then pretends it "mysteriously" died?

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>>2338721
I never knew about that.
Shame if it's true, though.

>>2338723
I think I remember a quite popular tarantula youtuber that had videos several of his centipedes dying a few months after he got them and he didn't know why, a Nephila that also died and some scorpion I think. He just keeps them all like most americans keep tarantulas (tiny container, dry, artificial dried out fibrous substrate, low quality crickets as main food). I'm always amazed at how tarantulas survive this at all.

Might have been some other guy though, I just remember them all being on the same channel.

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>>2338728
Well, that's a crying shame, but yeah, most Ts are pretty low maintenance. Shame some people don;t know that doesn't apply to most other inverts.

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got pic related 2 days ago.My first tarantula.I love it.But,can somebody experienced with these tell me how can I control this thing when I let it out?
>let him out of his enclosure to just let him walk around and admire his beauty
>he flinches and goes the other direction every time I present him with his enclosure to go inside or touch him in the back to move forward
>no threat posture,no hair flicking
>notice he just probably gets distressed when I try to make him move with anything
>ignores my hand and anything he doesn't wanna touch on except the floor
>leave to him move on his own
>he just sits there and doesn't do shit
>attempt to make him move again
>he just bolts to somewhere
>eventually I got him back in
So what was wrong with him there and what do I do when he doesn't wanna go back in his enclosure and gets frightened/starts running when poked?

>>2338761
All of that sounds completely normal. That's just how spiders are. They just don't like being touched and they recognize they're not on the ground when touching your hands. He also reacts to the CO2 in your breath.

You'll learn how they react and move, but this takes time and experience. It just comes to you after a while. Also I wouldn't handle him too often. Firstly he probably still hasn't properly set up in whatever enclosure you put him in, wait until he's done with webbing and/or digging. Secondly tarantulas live very quite lives in nature, I wouldn't handle him more than twice a week for a short time.

Actually I wouldn't handle tarantulas at all, I get much more joy out of watching them behave normally but that's just my opinion.

Great and absolutely beatiful choice for a beginner species btw.

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>>2338761
As far as the "docile" species go, it's more of "I tolerate you handling me" more than a "I like it when you handle me!" kind of thing. Most T owners don;t hold their T's, and every T has a different personality. I've told you all about my m8 and his rose hairs: one despises any fingers in her enclosure while the other loves sucking on fingers and chewing on wool sweaters.

All in all, it's better not to handle them for their own safety. Great choice for a first species, though.

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>>2338765
I know the obvious answer is
>just don't handle them at all
I just love the feeling of a spider crawling on me

>That's just how spiders are. They just don't like being touched

Really?But every video I've ever watched related to handling spiders they are always very docile.

It could really be he needs time to settle in but it surprised me because I've never seen that kind of behavior.
But ultimately I guess tarantulas are tons of time and patience
Been also thinking of getting a gecko,those look fun.

>>2338820
Well no one is gonna film himself and upload losing control when handling a spider. The videos you see of calm tarantuals are the absolute exception, not the rule.

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>>2338820
>>2338833
If you really want to see if your T doesn't mind handling, do the "handshake trick"

Simply take her/him by the front leg and stroke the bottom of the foot. Alternatively, you can just let your finger sit there. once they pick up your "scent" you're no longer a foreign threat, but something familiar that they can trust.

If they don;t wanna trust you period, they won't walk up on you hand/will continue acting skittish/defensive. if not, you've got a handleable spiderbro.

even if you can't handle them you can still very much enjoy them. They awesome to watch when they're burrowing/grooming/messing around/re-arranging the enclosure.

>>2338711

That guy is a colossal retard. Maybe he'll smarten up after picking that guy up when hes in a pissy mood and spending 8 hours in agonizing pain

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>>2338940
Apparently she's never even shown a threat posture at him, long as he's not bullshitting.

I've heard of exceptions like that, and though it's way easier to believe that he's lying, I could see it happening.

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I found this beetle outside today. I was gunna freeze it for my insect collection but it was pretty chill when I picked it up so I decided to keep it. I gave it a bit of strawberry but it looks pretty sad.

Should I just let it go?

Hey friends, are hermit crabs allowed in invert general?

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>>2339074
They're inverts, aren't they?
Then, yes indeed.

>>2339068
my vote's on letting it go

>>2338820
I hope that little tub on your bed is not the enclosure

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I want to have an ant farm
Random pic of a cat because why not

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>>2339103
post an ant farm dingus

We had a couple ant farmers last thread. They probably got some hot tips for ya

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>>2339093
sadly it is tho
I really wanna set up a better one
but college eats all my time every day

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The female finally molted.

She's a big girl.

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>>2339117
At least get him a nice hide or something
Next time you shop, get him both hide and better enclosure. Buy a flowerpot and a clear storage tote next time you hit up walmart to get your weekly ramen supplement
>>2339118
4u

but seriously though, she's gorgeous

>>2339117
That spider has no place to hide or retreat, no wonder it's stressed out. Get a bigger box ASAP, it won't be more than like $5 at walmart for a 5 gallon plastic box with lid. Make a few airholes and give it a hide in the form of a half coconut shell or a piece of corkbark that she can snugly fit under. That's all the spider needs to be happy.

How do you deal with non-parasitic mites in your high humidity invert enclosures?

I noticed recently that there's these extremely tiny mites crawling on the outside of one of my enclosures. They're so insanely small, like if they weren't moving (slowly) you wouldn't know they were even alive, you can barely make legs of them. There's none on my inverts so they're non-parasitic kinds. If there weren't a few strays on the outside on the black melamine of the enclosure I never wouldn't noticed any inside.

Was thinking of getting some hypoaspis miles to deal with them since I don't want them to manage to spread to somewhere else in the house but that concerns me about the woodlice that live in the enclosure too.

>>2339122
H. miles won't try to eat anything above 1 mm. Also even if they kill your baby isopods, they'll starve themself pretty quickly and the big ones that are left will reproduce soon after.

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>>2339122
When in doubt, substrate out.

>>2339119
She was actually big enough to consider my finger prey as subadult. She tried eating it a few times.

If we tried that now it would be extremely painful.

For me.

Just kidding, it only stings a bit.

>>2339129
>we

*she

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>>2339129
>If we tried that now it would be extremely painful.
>For me.

I like the cut of your jib.

But yeah, are you sure she's not just trying to suckle for some salt? or is she seriously chewing on you?

>>2339126
Not something I'm willing to do right now since it would definitely sacrifice my woodlice and the rest of the clean-up crew since it wouldn't just be substrate that needs to be changed but I'd need to nuke all the decor like the hollow logs which is where all the isopods hide away.

>>2339125
Hm, okay. That's sounds positive then. Though I also have a lot of springtails which will probably keep the H. miles going for awhile too. Hopefully they'll still be able to massively dent the mite population even with a bunch of springtails babies to eat?

>>2339132
No, she followed it with her head and grabbed it as hard as she could and tried pulling it towards her mouth. She let go when she noticed that it was too strong for her. Nibbling for salt is different, she does that too. I kinda provoked it though.

She's about 12 cm long now, and that's with a very slim abdomen. Imagine her with eggs.

Next step of my master plan is mating the pair in a few weeks. Hopefully with survivors though.

>>2339133
I fear you might have to say goodbye to all your springtails. Exchaning the substrate might be the easier thing to do.

>>2339103
>>2337974 can help too

>>2339074
Of course. You got some? Show them off.

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>read that you can feed your mantis honey off of your finger
>decide this would be a good idea for some reason
>put honey on finger and offer it to my t. sinensis
>she LOVES it, latches onto my finger and wont let go
>keeps biting into my finger, eventually drawing blood
>I wont pull away in fear of hurting her, have to use a spray bottle to get her to let go
>eventually retreats to groom herself, watching me the whole time

wew

at least I learned my lesson.

>>2339214
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

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>>2339214
What have you done? Now she will crave the taste of human flesh.

I'm kidding, but don't try this with bigger ones, they'll start chewing on you right away.

How do I get my pink toed to stop trying to live in our curtains? I'm fine with letting her roam and have fun but she's obsessed with my curtains and it makes my husband nervous that she'll divebomb him one day. Any specific spray or smells I can use to dissuade her?

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Finally caught one coming out to hunt.

I dare you to name a prettier mantis.

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>>2339119
>>2339120
>she
It's a he
>wallmart
don't have those here in shitty eastern europe ,but I wish

And yes I was thinking of a flowerpot hideout anyway
Money is no problem for me so I might straight up get one of those dragon pet plaza terrariums 13L,36,5x22x15cm size plus some of that coconut soil
found an exotic pet store couple miles away from me
will update tomorrow

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>>2339349
>eastern europe
Embrace your inner slav anon.

ANY hardware store will have plastic boxes, for really cheap. Don't get memed by the pet industry.

>flowerpot hideout
go outside, pick nice piece of bark, clean bark of bugs, free hide that also looks a lot better than a flower pot

>coconut soil
go to garden center, buy cheapest soil without fetilizer that you can get (usually says "eco" "bio" whatever)

t. poorfag

When should I expect my chinese mantids to first molt? I can only find "2 weeks," but that's for a different species. One has been hanging upsideown while holding its forelegs out and avoiding prey, but it's only been one week.

I don't want to bother them with food if they're starting to molt...

I need some help with an A. Chalcodes desert blonde tarantula. I built a new permanent setting and moved him yesterday afternoon. He immediately ate and wandered around so I figured he was fine but this morning I found him bunched up in a top corner, and he was still like this when I got home. The backdrop is foam covered in grout and if it was bothering him he wouldn't be on the backdrop anyway, not really sure what to do but I think I should put him back in the small carrier cage for now. He has never bunched in a tight corner like that before.

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who here glowing deathbug?

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>>2339378
Forgot pics

This isn't a permanent lid just the board with the leds I wired on there. I am aware the tape looks stupid but he would have gotten out.

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>>2339380
Whole tank (empty), you can see where he is jammed up on the top left. I sealed the grout and let it dry for over 24hrs outside of the tank. There is also a cave in the middle there if he was trying to hide out but I know they don't always use hides.

I really don't want to kill this spider since it was a gift.

>>2339376
If you only feed flies or Drosophila and don't add a ton they won't bother the mantis during the molt. One or two per mantis should be safe, even during molts.

>>2339380
>>2339383
Is it warmer up there? Is the substrate wet or dry and how was the substrate in his previous setup? How is and was the ventilation?

>>2339408
I just checked the temp and sand and background were 68 so a little cold but it smelled a little like sealant which I thought was dried out so maybe it is leaching from somewhere. I feel pretty bad about it but I didn't outright ignore the issue. I am going to transplant him back to the carrier and coat the backdrop in safe two part urethane then a coat of grout for color ad texture but sealant was not a good call. The plastic will dry rock hard and contain any chemicals leeching out.

Also, what does everyone use for a top screen for air flow? I heard that they can damage their feet on the wire screens.

>>2339421
I use fibreglass fly screen for most things but a big and active tarantula might chew through it.

>>2339430
Thanks, moved him and he's doing better. Caught a big ass cricket within minutes so that's a relief.

This has been driving me nuts up the walls.

Do you guys know any black spiders with vividly colored crosses? especially yellow crosses.

>>2339565
Are you sure it was yellow and not red? Latrodectus are black and can have all sorts of markings, but usually red ones. Alternatively Araneus have really obvious crosses, but I can't think of a black one.

Guys how do you defang a tarantula?

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>>2339572

>>2339571
Maybe it was some other marking, anyway it was an intense yellow. Maybe it was this guy
http://bugguide.net/node/view/1061965/bgpage

I keep stumbling upon the weirdest bunch of spiders here in eastern europe.

>>2339577
I can probably tell you what it was tomorrow when I'm back at university and I can look into the big spider book.

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What's your favourite ladybug, guys?

>>2336259
>those swallow tails
I creamed my pants. Weren't some of those on the endangered species list like 0:05 and 1:37?

>>2331840
Is it possible to keep a Darwin Bark spider as a pet? or they're too wild and rare?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSwvH6YhqIM

>>2339224
Adorbs. What species is that?

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love is in the air

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>>2339264
Just let her roam around where there's no curtains, silly. keep your eyes on her

>>2339584
3rd row, second from left

>>2339572
You don't.

>>2339643
Found em like that, or are you breeding them yourself?

>>2339719
I just don't want her hooks to get stuck on the carpet, I've heard it's possible and i don't know how i would react. The room she usually plays around in has hardwood flooring. Maybe I'll take down the drapes when she scuttles about next time, it's just very fun to watch her get all that pent up energy out without worrying too much.

Also, do your tulas "get along" with any of your pets? My rabbit and spider are very curious of one another, but the most they do is get really close and stare. Sometimes my rabbit will flop over excitedly when I open the spider's habitat and wait for her to come over, and they'll just look at one another for long periods of time.

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>>2339746
>Maybe I'll take down the drapes when she scuttles about next time, it's just very fun to watch her get all that pent up energy out without worrying too much.

That might be best

>My rabbit and spider are very curious of one another, but the most they do is get really close and stare. Sometimes my rabbit will flop over excitedly when I open the spider's habitat and wait for her to come over, and they'll just look at one another for long periods of time.

I'd be really cautious about that. Not that teh herbivorous rabbit may intend to eat the spider, or that the docile spider will try to flick hair at/bite the rabbit. It's just that with size differences like that, I'd be careful. If they actually do enjoy each other's company, make sure to supervise them

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>>2339572
Wait for it to molt, it will shed its fangs along with the rest of its exoskeleton.

Of course, it just gets a new pair, but don't worry about the small stuff.

>>2338761
Did you deliberately chose a mature male as your first T? They're generally more skittish and really only interested in mating. You are aware he's only going to live another year or so, right?

Other than that, G. pulchra is an excellent first T.

>>2339584
I found what I believe to be a 4th column 4th row beetle for my insect collection, but I'm not sure.

My fav is the standard lady beetle, but I hope the rarest gives me the most points.

Does anyone have airtight terrariums filled with pure oxygen? I know it's a explosion hazard but I want fuckhuge bugs

>>2339859
wat

>>2339860
what kind of shramp is that

>>2339875
a cute one

>>2339859
that's not how it works

>>2339632
Phidippus regius, a female.

>>2339932
Phiddipus a cute

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPo8MG1pJ8w

>>2339958
what a good spide
I just wish they lived longer, like tarantulas :(

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>>2339960
it's a shame

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Update:Lookin good

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>>2339960
>>2339961
You can breed them easily though, and they live long enough that generations can overlap, so you can always have some adults around. Great to watch too and of course cute as fuck. 10/10 spider. You should really get some of them anons. Right now.

>>2340097
Looking good indeed. Has he found the hide yet or is he still exploring?

>>2340116
for the past hour all he's been doing is walking in circles around the walls,plotting an escape

>>2340144
>lemme smash

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Are you fucking serious?

This one must have just hatched. I haven't bought any that small.

These things are gonna kill me some day, I can see it in their eyes.

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>>2340335
best watch your back

theys gon eat you alive

If my T doesn't wanna eat how long will the food last alive,untill I can try feeding again? (that food being a Blaptica dubia roach)

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Pic I got today at work.

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>>2340447
cute momma
>>2340444
They might be in pre-molt. Check for darkening in the abdomen and whatnot. if it is in pre-molt, remove food items as they can disturb the spider during the molting process.

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Uh oh. Eggsack incoming I think.

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>>2340853
was it these two?

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>>2340893
Yup.
Also she's really going at it now, probably won't be able to see inside once she's done.

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>>2331882
>>2331892
Happy to see other mantisfags here
Im hoping to have phyllocrania paradoxa ooths by midsummer.
>tfw waiting for the female to reach her final stage

>>2339875
Dwarf Cajun craycray

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Can anyone help me with an ID, pretty please?
I have narrowed it down to either a Millipede larvae or a Springtail but i'm not really an expert on these things
This is in England, the north specifically.
I have been seeing them in my garden for some time but have not had the means to get a clear photograph as they are minuscule.

>>2341042
Definitely a springtail. Possibly Protaphorura, which is very common, the right size and color and also eyeless.
Millipede baby would have much more even segmentation among other traits that would make it very easy to identify.

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>>2341067
>Protaphorura
Yeah that looks spot on, thanks a lot Anon.
They are under every other rock I turn, with Millipedes being under the rest. It's rather nice even if they do nibble at my garlic.

>>2341082
>They are under every other rock I turn

You have no idea. The usual estimation of springtails per square meter of organic soil is around 100k.

I can also spot Discus rotundatus and Pterostichus niger among all the millipedes and worms in that image. That's some healthy soil you have there.

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And there it is. She's so thin now, I hope she eats while guarding.

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>>2341381
Get you get any footage of the egg-laying?

Also yeah, she looks like she could use a bite

>>2341384
No, that must have happened at night.

It's really hard to find info on how long the incubation time is for P. regius. I have a feeling it won't be that long though, the H. diardi were pretty quick but like the idiot I am I forgot to write down dates then. I better refresh my Drosophila cultures soon. I think I'm gonna leave the eggsack in until I spot nymphs though.

>>2341389
Oh also, I ordered some flightless house for the female to eat. The big green bottle flies might stress her out I think.

And I couldn't resist ordering some Tarantulas as well (one Pamphobeteus nigricolor and two Pterinopelma sazimai). Is this how it begins? Help.

>>2341392
>flightless house
houseflies

I think I need some more coffee.

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>>2341393
Get some monster it doesn't taste as bad (long as you stick to any flavor but default).

but yeah, post the results, mang. Looking to see some more slings

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>>2340956
>tfw waiting for the female to reach her final stage

Terrible feeling isn't it? Anxiously checking every day if the female finally molted and the male is still fit enough to get it on with her.

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nice, a few of the Gongylus nymphs are almost black now

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i wanna ask something, do you people keep these animals because theyre nice to look at and/or do you have some sort of affection for them? i dont own pets just wanted to ask

>>2341579
>T owner
Nice to look at
They have silly behavoriors
I think they look really cute, especially when they do anything with their pedipalps

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>>2341579
Nice or interesting to look at plus really interesting behaviors plus the joy of watching them grow up and go through their lifecycle plus general interest in their biology and seeing things that you often don't even see in documentaries cause they can't autistically watch wild animals for months. Also it's a bit of a collectors hobby.

>>2341579
Get one and find out for yourself. A beginner mantis species is almost no commitment or work (like $40 for the entire setup + animal, small plastic box as enclosure, lives for less than a year, less than 10 minutes per week) and really interesting.

>>2341579
I have a genuine interest in them, I like to watch their behaviours and movements and find them cute

>>2341582
>They have silly behavoriors
Example?

>>2341798
I have a female of a big mantis species that just molted to adulthood. She's not used to her new size and reach, so when I gave her a fly she got way too close and struck with full power against the wall of her box, which made her fly backwards off her branch. That was quite silly.

>>2339331
That's a mantispid, order Neuroptera. Not really a mantis, but a very pretty creature all the same.

>>2339214
>Painted pointy nails
Not sure if femanon or trapanon

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>>2341918
What the hell dude, that's absolutely not a mantidfly.

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>>2341798
My pothead friend's rose hair likes chewing on wool sweaters. She'll go crazy if she climbs up your arm and feels one

>>2341918
No it's not.

http://eol.org/pages/3019778/overview

>>2341579
I think they're cute and/or pretty, and I enjoy watching them do spider things like spin webs and make burrows. It's interesting to watch them change with each molt. I do have an affection for them, but I don't handle mine since I know they wouldn't enjoy it. I have dogs to satisfy my pet needs.

>>2341591
Daaamn, is that a Pterinopelma sazimai?

>>2342138
>Daaamn, is that a Pterinopelma sazimai?

Yes, but I suspect that image is a bit exaggerated, like most images of that species on the internet. I guess you can get those colors but only after a molt and with a flash or very good lighting. Still amazing looking species though. I'm getting two slings soon and people are saying they grow fast so I guess I'll find out how they really look. In a few years...

>>2342013
>>2342064
Well geez, I stand corrected.

>>2341886
>>2342031
Yeah, those sound pretty silly.

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To the other guy that's keeping P. horrida here, do you know why they rub their legs together like good little merchants? Is it just something that creatures with big noses do? Oy vey.

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>>2339331
Holy shit. Are they seriously THIS expensive?

https://usmantis.com/collections/praying-mantis/products/metallyticus-splendidus?variant=30437572615

>>2342243
Oh also: Do the adults just eat much less than the nymphs or why do I never see them eat?

>>2341516
Neat little alien.

>>2342247
That entire shop looks like a scam. Even stole a lot of descriptions from another store I know.

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>>2342243
>Is it just something that creatures with big noses do? Oy vey.
kek

But I guess that's how they clean the little "hair tufts" on their first pair of legs. Maybe that's how they ensure a good grip to hold their prey

>>2342250
no, the adults often eat even more than the nymphs. Maybe yours are already pretty old? Are they missing any tarsi?
Can you please take a pic of your adults?
Also, Is their abdomen pretty flat? Maybe they snack on the dead prey items at night? (they often do that)

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>>2342866
>Maybe yours are already pretty old?
I only had one adult when I bought them, that one could be pretty old. The others molted on the 3rd, 23rd and one today I think (in the front).

>Are they missing any tarsi?
No.

>Also, Is their abdomen pretty flat?
Yes, that's why I'm worrying. Gonna post a side pic in a second.

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>>2342887

>>2342887
>>2342889
strange

what do you feed them?

>>2342890besides locusts, I mean

>>2342890
Locusts and crickets of different sizes.

I could also try dubias but I have substrate in there and I'm afraid they'll just burrow. Male dubias might work, I have too many of those anyway.

>>2342894
try waxworms, mine love them

Also, they love every kind of roach, preferably quick moving species like Oxyhaloa deusta or big ones like A. indignis

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>>2342897
It worked! Thank you anon!

Gonna buy some waxworms too then, I think.

Also my dubias do move pretty fast, at least the males. Maybe I'm giving them a bit too much protein, but the males actually try to fly when I take them out...

>>2342962
And I just saw another one also eating so it wasn't a fluke.
I feel so relieved now, thanks again.

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>>2342247

That site is owned by a man named craig baker. He is in my mantis group on facebook. Well known for obnoxious prices and shipping wrong or dead specimens and not offering a refund. Euro mantis collectors should also shy away from his cousin Bartek who runs exo factory insects. Known scammer as well

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>>2341412

Yeah its terrible. I had a beautiful male membranacea I wanted to father an ooth but by the time the female was ready he was just too old. I also have this very pretty lineola that I never found a male for. Breeding them is way easier in theory than in practice.

>everyone says B. smithi is easily available
>can't find them anywhere
Where do you guys buy your T's?
Also, anyone have experience with Acanthoscurria brocklehursti? Are they fast growers?

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Cute!

>>2343196
Is there any place where you can get Metallyticus in the US then?

>>2333846
The fact that you think you are that prepared for the hairs shows you are not. Ju st get a starter T like you know you ought to. As said above you'll soon have multiple anyway so you might as well do it properly.

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>>2343196
>cousin Bartek who runs exo factory insects. Known scammer as well
really?
I sometimes bought mantids from exo factory, but it always went well

guess I was just lucky then
good to know tho

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Quit eating and molt, you little fucks

>>2343912
>Quit eating and molt, you little fucks
Kek. Pretty much the entire hobby summed up.

Alternatively
>how much more goddamn food can fit inside this tiny animal?

>>2341579
i have affection for them but i don't anthropomorphize. i understand they don't care about me.