Does anyone have any knowledge on non-aquatic invertebrates?

[JxsPxxle]

I have decided that I’m going to get a species of invertebrate. The plan is to create my own wingless fruit fly culture/s and purchase a praying mantis to begin with. However, many more bugs have took my interest such as: vinegaroons, spiders, scorpions, millipedes and beetles. I used to have many different species of stick insect but it became too much having to hunt for bramble leaves on the winter for them to feed on, so unless I could find a solution to this stick insects are not an option.

Does anyone have any experience? I am trying to stay away from having to purchase feeder roaches and crickets, but it is possible for me to do so. I would like to have something that can live it’s life on wingless fruit flys and mealworms, as these are both easy to culture. Suggestions?

 

[Colin_T]

I would like to have something that can live it’s life on wingless fruit flys and mealworms, as these are both easy to culture. Suggestions?

African Finches eat seed and small insects

Scorpions are boring and don't do anything except hide under things.
Millipedes are a nusciance here and I step on thousands every year. They are in plague proportions and an unwanted pest.
Centipedes are a bit like scorpions and hide during the day. The ones around here can get big (6-8inches long) and have long pincers to grab things with.
Praying mantis are boring and sit there most of the time doing nothing.
I had a redback spider living in the corner of my room for a year before she died. She had babies thought so that was cool. I used to catch flies and mozzies and drop them on her web.

What about Geckos or skinks (small lizards), or frogs?
Can you grow plants indoors during winter to feed stick insects?

 

[JuiceBox52]

Praying mantis are really cool. We used to have one and they are really easy to care for. They have personalities and are kind of like dogs. I know a 15 year old who teaches a bug/entomology class so I'll try to ask him tonight and see what his thoughts are he has tarantulas, stick insects, millipedes and like a bazillion other things

 

[JxsPxxle]

African Finches eat seed and small insects

Scorpions are boring and don't do anything except hide under things.
Millipedes are a nusciance here and I step on thousands every year. They are in plague proportions and an unwanted pest.
Centipedes are a bit like scorpions and hide during the day. The ones around here can get big (6-8inches long) and have long pincers to grab things with.
Praying mantis are boring and sit there most of the time doing nothing.
I had a redback spider living in the corner of my room for a year before she died. She had babies thought so that was cool. I used to catch flies and mozzies and drop them on her web.

What about Geckos or skinks (small lizards), or frogs?
Can you grow plants indoors during winter to feed stick insects?

I thought of these, but with me going off to college and university in the upcoming years it wouldn’t be wise to make a commitment to a gecko or a reptile of any kind. Maybe a dart frog tank could work. I could grow plants indoors, but last time my insects were eating them too fast for me to grow them!

 

[Colin_T]

I could grow plants indoors, but last time my insects were eating them too fast for me to grow them!

Grow more plants and fertiliser them regularly to maximise growth.

 

[BeckyCats]

What about hissing cockroaches? Those seem really cool. I'd love to have some but my husband (usually very tolerate of my pet-hording tendencies), grew alarmed and put his foot down. In fact, it was thinking that I might get hissing cockroaches that made him change his mind about getting rats. He would rather have 4 rats with a giant cage in the house, than a few roaches in a 10 gallon tank. Haha!

There's place near me that sells different varieties of isopods (I've always called them roly polys). They have a cool display of moss with tons of the little critters roaming about. Mostly they are under leaf litter or moss, but if you don't need to see them every second, then they looked cool too. I believe their care is extremely low maintenance as well.

I've also always wanted a tarantula but, again, I've always lived with people who don't like spiders "in the house." At least not the "big hairy ones." Sigh. There's just no accounting for taste!

Let us know what you decide to get!

 

[JxsPxxle]

What about hissing cockroaches? Those seem really cool. I'd love to have some but my husband (usually very tolerate of my pet-hording tendencies), grew alarmed and put his foot down. In fact, it was thinking that I might get hissing cockroaches that made him change his mind about getting rats. He would rather have 4 rats with a giant cage in the house, than a few roaches in a 10 gallon tank. Haha!

There's place near me that sells different varieties of isopods (I've always called them roly polys). They have a cool display of moss with tons of the little critters roaming about. Mostly they are under leaf litter or moss, but if you don't need to see them every second, then they looked cool too. I believe their care is extremely low maintenance as well.

I've also always wanted a tarantula but, again, I've always lived with people who don't like spiders "in the house." At least not the "big hairy ones." Sigh. There's just no accounting for taste!

Let us know what you decide to get!

I’m thinking a praying mantis still.... but also a frog tank sounds great. I could create a fair amount of fruit fly colonies and use them as food for everything, even my fish. Same in my house, my sister and my parents are completely against spiders, and scorpions. I’m going to purchase some eucalyptus trees for indoors (it’s too cold in the UK to grow them outdoors I think) and grow them out to if it works then I may try stick insects again if I can persuade my parents!

Isopods also sound pretty cool, i’ve heard of rubber ducky isopods and they sound great! They’re also only small and don’t require much space at all so the perfect pet for me.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Praying mantis are cool because you can handle them

 

[BeckyCats]

Bugs are awesome! When I was a kid I wanted to be an entomologist when I grew up so I was constantly dragging stuff into the house. I had all sorts of jars with air holes poked in the lids for my critters. I wouldn't keep them long. Just a few hours or days at the most to watch them, then I would let them go where I found them. Once I found a brown cocoon-thing that was a complete mystery to me. It looked and felt like a brown paper bag and when I touched it, the insect inside thrashed all around - so exciting! I put it in a jar with a stick and and some plants and waited for whatever it was to hatch. Well, one day I looked in and there was a teeny tiny hole in the cocoon. I looked in the jar but didn't see anything, and the cocoon was very light and obviously empty, so I was really disappointed because I thought something small must have climbed in through the air holes and eaten my critter. I left the lid off and just left the whole jar, plants, stick, and all, right on my desk because I was too discouraged to even clean it up at that moment. Later, that night when I turned off my lights to go to sleep, I heard something "FLAP FLAP FLUTTER FLAP." I turned on the lights and looked but didn't see anything and the noise stopped. I turned the lights off and then "FLUTTER FLAP FLAP" again! Again when I turned the lights on, the noise stopped and I saw nothing. Honestly, I was getting a little freaked out at this point. This happened again and I got up and REALLY looked this time. On my wall, behind my desk, was a HUGE, gorgeous green luna moth! Apparently it had hatched from the cocoon after all and I just didn't see it. Then when I left the lid off the jar, it must crawled out and waited behind my desk for nighttime and then had difficulty getting out from behind the desk. I released it outside immediately and it flew onto the outside of my bedroom window where it stayed the night. One of my best memories!

The time I left the jar off of my eastern tent caterpillar collection, went to play with friends, came back and had dozens of them all over my curtains and wall and had to collect them before my mom found out . . . well, that one may not be as good of a memory. LOL!

 

[BeckyCats]

What about triops? They don't live long, but they are super cool while they're here!

 

[Colin_T]

You should live where I live, the place is full of creepy crawlies. It rained last night and 2 billion millipedes swarmed into the house. I spent most of the night spraying and stepping on them. There's spiders all over the place and I stomp them too. Not to mention snakes, lizards, snails slugs and every other thing coming into the house.

 

[JxsPxxle]

You should live where I live, the place is full of creepy crawlies. It rained last night and 2 billion millipedes swarmed into the house. I spent most of the night spraying and stepping on them. There's spiders all over the place and I stomp them too. Not to mention snakes, lizards, snails slugs and every other thing coming into the house.

I’m the UK there aren’t many interesting bugs.

 

[Essjay]

We just have a spider which lives behind a cupboard and every so often goes for a walk round. Then there's the woodlice that seem to get in one at a time, they are disposed of when I see them.
Outside, the compost bin is full of woodlice and what are obviously several different species of slug - all different colours and sizes.

The only very annoying bug I've found was lily beetles a few years ago. I had to get rid of my lilies. And yes, I did enter my location on the website that is tracking the spread of the invasion of these beetles.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

What about and iguana? @AJE has iguanas, talk to him about the care.

I’ve always wanted a fat tailed gecko, they’re so cute! I hear they are quite social as well.