Locusts
- Thread starter xephyr17
- Start date
SSimsswiSS
Avid Member
Where do you guys like to get your locusts?
Do any of you raise them? What's that like? Can you keep them going year round?
I'm starting my roach colony in a week or two. I want more variety
Locusts are found in the European pet trade. So you won't find any where you live.
You can collect wild grasshoppers in your area to feed, and try to raise with effort. It can be done, but many feel it's not worth the time and effort.
I raise mantis, which are similar in body mass/shape. And much easier to raise.
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xephyr17
New Member
Awesome, thanks for the advice!
Do you know of any good blogs or websites where I could learn exactly how to raise mantids, then? Or do you have any good tips?
Thanks
Andee
Chameleon Enthusiast
Summer and spring is the perfect time to go grasshopper hunting. And I don't see them as hard to raise considering most eat wheat grass or romaine lettuce, along with wheat germ as dry food. They also eat fresh timothy hay.
They just need moist sand in a deli cup that is around three inches deep, some egg crates, and at least a ten gallon tank. Also need to be kept around like 90-95 degrees F. No need to mist them, just keep their plants well misted and they will get enough moisture.
Most breed in fall and the eggs hatch in spring. You can technically incubate them, but it's best to do it by generations. To make it shorter what you want to do is start the first generation off at normal temps and let them hatch normally. The second generation you can incubate them and make them a week shorter in hatch time and so and, and so forth until it takes only about two or three weeks. I would be careful with incubation because it takes a toll on your hatch rate.
Right now I am raising what I think is the Differential Grasshopper who have short egg laying to hatch spans already. They lay around 80-120 eggs at a time if I remember correctly.
They just need moist sand in a deli cup that is around three inches deep, some egg crates, and at least a ten gallon tank. Also need to be kept around like 90-95 degrees F. No need to mist them, just keep their plants well misted and they will get enough moisture.
Most breed in fall and the eggs hatch in spring. You can technically incubate them, but it's best to do it by generations. To make it shorter what you want to do is start the first generation off at normal temps and let them hatch normally. The second generation you can incubate them and make them a week shorter in hatch time and so and, and so forth until it takes only about two or three weeks. I would be careful with incubation because it takes a toll on your hatch rate.
Right now I am raising what I think is the Differential Grasshopper who have short egg laying to hatch spans already. They lay around 80-120 eggs at a time if I remember correctly.
xephyr17
New Member
That'd be pretty cool if I could pull that off. What do you use to incubate them? How do you know if they've laid eggs?
Andee
Chameleon Enthusiast
To incubate you just need to keep them at 83 F, and I usually just keep them near the heat lamp. Or under a less powerful heat lamp in a smaller container. The babies need to be kept in a container protected by bug screening because they are so tiny. You should keep the deli cup covered just in case the sand might dry out, but make sure there is still a little air flow. Usually the way to tell there is eggs is that there are small tunnels made by the grasshopper mamas.
