That Reptile Blog » Insects

Hatching Praying Mantid Egg Cases to Feed Tiny Amphibians and Invertebrates

findiviglio — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:17:58 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Dietary variety is the key to success in rearing many herps and invertebrates. Unfortunately, options for newly-transformed frogs and salamanders, Poison Frogs and other small species and hatchling spiders are limited. A diet of fruit flies, springtails and pinhead crickets sometimes suffices, but as I learned when rearing the endangered Kihansi Spray More >

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Hatching Praying Mantid Egg Cases to Feed Tiny Amphibians and Invertebrates

Reptile and Amphibian Foods – Breeding and Rearing Grasshoppers and Locusts

findiviglio — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 15:29:34 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. The Domestic or House Cricket is perhaps the world’s most popular herp food, the closely-related locusts, grasshoppers and katydids have been neglected as a food source here in the USA. However, many are easily collected and bred in captivity, and offer important nutrients lacking in commercially-bred insects. What’s more, they are More >

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Reptile and Amphibian Foods – Breeding and Rearing Grasshoppers and Locusts

New Cockroach, Discovered at a Tourist Resort, Jumps Like a Grasshopper

findiviglio — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:59:39 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Roaches are best known to herp enthusiasts as food for captive reptiles and amphibians. However, these very interesting insects are increasingly being valued as display animals in their own right, and are appearing in the pet trade (I find the lime-green Banana Roach, Panchlora nivea, to be among the most beautiful of More >

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New Cockroach, Discovered at a Tourist Resort, Jumps Like a Grasshopper

Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Calciworms) as Food for Reptiles and Amphibians

findiviglio — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 20:28:52 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. The larvae of the Black Soldier Fly, Hermetia illucens, have recently attracted a great deal of interest as a food item for herps, birds, fishes and invertebrates. Also sold as “Phoenixworms”, “Calciworms”, “Reptiworms” and “Soldier Grubs”, they are reputed to be superior to other insects in nutritional value. However, much of More >

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Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Calciworms) as Food for Reptiles and Amphibians

World’s Largest Arachnids – Eight-Foot-Long Scorpions of Ancient Seas

findiviglio — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:39:57 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. While the Emperor Scorpion and the South African Flat Rock Scorpion are, by today’s standards, huge and impressive, they pale in comparison to their extinct relatives. Imagine, if you will, an 8-foot-long scorpion sporting spiked claws that extended 2 feet from its body! Well, thanks to newly uncovered fossil evidence, we More >

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World’s Largest Arachnids – Eight-Foot-Long Scorpions of Ancient Seas

Stag Beetle Conservation, with Notes on Keeping Large Beetles

findiviglio — Thu, 12 May 2011 13:37:34 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Beetle-keeping is a small but expanding hobby here in the USA, but is amazingly popular in Japan, where beetle larvae are even sold in vending machines (I experienced this first-hand, and can say they survive the ordeal quite well!). Beetles are classified in the order Coleoptera, which exceeds all other animal More >

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Stag Beetle Conservation, with Notes on Keeping Large Beetles

Tales of Giant Centipedes – Bat-Stalkers, Escapees and Words of Caution – Part 2

findiviglio — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:03:13 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Please see Part 1 of this article for more on Giant Centipedes, Scolopendra gigantea, including escape stories and a video of a bat-hunting centipede in Trinidad. Centipede Diversity Over 3,000 species, classified within the invertebrate order Chilopoda, have been identified to date. Many more will certainly come to light in time – More >

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Tales of Giant Centipedes – Bat-Stalkers, Escapees and Words of Caution – Part 2

Tales of Giant Centipedes – Bat-Stalkers, Escapees and Words of Caution – Part 1

findiviglio — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 15:21:00 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. I’m told that bats feature in many people’s nightmares (I’ve kept several species, including Vampire Bats, and have found all to be quite calm, and even trainable in some cases, but that’s just me!). If bats themselves have nightmares, then surely the Amazonian Giant Centipede, Scolopendra gigantea, must make numerous appearances…the More >

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Tales of Giant Centipedes – Bat-Stalkers, Escapees and Words of Caution – Part 1

Assassin Bugs – Captive Care and a Spider-Hunting Assassin – Part 2

findiviglio — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:02:10 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Please see Part 1 of this article to learn about Assassin Bugs that lure prey by tricking spiders and termites. Commercially Available Species West Africa’s White-Spotted Assassin Bug (Platymeris biguttatus) and the Red-Spotted Assassin (P. rhadamanthus) of East Africa are sometimes offered for sale in the USA and are well-established in private More >

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Assassin Bugs – Captive Care and a Spider-Hunting Assassin – Part 2

Assassin Bugs – Captive Care and Notes on Spider-Hunting Assassins – Part 1

thatpetblog — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 14:43:08 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Assassin Bugs, while not the best known of invertebrate pets, are actually quite popular with insect specialists and in public collections. I began working with 2 African species in the early 80’s, and soon built up a collection of native forms as well. Recent studies at Australia’s Macquarie University have revealed More >

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Assassin Bugs – Captive Care and Notes on Spider-Hunting Assassins – Part 1