That Reptile Blog – Reptile, Amphibian and Exotic Pet Care and Information

Tarantulas and scorpions have long been invertebrate pet staples, with over 150 species being captive bred in large numbers.  However, insect keeping, always popular in Japan but much less so elsewhere, is now coming into its own in the USA.  I recently found that over 50 stick and leaf insect, 30 mantid, 25 cockroach and 25 beetle species, along with numerous grasshoppers, katydids, butterflies and moths, are now regularly bred in captivity.

Velvet Ants, Tarantula Wasps, Giant Water Bugs and innumerable others are also kept in smaller numbers, and are growing in popularity.  An aquatic insect exhibit I recently designed for the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, featuring the usually ignored Water Scorpions and Whirligig, diving and water scavenger beetles, is a big hit with visitors.

Grand Possibilities

The potential diversity of insects that may be kept in captivity is limitless, and many exhibit their entire life cycles and full range of behaviors in a relatively limited space and time span.  Those who keep insects are offered the real possibility of discovering new information.

Conservation Value

Much of what has been learned by those keeping insects in private and public collections has conservation value.  Captive breeding and reintroduction programs for endangered species ranging from Sphinx Moths in Arizona to Burying Beetles in Rhode Island have yielded promising results.

Other Invertebrates

An astonishing array of other terrestrial invertebrates are also being kept and bred in captivity, including Banana Slugs, trapdoor, orb-weaver, wolf and crab spiders, centipedes, millipedes, Vinegaroons and Sun Scorpions, to name just a few.  

Further Reading

Japan’s Tama Zoo boasts 2 giant insect houses…be forewarned, insect aficionados who visit will emerge in shock, as did I!

Phasmids (walking sticks and walking leaves) have long been popular as captives in Europe. Photos of many of the nearly 3,000 described species, along with natural history notes, are posted here.

Founded in 1892, and with roots dating to 1872, the NY Entomological Society is an invaluable resource for insect enthusiasts. To learn more about this well-respected group and its publications, please visit their website.

In  Part I of this article we looked at the importance of calcium, leaf litter and decaying wood in the diet of the African giant millipede (Achispirospreptus gigas) and its relatives.

Research Needed

Few field studies have been made of millipedes in the wild, and we therefore know little about their exact nutritional needs.  Based on experience with related species, and in the hopes of providing as many nutrients as possible, I began offering African giant millipedes a wide variety of food items.  With the help of colleagues here and abroad, I eventually arrived at a diet that has allowed me to breed a number of native and exotic millipedes, and to maintain individual animals for over 10 years.

A Useful Millipede Diet

In addition to leaf litter and wood (please see Part I of this article), I feed most millipedes a mixed salad of yam, carrot, kale, cucumber, apple, banana and a wide variety of other fruits and vegetables.  To this is added moistened insect gut-loading diet and tropical fish flakes, both of which supply necessary protein, and a bit of Forest Tortoise Food.

San Francisco Bay Prepared Tortoise Food is a convenient means of providing a wide variety of nutritious foods, and is readily accepted by many millipedes. I use this as an occasional supplement, or mix it into the regular salad.  All food offered is powdered with Reptocal.

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  Please see Part I of this article  for my “close call” with some cyanide-producing millipedes.  

Millipede Generated Cyanide and Poison Frogs

It seems that millipedes of many types (there are over 10,000 species described to date) mix hydrogen cyanide, quinones, phenols and aldehydes with enzymes to create toxic defensive sprays and secretions.  In fact, tiny millipedes consumed by poison frogs (Dendrobates spp.) account for some if not most of the virulent skin toxins found in the skins of these colorful amphibians. 

Much like the frogs, millipedes seem to obtain at least some defensive chemicals from their diet.  As is true with poison frogs and related species, the toxicity of the millipedes’ secretions decreases over time when they consume captive diets. 

Monkeys and People Draft Millipedes to Battle Pests

The monkeys studied by my friend (please see Part I) were using the millipedes as a mosquito and parasite repellent.  The millipedes seemed quite valuable to the monkeys – so much so that the normally arboreal primates left the safety of the tress to retrieve any millipedes that had been accidentally dropped.

Certain millipede secretions also have antibacterial properties, and are being investigated for medicinal use…it is not known if monkeys exploit this aspect of the toxins as well.

Millipedes as Pets

Millipede secretions can irritate our skin, mucus membranes and eyes, so I always caution people to handle them with gloves and to keep the animals away from one’s face.  Stressed millipedes confined in airtight containers have been known to expire from the concentrated effects of their own toxins.

That being said, millipedes make extremely interesting terrarium subjects, and a number breed well in captivity.  Next time I’ll cover the care of a few regularly available species. 

Further Reading

Millipedes have other defensive tricks as well.  A tiny millipede native to Florida uses detachable bristles to disable ants and other predators.  Read more here.

Until then, please write in with your questions and comments. 

Thanks,

 Frank Indiviglio

Harapahe haydeniana image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Folini
Millipede image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Esculapio

Mantids (a/k/a praying mantis) are growing in popularity among invertebrate keepers, with a number of species now being regularly bred in captivity. Ranging in size from minute stick-mimics to 10-inch-long behemoths capable of capturing mice and lizards, the world’s 2,400+ mantid species are among the insect world’s most fascinating members, and many are well suited to terrarium life.

Sociable Mantids?

Praying mantids vie with weasels and shrews as the most rapacious of all predators…I once saw a female Chinese mantid (Tenodera aridifolia sinensis) catch and consume a hornet while she was copulating! Females of many species eat their mates, often during the act of mating.

However, some species, including the popularly-kept dead leaf mantid (Tenodera aridifolia), get along quite well together. I have raised clutches of dead leaf mantids with very few losses….perhaps several hanging upside down from a branch, as is their habit, are better camouflaged than would be a single individual.

Camouflage Artists

All mantids studied thus far are supremely well-camouflaged, mimicking, among other things, leaves, sticks, bark and lichen. Orchid mantids so closely resemble their namesakes that insects often alight directly upon them, mistaking the spectacularly-colored predators for flowers.

Farmer’s Friend

Insatiable appetites have long endeared mantids to farmers the world over. The Chinese mantid was imported into the USA in 1896 to battle agricultural pests. Exceeding the nation’s 20 native species in size, the Chinese mantid may consume upwards of 2,000 insects during its lifetime. Millions of its egg cases, or oothecum, are still sold annually for use in gardens, greenhouses and farms.

The European or praying mantid (Mantis religiosa) appeared in the USA in 1899, as a stowaway. Armed with a taste for the tree-killing gypsy moth (also a European introduction), the new insect predator quickly found favor in its adopted home. Today both mantids are widely distributed throughout the USA.

My own introduction to mantid rearing, at age 7, involved a famous entomologist and chop meat waved about on toothpicks. I’ll cover that story and mantid care in the future.

Further Reading

To learn more about mantid natural history and biology, please visit

http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20o?search=Mantodea.

Image referenced from Wikipedia and originally posted by GRBerry.

In Part I of this article, I discussed how we can use simple pitfall traps to capture nutritious foods for pet reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.  While writing, it occurred to me that one of North America’s largest and most interesting beetles, the caterpillar hunter (Calosoma scrutator), often turns up in such traps.

Interesting but Ignored

Caterpillar hunters exhibit many qualities that render them ideal terrarium subjects.  They are large, bold, diurnal, brightly-colored, voracious predators, temperature-hardy and breed well.  Despite this, like most US natives, they receive virtually no attention from hobbyists.  Caterpillar hunters are, however, much in demand elsewhere – on my last visit to Japan, entomologists at the Tama Zoo (which hosts a huge building and an outdoor exhibit for insects) assured me they would accept all that came their way.

Natural History

Our native caterpillar hunters are mostly large and brightly-colored, and spend the day searching for insects and their pupae.  Over 2,000 species (Family Carabidae) roam our forests, fields and parks, with 40,000+ having been described worldwide.  One, the forest caterpillar hunter, was imported to the USA from Europe in 1905 to battle gypsy moths.  The grub-like larvae of most are also predacious, constructing burrows from which they ambush passing insects.

Caterpillar hunters are the most numerous predators within many habitats.  Calleida decora, for example, achieves densities of over 5,000 individuals per acre on US soybean farms.  Much favored by farmers battling the velvet bean caterpillar, a single beetle may consume 7-10 caterpillars each day, and each female produces 800-1,000 eggs.

Captive Husbandry

Caterpillar hunters make fascinating terrarium subjects.  Clad in beautiful iridescent colors, most are not at all shy about revealing a range of interesting behaviors.  They do well at normal room temperatures and can be housed in planted terrariums or simple plastic enclosures.  Adults hibernate during the winter, with some species reaching at least 3 years of age.

I have bred two species in captivity, and it seems likely that many others would be equally cooperative.  Caterpillar hunters can be fed crickets, newly molted (white) mealworms and their pupae, waxworms (which, being caterpillars, are a favorite!) and wild-caught insects.

As certain species defend themselves with irritating secretions, caterpillar hunters are best handled with gloves of tongs.

Further Reading

An interesting account of caterpillar hunter behavior is posted at

http://books.google.com/books?id=Qv0SAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA3-PA103&lpg=RA3-PA103&dq=Calosoma+scrutator+appetite&source=bl&ots=Hblglvy188&sig=z1NFPCmeytF-oh_OGWMvdmNZsak&hl=en&ei=WhNlSozhN4HaNpOD0Z8M&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9.

Caterpillar hunter image referenced from Wikipedia and originally posted by Fritz Geller-Grimm

Caterpillar hunter larva image referenced from Wikipedia and originally posted by Gyorgy Csoka, Hungary Forest Research Institute, Bugwood.org