# Insect keepers



## Spike14 (May 13, 2006)

I was hoping to see some pics of some of the people on this site who keep insects, like spiders scorps rhino bettles etc

cheers

kane


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## Hickson (May 13, 2006)

Small point: Spiders and scorps aren't insects.



Hix


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## Spike14 (May 13, 2006)

was hoping no one would pic up on that


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## Rep-Style (May 13, 2006)

That would b good 2 see only problem is most dont like bright lights eg: flash ov a camera, any 1 know tha lifespan ov a giant burrowing roach?


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## Malley (May 13, 2006)

so you after pics of insects or arachnids?


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## Moreliaman (May 14, 2006)

heres one of each :wink:


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## Moreliaman (May 14, 2006)

and another scorp just for luck! :wink:


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## Moreliaman (May 14, 2006)

sorry just to add, if anyone looking has read the camera thread, all these pics were taken with a fuji finepix s6900 , except for the madagascan cockroach laying an egg case (first pic) that was taken with a fuji finepix s7000.


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## Spike14 (May 14, 2006)

lol pics of both!! thing like rhino bettles, praying mantises and cool insects like that, also spiders and scorps


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## Bigblackdog (May 14, 2006)

Moreliaman said:


> heres one of each :wink:


HOLY SH!T 
Next time, please put a warning on your post!
I keep scorps, lizards & pythons, but when I saw those Red Knees I actually pushed back from my PC monitor!
Thanks for posting your location on your post. At least I can rest easy knowing those terrifying [email protected]@rds aren't available here in Australia.

:|


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## Nome (May 14, 2006)

Some of my Australian tarantulas:

Jewel






Ellie :






bubba's 





Spider moult (Jewel's)





Wolfie:





Jewel and male mating


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## jordo (May 14, 2006)

I had a spiny leaf insect once when i was little but it died 
Good pics getting posted - the red knees look great


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## Possum (May 14, 2006)

*Insects*

Nome your Ellie looks excellent, if only I could look that closely at our T's  
They still freak me out but Hubby loves them.


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## Nome (May 14, 2006)

Ellie actually scares me, she's the only one I am really careful around. She can move lightning fast despite being the size of my hand and she gets narky really easily lol.

You're doing well just keeping them, in time you'll be able to get closer to them. How big are they now? 

Oh, and I looove redknees, exotic tarantulas are the only exotics i'd really love to get, you have some awesome furry ones over there! and far less agro then the australian ones too.


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## Spike14 (May 14, 2006)

Thanks for the pics guys (and girls :wink: ) i cannot wait until i gte my spiders and hopefully going to get some scorions aswell, you can post more pics if you want


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## Possum (May 14, 2006)

*Insects*

Ours are about the size of a 20c piece with their legs stretched out (maybe a little bit bigger), they have molted a couple of times which is pretty freaky because you think "heck what happened to her is she dead" :lol: 
They are very secretive, they wander around their enclosures at night pretty freely but during the day they hide and watch for you so you can't see them. 
Awesome webs though, they are funny, if they feel a little cricket outside the house they put one leg out and gently patt around, it is funny to watch the cricket just freezes when a big hairy leg touches him on the head :lol: 
I think they sometimes die of a heart attack, I know I would!


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## Nome (May 14, 2006)

lol, in a year or two poss they'll be adults, they are far less flightly and you see them more.

I got bitten by an adult once due to me being too complacent, I had her in a small enclosure when I was moving house and she kinda sprung out onto my arm. They aren't handlers that's for sure....that's why I'm jealous of the exotic ones as they are far less likely to bite and people handle them. If the exotic laws ever come in, the first thing I'll get is a T.blondi (goliath bird eater), they are double the size of my biggest girl Jewel, about 30cm legspan.

Here's a moult of one of my bigger girls fangs, they pack a punch alright


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## Malley (May 14, 2006)

Im doing an entomology subject at uni, and have to do a collection, i dont keep any live insects but here are some photos of my collection.




























Thats just some of the collection, i have to get a fair few different ones yet, i have to get specimens from 15 different orders... :shock: 
Heres a random photo of a golden orb weaver that lives outside my room  




Cheers, Malley


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## Spike14 (May 14, 2006)

:shock: i was reffring to live animals :shock: but those are still kool  if it isnt to much to ask just pics of set ups and enclosures would be good


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## Nome (May 14, 2006)

They are really cool Malley...was it hard pinning them? i think I would have a lot of trouble doing it, I really love insects.

What are you studying?


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## Malley (May 14, 2006)

Yeah, its very time consuming pinning them out, you have to put heaps of pins to position them properly, then you can remove them about 3 weeks later when they have dried out and will keep that position. I only decided to change my course two weeks into the semester, i was doing a bachelor of biotechnology, but im now doing science, majoring in zoology. The subjects im doing current are: microbiology, plant physiology (the biotech subjects that i kept, cause i only need one zool subject per semester to major in zoology), and my zoology focused subjects: invertebrate biology, and insect science: a basic outline of entomology.

It was really weird pinning my first insect, it was the grasshopper, and it felt so bizarre putting it in a position i wanted it to be in, and it just being so limp...after that i sort of got over it.

Cheers, Malley


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## jordo (May 14, 2006)

Malley what uni are you at? When I'm in second year (bachelor of biological sciences) i have to do a very similar unit of entomology where I collect insects as well.


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## Bigblackdog (May 14, 2006)

The big spiders (even Huntsman) really freak me out, but I don't mind things like redbacks!
Are the Aussie Tarantulas difficult to keep?
As silly as it sounds, I'm thinking of getting one to set up in a 1' tank to study and get used to these creatures.
Are they demanding/hard to maintain at all?
Any species 'better' to keep than others?
Am I better purchasing my animal from a breeder rather than a petstore, as I do with my reptiles?

Here's a couple of pix of one of my scorps, Venom. Carnage was camera-shy that day
:cry:


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## Bigblackdog (May 14, 2006)

Didn't attatch?


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## Spike14 (May 14, 2006)

nice scorpions, i would say it would be better the purchase from a breeder, and alot cheaper . . . i think hornet has some left(i am getting mine from him  !!)


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## Nome (May 14, 2006)

BBD- This is my website (graphics aren't done yet) with care info on Australian tarantulas. I suggest you get one from a breeder as well, we usually sell our for $10-$40 and often give some away. We are all out this season though, hornet may have some left. It's much better to get captive bred ones than the pet shop ones.

http://www.aussiereptilekeeper.com/save_our_tarantulas/tarantulacare.html


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## deathinfire (May 14, 2006)

The pictures are great everyone but........EWWWW!!!!!!


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## Bigblackdog (May 14, 2006)

Nome said:


> BBD- This is my website (graphics aren't done yet) with care info on Australian tarantulas. I suggest you get one from a breeder as well, we usually sell our for $10-$40 and often give some away. We are all out this season though, hornet may have some left. It's much better to get captive bred ones than the pet shop ones.
> 
> http://www.aussiereptilekeeper.com/save_our_tarantulas/tarantulacare.html



Thanks for that Nome.
I'll read up on these animals and then contact hornet.
If you could pass my details onto him/her I'd be grateful.

The arachnid adventure continues with the spider chapter just beginning... :wink:


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## Spike14 (May 14, 2006)

http://www.aussiepythons.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=14443 thats hornets stuff, i forgot to ad it to the reply pm i sent you


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## nigmax (May 14, 2006)

Heres a pic of the one i seem to have inherited,


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## Spike14 (May 14, 2006)

wow thats nice what is he/she?


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## jordo (May 14, 2006)

How long after mating do scorpions have their babies?


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## Malley (May 14, 2006)

Hey jordo, im studying in Brisbane, University of Queensland, St Lucia campus.


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## Spike14 (May 14, 2006)

anyone else have more pics?


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## craig.a.c (May 14, 2006)

Moreliaman
What is the big yellow thing coming from the backside of the giant cockroach?


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## cris (May 14, 2006)

Here are some pics of my rainforest scorpions and their enclosure  
and a spider that i cant identify, any ideas? they grow to about a 20c legspan and are fairly common here :?


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## Sdaji (May 15, 2006)

Malley: in second year at La Trobe I had to do submit an insect collection. We needed 25 species from 15 orders, there are similar assignments at a lot of unis, some only ask for 10 orders (too easy!) Others demand 20! shock . Having been a keen amateur entomologist, including finding as diverse a range of insects as possible and in some cases pinnning them to boards (sure sure, flame away if it will make you happy, don't expect any response, but I'll point out now that it's legal, common practice among insect enthusiasts and you probably use fly spray/repelent/swat mosquitoes anyway  ) since I was 3 years old , this assignment was the one which by a very long way, I enjoyed more than any other in my degree, and also the one I found easiest. There are 17 or 18 orders which are very easily obtainable, PM me if you need some help.


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## basketcase (May 15, 2006)

This tarantula is native to Peru, large and quite beautiful. I discovered they have barbed feet when I had this guy crawling all over my face


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## Malley (May 15, 2006)

Craig A.C - its an egg case that that cockroach is laying
Sdaji - i might take you up on that offer sometime Sdaji, ill have to have a good look over the insects i have already and count the orders, im not too sure but i think i have around 10 or 11 at the moment....i need to collect 45 specimens, but i think im going to be right for numbers, just not sure bout the different orders, especially since its getting a bit colder now...
Basketcase - that is an awesome spider!


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## Possum (May 15, 2006)

*Insect*

Is that hanging onto your LEG BasketCase? OMG that is creepy....... :shock:


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## Moreliaman (May 15, 2006)

used to have a 20 draw cabinet full of insects,got rid of the lot now though, if anyone needs setting equipment i have some setting boards here im not using, also like saji, if you need any insects (i presume your allowed dead specimens for scientific study) let me know, i can get 1000's of different insects, butterflies,beetles,mantids,spiders etc.

Nice tarantula, looks like a male pamphobeteus species,


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