# Jerusalem Cricket (Potato Bug)



## Eclipse (Mar 27, 2010)

I heard they lived in the Western United States but I have never found them here in the urban area.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WBOt4L2ers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7HhlExv7yY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI-QOM0zLpU

Have anybody every kept one before? I seen one a long time ago when I was in elementary up north of California and I was interested ever since. I never really seen them mentioned on here but I think they're really cool. 

I also have a growing interest in Lubber Grasshoppers as well.


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## gvfarns (Mar 27, 2010)

"Child of the earth" is what they called them where I grew up.  Pretty much live underground, don't they?  Not sure how conveniently they can be kept as pets.


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## skippy (Mar 27, 2010)

i find them everywhere here. they shouldn't be difficult to keep as they eat decaying vegitation and are found in a wide variety of habitats. not sure how entertaining they would be though:}


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## ZergFront (Mar 27, 2010)

I had a large adult one as a kid that created quite a funny escape story. 

 I made the mistake of keeping it "communally" with spittlebugs I caught. He ate more than half of the bugs. I found out later on that they take to pinhead crickets very easily, but let me tell you - a dead feeder cricket's stink has got NOTHING on these guys! :barf:


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## Eclipse (Mar 28, 2010)

Ayuh. Skippy... You don't think you can throw some of them this way can you?  eh? I want to try them out and see if I can breed them. I'll tell everyone how it goes. Might get something new added to the hobby


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## skippy (Mar 28, 2010)

you seriously don't have any down there? i thought they were state wide?


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## cacoseraph (Mar 28, 2010)

scabies is working on these a bit.  we haven't really started cracking down on the taxonomy and stuff yet

we have found some very interesting ones: giants, cool butt stripes, interesting ~protonum and leg coloration, etc

i think i have three or five right now

some species are protected so we are working on getting down what specimens we can't collect and then we are hopefully going to be doing some documenting in wild and captivity including trying to figure out breeding and getting the eggs to hatch.  hopefully in less than five years we can offer the hobby babies of a few species to check out 


nice red coloration. p.s. yes, i should have put the bug on a dif colored rock, but i really liked that rock





http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b287/cacoseraph/insect/cricket/ac_CricketRed_A_01b.jpg






zoom -> http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b287/cacoseraph/insect/cricket/ac_CricketRed_B_02a.jpg
this pic does a MUCH better job of showing off this fellow's coloration


kinda cool detail shot of head





zoom http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b287/cacoseraph/insect/cricket/ac_CricketRed_A_04headb.jpg
zoomier http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b287/cacoseraph/insect/cricket/ac_CricketRed_A_04headc.jpg




i thought ihad more pics online.  i left my camera about 300 miles away in the aftermath of this AWESOME bug and herp bbq thrown by http://www.gbuenterprises.com/ or i would take pics of the dudes i have now... the pics i posted are a couple few years old, iirc


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## Eclipse (Mar 28, 2010)

skippy said:


> you seriously don't have any down there? i thought they were state wide?


I have never encountered one here ever and I been around. Only once somewhere up north of California. When I was like... 7

@cacoseraph
I found this online, think it might help http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/files/ho/other/fs9935.pdf

If you know where I can get some let me know. I'd want to help out in the research of rearing these


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## ZergFront (Mar 28, 2010)

I guess if your fine with pet holes these are great. I do like that they get nice and big, though. If you try to pick them up, they kick you and they're back legs are a little spiny. Don't get bit either. 

 I have yet to figure out how to sex them, though. Every one of these crickets look the same on the first look..


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## cacoseraph (Mar 28, 2010)

@ec
sure thing dude.  i'll try to figure out how to hopefully send you a group of the same species =P
oh dude! i just caught that bit about the lubbers... i am really interested in trying to raise some of the native hopper species.  also, did you see my ant cricket thread?  i want to take a picture of a 3mm ant cricket on 3" j cricket 




@zerg
i just keep them in cups with enough sub to push around but not enough to bury themselves in, for display.  this will keep them alive a good amount of time.  they eat other bugs, roots, maybe some vegs, and catfood (though i have only read/heard that catfood thing).

and heck yes!  they have some of the most powerful, burly jaws i have seen in native bugs


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## Eclipse (Mar 28, 2010)

In the link I posted earlier it says that males are more massive and have a bigger head and thorax while females have a smaller head and thorax with a bigger abdomen compared to the males. So size reference... they are basically the opposite of each other.  Easy peezy. I think....


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## cacoseraph (Mar 29, 2010)

the computer i am on sucks for pdfs.. it's killing me


that sounds like something that would be pretty easy to take pics of a decent sized group of them.


actually... now that i back think... i am sure i have seen different sexes of the same species before.  the females can look almost goofy with the little head big belly thing. males look more burly and like, fightery


hopefully i will get my cam back and go collecting next weekend 


oooh... or i can try to borrow my dad's boss ass camera

well better than my cheapie PAS


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## BiologicalJewels (Mar 31, 2010)

Eclipse said:


> In the link I posted earlier it says that males are more massive and have a bigger head and thorax while females have a smaller head and thorax with a bigger abdomen compared to the males. So size reference... they are basically the opposite of each other.  Easy peezy. I think....





When it comes to the overall size of the JC, it has been studied, and confirmed, that in some species (iirc), the fact that the male is larger actually has a negative effect in the overall reproductive process... something along the lines of bigger male= less chances of a positive outcome in the amount of fertilized eggs, it's something of a declining slope.

You will definitely see some of these in the hobby in the future, given the interest is there.

Gotta be careful about collecting them though, most of their native range (in Cali) has been broken apart into little (and not so little) segments. Some of these are very.. very  peculiar. 

It was thought there were only some species here in N. Ame. there may be more than previously thought.

Fragmented habitats may also mean even greater genetical diversity in the future (or present) for certain JC communities.


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## NevularScorpion (Mar 31, 2010)

After searching them on you tube and reading few articles about this cool lil insects. I found out that they can be great feeders to some inverts and animals. In addition, they are edible too in some point, they were shown on fear factor. I wonder if they are a delicacy in some other countries. They might be delicious; I want a tempura potato bugs lol

anyways this is some of the video on youtube that i want to share

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CXb-cfMhEQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45ofWt6hhtU&feature=related


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## Eclipse (Mar 31, 2010)

balam said:


> When it comes to the overall size of the JC, it has been studied, and confirmed, that in some species (iirc), the fact that the male is larger actually has a negative effect in the overall reproductive process... something along the lines of bigger male= less chances of a positive outcome in the amount of fertilized eggs, it's something of a declining slope.


So basically, bigger isn't always better. Hehehehe..... :razz:


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## Teal (Mar 31, 2010)

*We have them everywhere here!! Lift a rock, and you're sure to find one. I got annoyed with how many there were when I was younger and bug hunting, because with one of these under a rock there really wasn't anything else. *


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## Eclipse (Mar 31, 2010)

Where are you from?


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## Travis K (Apr 1, 2010)

I have found them in Eastern Washington.  Very cool, and very big.  They are easier to find at night with high power flashlights/headlights when they cross the road, cause they cast a pretty big shadow.  The one I caught last summer almost looked like a T crossing the road from the shadow it had cast.  I think I still have the carcass in my T room.


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## BiologicalJewels (Apr 1, 2010)

Eclipse said:


> So basically, bigger isn't always better. Hehehehe..... :razz:


at least not in this case... nope.


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## Teal (Apr 3, 2010)

Eclipse said:


> Where are you from?


*

I am in northern California. *


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## new ento (Apr 3, 2010)

Hey guys, I remember reading about these when I was little! I too would like to give these a try! Could anyone hook me up with some too?


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## Bugs In Cyberspace (Apr 3, 2010)

We have them here in Eastern and Southern Oregon, but I don't get over there often enough to collect them. They show up in the fall. My friends see them while they're out hunting.

The original post also mentioned lubbers. Here are two videos I shot on the subjects:

http://www.youtube.com/user/bugsincyberspace?feature=mhw4#p/u/19/sI-QOM0zLpU

http://www.youtube.com/user/bugsincyberspace?feature=mhw4#p/u/25/PFchWzKM0yc


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## TheTyro (Apr 3, 2010)

I had no idea they lived in Eastern Washington! Just another reason I want to take a trip down there...so much I wanna find.


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## Teal (Apr 5, 2010)

*If anyone wants some, I can definitely try to catch a few  *


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## new ento (Apr 5, 2010)

OOH! OOH! Nathan would like some! Put me on the list please! 

How much do you want for them?


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## cacoseraph (Apr 7, 2010)

i think/hope this is 1.1 (and not just dif sp)






zoom http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b287/cacoseraph/insect/cricket/jerusalem/Pbug_boygirlb.jpg



new suit!






http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b287/cacoseraph/insect/cricket/jerusalem/Pbug_newsuitb.jpg

that little guy made a sort of molting chamber. i broke it open cuz it was feeding time and i couldn't remember which bug was in that cup


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## cacoseraph (Apr 7, 2010)

the "boy" from my previous posts is going nuts trying to get out of his cup


i have him lightly double contained... so it should be interesting to see if he can chew through a condiment cup that has no air holes as starters. i am betting he finds a way.  of all the bugs i keep and kept, i think size proportional these and solpugids have the craziest jaw strength


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## BiologicalJewels (Apr 8, 2010)

Andrew... you may still have a female in your hands...
Would be nice to put it's container on top of some membranous amplifier of sorts... dunno if it's the right idea, but their "songs" are done by beating their abdomen to the ground... subs vibrations... maybe he is looking to mate...


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## cacoseraph (Apr 8, 2010)

ooh, that would be cool!  i have him in totally the wrong set up to do that and i have microphones worth speaking of.  hmm hmm hmm


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## BiologicalJewels (Apr 8, 2010)

care to elaborate on the mike?
This might be really interesting actually... let me know if you plan to go ahead on it, I'd really like to see how you set it up


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## cacoseraph (Apr 8, 2010)

should have been NO microphones to speak of :/

i manage to leave out the most important words from time to time.  not sure why that is =P


i think the right kind of membrane amplifier should allow even my crappy webcam or digicam mike pic it up


got another "boy" today 

maybe if i put the two boys together i can see some cool ritual combat or something


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## BiologicalJewels (Apr 9, 2010)

Yup... that word might have been important in my understanding of the sentence 

I dunno about them fighting... but I according to wiki, some sp. will make raspy sounds with their leg spines in order to scurry predator away... never witnessed it, but it would be interesting to try and re-create.


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## cacoseraph (Apr 11, 2010)

oh, some are pretty hissy! i never knew what the specific mechanism was... but it sounds a bit like a hissing cockroach 





you know, if these are at all culturable i think they could do very well in the hobby!  they are actually pretty fun to watch rooting around and stuff.


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## Galapoheros (Apr 11, 2010)

I've never seen a live one before, of course not native here in Texas.  I used to want one when I was a kid.  Here's a red a black one, obviously probably in Mexico.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNDH4fNuioM&feature=related


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## cacoseraph (Apr 11, 2010)

nice!

i've got one or two almost that pretty.  i've seen more intensely colored, but they are always very small, still


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## BiologicalJewels (Apr 12, 2010)

that looks very, very similar to the sp. mahogany....
I believed they were the only (afaik) "species" without the yellow banding.

Caco, I definitely agree with the hobby potential, but these little guys are such great educational specimens, I listen day to day from people that when asked about them firmly believe they are:

a) poisonous/venomous
b) scream like children when threatened 

and to make it worse, due to these beliefs they tend to kill them regardless of them being a nuisance or not (yes, they can be a nuisance to some as they do eat grass roots and may make a lawn look patchy).

OR


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## cacoseraph (Apr 12, 2010)

ha! the noise they make *is* a tiny bit like a tiny kid scream... i hadn't really thought of it that way, but can see how if you were already biased in that direction it could sound pretty eerie 


yeah! i hadn't even thought about the like, educational potential there!  they are probably one of the like, top ten misunderstood bugs in southern california




hmm... do i smell another article?  top ten misunderstood bugs in southern california

heh =P


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## Teal (Apr 12, 2010)

*I haven't had any luck finding any this time around.. which is odd, because we used to be swarmed with them! *


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## cacoseraph (Apr 12, 2010)

when i have like thirteen or so i will try to make a nice little youtube about them and try to get the squeak if nothing else


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## Moose9 (Apr 12, 2010)

Use to see them around here in the area years ago. We call them potato bugs here. I don't get out much now, so I don't see them. When I was servicing swimming pools, I was always pulling dead ones out of the water. Some were huge. There pretty cool to look at and observe when in captivity and on the surface. They like to burrow, which always reminded me of a gopher cause the one I once had would push the dirt out of its burrow.


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## ZergFront (Apr 12, 2010)

I think the longhorn beetles we have around here make a more creepy noise than potato bugs.

 Might be cool to raise for the hobby. Doesn't seem quite practical as a feeder. I'm lucky to even accidentally find one under a brick or log. I don't know if it's because they're such good hiders or if they breed slow...


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## cacoseraph (Apr 13, 2010)

[YOUTUBE]sr5p3PpOsEA[/YOUTUBE]

is that a mahogany at ~1:28 or so?

i don't have that specimen... can't really even remember where i saw it at :/


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## szappan (Apr 16, 2010)

Hey everyone!   Sorry I'm late for the Jerusalem Cricket party... 

Years ago, sometime around '97 I visited a friend that had moved to Los Angeles.  Amongst my 'list of things to do' was to try and find one of these gorgeous crickets that I had only seen in books or online.

And wouldn't you know it, I found one under the very first rock I turned over in a park in Palos Verdes!  I wasn't even planning on going "bug hunting" that day so I had to catch her in my baseball cap.  Luckily she just hid up in the seam and stayed there.  I thought maybe that they were common, but despite lifting every single rock on that hill I didn't find another.

She was awesome.  She didn't seem too picky about her diet but was just utterly vicious when I would toss a feeder cricket in.  She would literally not stop chasing it down and then attack so ferociously that the force of her attack would push the cricket into the ground and she'd have to dig and pull it out to eat it.

And I say "she" because a few weeks later she laid eggs all over her container.  They were about 2 - 3mm in diameter, white and round.  I was surprised she didn't lay them in a clutch, I found them randomly scattered.  She died a few days later.  Unfortunately nothing came of the eggs.

I've had her preserved in alcohol for years now and luckily she's not fallen apart or anything [knocks on wood].

I would LOVE a chance to get my hands on a few but I'm several timezones removed from California now... 

Here's some pics.




















As far as sexing goes, sorry if this is a dumb question, but wouldn't the females have an ovipositor?


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## twilightmom (Aug 26, 2010)

*someone wanting specimens?*

Ok...I'm new here, so bear with me. I'm in Washington, and have these horrific things in my garage!  I know what the adults look like, but what do the hatchlings or nymphs look like?  I'm trying to figure out what these other critters I keep seeing are. Lol
Plus, I noticed someone looking for specimens?


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## H. laoticus (Aug 26, 2010)

The male is the one with the large head if I'm correct :?
I've caught a few of these before and they're pretty awesome.
Do you know if they're communal?  I tend to find only 1 under logs/rocks.


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## cacoseraph (Aug 26, 2010)

baby jerusalems look like smaller versions of the adults, they don't do any metamorphosis stuff


all the species i have found are not communal at all. they tend to eat each other rather quickly.  maybe a fairly massive cage with few bugs might work.


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## GPulchra (Aug 26, 2010)

Can I catch them in Jerusalem? It's only going to be, like, a 20-minute drive when we move back there next year.


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## BiologicalJewels (Aug 26, 2010)

didn't know you were going to live there next year!


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## GPulchra (Aug 26, 2010)

Not forever. Just a few months for my Bar Mitzvah. But _I_ may be staying there to finish school and start high school.


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## twilightmom (Aug 26, 2010)

cacoseraph said:


> baby jerusalems look like smaller versions of the adults, they don't do any metamorphosis stuff
> 
> 
> all the species i have found are not communal at all. they tend to eat each other rather quickly.  maybe a fairly massive cage with few bugs might work.


Thxs. I'm trying to find out what these other critters are that are running around my garage also. 
The last JC I saw a couple of weeks ago was approx 5" long. And that is NOT a woman being over dramatic about an ugly bug.  We grow 'em big here in central Wa. 
The one I caught last year would "cry" when frightened. I felt bad and let it go. Didn't find out what they were til just a few weeks ago.


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## cacoseraph (Aug 27, 2010)

BurntSnow said:


> Can I catch them in Jerusalem? It's only going to be, like, a 20-minute drive when we move back there next year.


neg =P
plenty of sweet bugs out that way, though.  some gnarly scorpions.



they don't seem to care that much for potatoes, either =P


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## NevularScorpion (Aug 27, 2010)

BurntSnow said:


> Not forever. Just a few months for my Bar Mitzvah. But _I_ may be staying there to finish school and start high school.


Don't forget to bring me some Fat tails scorpions when you come back especially those orthocherius


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## twilightmom (Aug 28, 2010)

So, when u say "smaller versions", how small is that. I mean, how big are they when hatched? These things are 2" long or less, down to maybe 1/4".  Very light tan, kinda like the only scorpion I've ever seen. And FAST!  I guess they're not the same thing, iirc they don't have the same body characteristics. Oh well.  Thxs!  {o:


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## cacoseraph (Aug 28, 2010)

i believe the smallest jcrik i have seen was about 1/3" to 1/2" long. i am not sure how small hatchlings are but i suspect they would be 1/4" or even a bit shorter


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## dtknow (Aug 28, 2010)

I've sen some similar to the ones caco posted....not the red sp. though. Thy are quit easy to find and  quit frankly I don't bother collecting them. I kept one as a pet back in highschool...vicious little bugger as others mentioned. But lately they kind of give me the heebie jeebies.


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## Tleilaxu (Aug 29, 2010)

The reason none of the eggs hatched was they were in the wrong location, "potato bugs" lay their eggs down people's throats and ears!


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## Smokehound714 (Oct 2, 2013)

Reviving this thread because I'm currently attempting to breed them.  

    Anyone have success with the eggs?   I have a feeling they simply need the proper substrate.  Since everyone seems to keep them in coco, that may be the only reason they're having such difficulty.

   I bet the same substrate used for hadrurus would be much better.  I'll update this as I progress!


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## khil (Oct 3, 2013)

Smokehound714 said:


> Reviving this thread because I'm currently attempting to breed them.
> 
> Anyone have success with the eggs?   I have a feeling they simply need the proper substrate.  Since everyone seems to keep them in coco, that may be the only reason they're having such difficulty.
> 
> I bet the same substrate used for hadrurus would be much better.  I'll update this as I progress!


That's pretty cool, mind giving tips on setup? I've kept some with a few inches of coco fibre, they eat lettuce, leeks etc. They seem to be doing fine but suddenly die after a few weeks.
Good luck with the eggs!


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## Smokehound714 (Oct 3, 2013)

Gotta give em more than veggies, they're extremely carnivorous, give them lots of live prey to munch on.  These will actually break into anuroctonus burrows, killing and eating adult females!  

     The same substrate I use for scorpions and solifugae is much better IMO, a sand/silt/clay mix.   The hard part is not being able to really check on them, as they likely need to be left alone, and their burrows must be left intact.  They'll eat and thrive in coconut fiber, but their eggs may require the sandy clay mixture.

  Gotta give em lots of substrate, too.  enough to make a complex tunnel system.


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## MrCrackerpants (Oct 5, 2013)

Smokehound714 said:


> Gotta give em more than veggies, they're extremely carnivorous, give them lots of live prey to munch on.  These will actually break into anuroctonus burrows, killing and eating adult females!
> 
> The same substrate I use for scorpions and solifugae is much better IMO, a sand/silt/clay mix.   The hard part is not being able to really check on them, as they likely need to be left alone, and their burrows must be left intact.  They'll eat and thrive in coconut fiber, but their eggs may require the sandy clay mixture.
> 
> Gotta give em lots of substrate, too.  enough to make a complex tunnel system.


Good luck. It would be cool if you could figure out how to get these to reproduce in captivity.


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## Spepper (Oct 5, 2013)

I just caught one of these, and have been wanting one for a little while now!  He (I say 'he' because he matches the descriptions of males here) is in a couple inches of moist, sandy soil.  I fed him a well-scrubbed baby carrot and peeled chunk of potato, and the carrot is completely gone (pulled under) but he only nibbled on the potato once.   For a potato bug he sure doesn't seem to care much for potatoes.  I read somewhere that they'll eat worms?  He has a little den or chamber under a piece of bark I put in there.  Would he attack it if I dropped it in on him?  Or would it be better to just drop it in outside of his chamber and wait for him to find it himself?  They're really unique and wonderful creatures.  I got bit by them once when I was much younger but it really wasn't that bad.  It didn't even break the skin.  Maybe I just got lucky? lol


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## Smokehound714 (Oct 6, 2013)

He'll eat anything, really.  I wouldn't feed him crickets though, he could catch diseases that other ensifera can catch, like horse hair worms, which survive being eaten.  They're actually a vector themselves for horse hair worms.


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## windscorpions1 (Dec 5, 2013)

Not to bring back old, unimportant threads but what enclosures do you use for these guys? I have a cheap kritter keeper from petco but the plastic is really thin and I have heard stories of them chewing through those things.


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## Spepper (Dec 6, 2013)

I have one of mine in a pre-cut pineapple container from Costco.  The plastic is pretty thin in that, and has kept him well.  At first I thought it might be too shallow (it's only like 4 inches deep) but, mostly-filled with dirt, he's lasted for just about exactly 2 months now.   He loves mealworms especially—I've found that he'll eat crickets but they're a bit fast so he prefers regular mealworms.  Anyway.  I'm rambling.  Thin plastic isn't a problem in my experience, although if they could reach the top of a kritter keeper they might be able to chew through the vents at the top.  If they can't get their jaws around it, they can't chew through otherwise though.

Reactions: Like 1


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