# Jerusalem Cricket



## GQ. (Mar 9, 2005)

Found this tank while out the other day.  The jaws on these critters are amazing.  I wish I had macro so I could take a closeup of them.  They look like they could inflict a painful bite.


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## biznacho (Mar 9, 2005)

I remember placing an upside down margerine tub over one when I was younger.  It kept moving as if I had done nothing.  It's kind of eerie to watch trash move by itself...

biznacho


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## Scythemantis (Mar 9, 2005)

They are awesome-looking animals, I would love to own some.

I've pictured Gregor in Kafka's _Metamorphosis_ being one of these instead of the more popular interpretation of a cockroach. 

And they're another insect incorrectly called a "potato bug" by most people.


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## Black Hawk (Mar 9, 2005)

GQ. said:
			
		

> They look like they could inflict a painful bite.


i got bit buy one, it's a good pinch. u'll know u've been bitten. i'm trying to find a few this summer to raise/breed/keep. we'll see if i'm any good at finding them.


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## Alex S. (Mar 9, 2005)

Very nice specimen. The _Stenopelmatus_ are an awesome orthopteran genus. There is actually believed to be up to 40 separate jerusalem cricket species in California alone, but only a handful have been named and described.

Alex S.


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## Kid Dragon (Mar 9, 2005)

GQ. said:
			
		

> Found this tank while out the other day.  The jaws on these critters are amazing.  I wish I had macro so I could take a closeup of them.  They look like they could inflict a painful bite.


Revenge of the crickets...try feeding that to a T...at your own risk.


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## james (Mar 9, 2005)

*J. cricket*

I will be collecting some of these this year as well. I have talked to a entomologist that has  been keeping them for many years, and he doesn't know anyone who has been able to get babies from them. Also, they are very anti-social. Just a pet project between the thousands of roaches.
James
www.blaberus.com


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## Elizabeth (Mar 9, 2005)

Kid Dragon said:
			
		

> Revenge of the crickets...try feeding that to a T...at your own risk.


I actually did feed one to my B. smithi, but only after snipping off the hind legs with those incredible spurs!  Though the bite is memorable, I only felt that the spurs merited concern for my T.


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## Kid Dragon (Mar 9, 2005)

Elizabeth said:
			
		

> I actually did feed one to my B. smithi, but only after snipping off the hind legs with those incredible spurs!  Though the bite is memorable, I only felt that the spurs merited concern for my T.


You're brave...I think I would remove the back legs AND crush the head first.


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## Elizabeth (Mar 10, 2005)

The B smithi was easily twice the size of the Jerusalem cricket...Not that much of a match, especially with the spurs/hind legs off of it.  Was quite interesting, though.  Think the T loved the unusual food offering!


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## Scythemantis (Mar 10, 2005)

I could never do that, I'm okay with feeding one insect to another but I can't injure or kill one *myself* for any reason, except maybe fleas, lice or ticks, and even then I try to do it quickly.

They won't breed in captivity? How sad. A "colony" of them would be awesome. How long do individuals live anyway? Just a year or two?


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## james (Mar 10, 2005)

This site has some decent info. They live 1-2 years after reaching adulthood.
http://homepage.mac.com/bugbob/askdoctorbug/stenopelmatus.html
James


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## Alex S. (Mar 10, 2005)

Individual _Stenopelmatus fuscus_ will do well in captivity if kept in a fair-sized, humid enclosure with deep substrate, but I havn't heard of any captive breeding or egg laying either. A possibility could be that it is so hard to recreate their root-filled, subterranean habitat with the type of soil they prefer to burrow into and make the underground chambers for egg-laying in.

Alex S.


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## Scythemantis (Mar 10, 2005)

Now I'm tempted to one day house them in all sorts of different environments and see if it makes a significant difference. If roots matter, surely there's some way to simulate them. Or live plants you can keep them with that won't easily die of being nibbled on.


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## Alex S. (Mar 11, 2005)

I was simply stating a possibility. Roots might not have anything to do with it. Some arthropods simply will not reproduce in captivity, no matter what the reason. Nonetheless, a large, planted terrarium with deep substrate and several _Stenopelmatus_ would be a very nice setup to attempt a breeding and observe.

Alex S.


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## Scythemantis (Mar 11, 2005)

Yeah, that's why I said "if" they matter, but roots do comprise a lot of their diet in the wild. Vegetables and insects are sufficient for them, but they probably aren't the sort of adequate, more or less "permanent" food source they would want to lay eggs under.


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## Alex S. (Mar 11, 2005)

Yes, roots and decaying vegetation do make up the largest portion of a jerusalem cricket's diet, but feeding specimens their exact natural foods doesn't necessarily mean they are going to breed in captivity. Like I said, some arthropods simply will not breed in a terrarium setup.

Alex S.


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## SWOLFF909 (Jun 1, 2013)

*Potato bug, a.k.a. Jerusalem cricket*

HI, WE HAVE A TON OF THESE IN OUR YARD. IF ANYBODY WANTS SOME LET ME KNOW. THANK YOU.

S. WOLFF
swolff909@gmail.com





Scythemantis said:


> They are awesome-looking animals, I would love to own some.
> 
> I've pictured Gregor in Kafka's _Metamorphosis_ being one of these instead of the more popular interpretation of a cockroach.
> 
> And they're another insect incorrectly called a "potato bug" by most people.


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## Munch (Jun 4, 2013)

I have caught one of those and they go under the pine straw it looks like the pine straw is alive! Very robust, tough looking creatures.


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## Smokehound714 (Jun 5, 2013)

Some jerusalem crickets are very predatory.  In a trail i visit often, they pockmark the road with holes, and I witnessed them snatching small gnaphosids that wandered over the holes.


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## groundzero (Jun 11, 2013)

hes a pretty gnarly looking customer. reminds me of some species of ground weta.


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## Unckle Bug (Sep 23, 2018)

Alex S. said:


> Individual _Stenopelmatus fuscus_ will do well in captivity if kept in a fair-sized, humid enclosure with deep substrate, but I havn't heard of any captive breeding or egg laying either. A possibility could be that it is so hard to recreate their root-filled, subterranean habitat with the type of soil they prefer to burrow into and make the underground chambers for egg-laying in.
> 
> Alex S.


Their wild diet is so varied, I’m hesitant to try to keep one. I live on 200 acres of Oak and redwood forest in N. California, and we have them everywhere. We talked about trying to keep one in our visitor’s “zoo” (we keep some examples of local small animals to show folks in the retreat center. They get rotated and released back to where we find them, but even so, I don’t feel confident trying to keep these cuties fed. Do you know any thing about feeding them in captivity?


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