Experience keeping Archaeognathans (Jumping Bristletails)?

[Dave Whitacre]

Does anyone have experience keeping Archaognathans (Jumping Bristletails) in captivity? If so, any suggestions?

(I have 5 small ones I caught a few days ago here in southwestern Idaho)

 

[Aquarimax]

Does anyone have experience keeping Archaognathans (Jumping Bristletails) in captivity? If so, any suggestions?

(I have 5 small ones I caught a few days ago here in southwestern Idaho)

I haven’t kept them, but would love to see some photos or video of the ones you have collected.

 

[Dave Whitacre]

I haven’t kept them, but would love to see some photos or video of the ones you have collected.

I'll try to get around to taking photos, but I don't think I can do anything very close up---I'll try.

 

[Smokehound714]

theyre xylophiles

 

[BenLeeKing]

I would say try setting up a first floor leafy litter to see how it goes? With plenty of rotten wood and leaves.
Back in Hong Kong 2 summers ago my friend and I found lots of pill millipedes, and I told him to “collect a bit of the first floor” to set up a tank for the pedes. Because of this he accidentally also collected some archaeognathans too. As far as I know keeping them went no where. But it’s one way to find them.
Interesting other sighting is in Antelope canyon in AZ. Amoung the cracks of the stone walls in the canyon, I spotted some archaeognathans hiding in there too... which is interesting.
You can also peek under bridges that go over rivers, I’ve seen one in Washington on the concrete beams of a bridge.

 

[Hisserdude]

Does anyone have experience keeping Archaognathans (Jumping Bristletails) in captivity? If so, any suggestions?

(I have 5 small ones I caught a few days ago here in southwestern Idaho)

Nice, another Idahoan! I've tried keeping a couple ID species before, never with much success...

 

[Polenth]

I catch some every time I collect leaves, so had considered keeping some of them. I'd be interested to know how it failed when it failed. Did they die immediately or just not breed or...?

 

[richard22]

I have read elsewhere they are very hard to breed in captivity for several reasons. Maybe they need fungi or algae to feed on, but maybe not, I found them under wood in forests and I don’t know what they’d feed on. They are probably more trouble than its worth, firebrats (a relative of jumping bristletails) would be much, much better if you can keep them at 100F (~37C) and actually get a hold of them. Only places I‘ve found sell them in the US was USMANTIS (scammer, never ships orders) and Roachcrossing (very rarely active and takes months to respond to orders and emails). If you don’t care about breeding rate or growth rate, normal silverfish would be easier to find online to buy, they can take months to grow and lay under 100 eggs unlike firebrats which can grow in a few months and lay up to 6000 eggs in a few years of life.

 

[Polenth]

I'm not looking for these to be feeders, so their slow reproduction would be a plus. I mainly don't want to kill them for no reason. I think I'll give it a try anyway, as I've likely got a different species locally, and I can abort and put them back outside if it doesn't work.

I've read all the science I can find about them, so I'm about as ready as I can be.

 

[Hisserdude]

I have read elsewhere they are very hard to breed in captivity for several reasons. Maybe they need fungi or algae to feed on, but maybe not, I found them under wood in forests and I don’t know what they’d feed on. They are probably more trouble than its worth, firebrats (a relative of jumping bristletails) would be much, much better if you can keep them at 100F (~37C) and actually get a hold of them. Only places I‘ve found sell them in the US was USMANTIS (scammer, never ships orders) and Roachcrossing (very rarely active and takes months to respond to orders and emails). If you don’t care about breeding rate or growth rate, normal silverfish would be easier to find online to buy, they can take months to grow and lay under 100 eggs unlike firebrats which can grow in a few months and lay up to 6000 eggs in a few years of life.

Yeah but firebrats are boring in comparison, bristletails would make much more interesting pets...