found solfugid

[mouse]

i posted in the insects and other invert forum that my neighbor found a bug in her apt. and thought it was one of my crix, then somebody called it a potato bug, but malhavoc posted a link to a pic that looked exactly like it...it's a solfugid. so now i got that critter in a kitchen shaker (bigger pepper shaker), fed it a crix (crix was in the shaker first, then the sulfugid, bythe time i put the lid on the crix was half gone). plus i noticed a white ball and hope it's just a "dustbunny". what do i do with the critter? if i drop it outside it most likely wander right back in or get stepped on. not sure about keeping it yet. don't know much about them...i like tarantulas. it's about 1 1/2" can't measure it that good. how big do they get, how do i care for it? and mostly how did it get here..i'm in northern california and i've never seen one. are the local here?
thanks
dianne

 

[Wade]

Different species get to be different sizes, but since this is late in the season, I'm guessing yours is full grown. They are short lived animals, and it probably only has a few weeks to go at the most. I would let it go outside if you don't want to keep it. It most likley wandered indoors by accident and would not seek to come back in again. I've collected them under streetlights in Arizona where they come to feed on the insects attracted by the lights. It may have been feeding on insects attracted to outdoor lights around your neighbors house and wandered in.

Wade

 

[Malhavoc's]

And yes they are local all over california

 

[Alex S.]

Solifuges are found throughout the western coast of the U.S. and about half of Canada's western coast, but they are most common in the southwestern U.S. Some of the more common species in California include Eremobates pallipes, Eremobates durangonus, and various species of the genus Eremochelis. As Wade suggested, it would be best to release the specimen, as it most likely has a couple of weeks to one month at the most to live.

Alex S.