Locusts & Cannibalism ._.

[TNC]

EDIT: (Sorry if this is the wrong forum section D=)
I've attempted to use search function but failed miserably apparently so hoping someone wont mind responding here =3

I have recently just started to buy locusts to feed to my tarantula's as i hear they're good for nutrition/vitamins etc. I have to order their food online as there are no local pet shops and i live in an apartment building so all mail goes through the receptionist etc first who forgot to tell me they had arrived until 2 days later ><! anyway when i unpacked them they were all fine~ lively as ever, none had died.. so i damped a bit of cloth and gave them some fresh lettuce + wheat bran flakes. I gave them a fair bit of lettuce because i figured they would be hungry! When i checked on them an hour later most of the lettuce had gone, but also i noticed a dead locust in there, ..with half its head missing and another locust eating away at it.

Firstly im just wondering if how im caring for them is the best way since thats all ive learnt from researching about caring for them so far, and also wondering is it normal for them to be eating each other, even with food provided for them? Why do they do it? =(
Thanks,
Tanya

 

[CarsinemiA]

I'm honestly not too sure why they cannibalise each other, but one thing I can tell you, is that roaches never do. Roaches don't stink, are easy to care for and breed, and provide nearly double the amount of protein per roach as per cricket.

Stick to roaches. You'll never use anything else.

 

[TNC]

Thankyou CarsinemiA!
I will definitely look into buying these, I began looking for an alternative choice of food when i decided to buy locusts as crickets really do smell bad.. locusts not so much but still arn't the most pleasant smelling things! As far as i know roaches wont try hop out everywhere too! hehe.

 

[Roski]

crickets are the worst! but they're the most accessible for me right now once in a group of about 20, one cricket started to molt, and at this vulnerability its comrades soon jumped it and cannabalized the poor thing. it served as food FOR food... how ironic is that

 

[Moltar]

So locust=cricket? Crickets are fairly prone to cannibalism but it's not accurate to say that roaches never do it. If they are on a diet lacking in protein they'll start eating each other without much hesitation. The cannibalism you witnessed was most likely because they were hungry and the food you'd put in there eitherdidn't have any protein or they just hadn't gotten hip to the fact that it was there yet.

Try ground up cat food mixed with oats (or bran flakes) for food and peeled apple sections for water.

 

[TNC]

Thanks etown, I will stock up on some apples and cat food! They already have some wheat bran flakes in there, im assuming grinding these up as small as i can get them is enough? i dont need to wet the bran flakes or anything? They seem pretty tough for a tiny little locust to get into!

 

[Moltar]

That's why I grind them up. If you're using plain oats they're soft enough, some cereals are pretty hard though. If you moisten them you're just asking for stinky mold.