Looking for Carnivorous Crickets

[Godzillaalienfan1979]

Hi all, me again

I am on the hunt yet again-but this time, for something much nastier than a Velvet Worm.

Recently, I was watching Monster Bug Wars (a fantastic show btw), and I saw some really terrifying animals-mostly, carnivorous crickets. As it turns out, you can buy some of them as pets!

Would anyone know of any medium sized-large carnivorous crickets for sale, and how/where to get them?

Thanks!

 

[pannaking22]

Good luck finding them too. They come up for sale occasionally, but they're rare and most species won't make it to the US. Some predatory katydids pop up each year (the US genus Neobarretia), but they get snapped up pretty quickly. Breeding has proven difficult, so CB groups are rare.

I'll leave Monster Bug Wars for another day when I've had enough coffee

 

[Dennis Nedry]

I've got a white kneed King cricket which is one of the heavier predatory crickets. I can't really help you on how to find local predatory crickets because they're so diverse (some live in trees, some live in grass, some live in burrows, etc, etc), but researching which katydids and crickets live in your area might be a good start. You could also leave some halved pieces of fruit out overnight to see if any come by to eat it. And a word of advice watch your fingers around them, they can be really aggressive.

 

[KevinsWither]

I want some too!

 

[Ratmosphere]

I remember seeing armored crickets at an expo a few years back. Since then I have not seen them. I really wish I bought some at that time!

 

[KevinsWither]

I remember seeing armored crickets at an expo a few years back. Since then I have not seen them. I really wish I bought some at that time!

I really want some too ya know!

 

[LawnShrimp]

Hi all, me again

I am on the hunt yet again-but this time, for something much nastier than a Velvet Worm.

Recently, I was watching Monster Bug Wars (a fantastic show btw), and I saw some really terrifying animals-mostly, carnivorous crickets. As it turns out, you can buy some of them as pets!

Would anyone know of any medium sized-large carnivorous crickets for sale, and how/where to get them?

Thanks!

The raspy crickets in that show are unavailable in the US and uncommonly kept in their native range. Your best bet is to import giant raspy crickets from Europe, which will be quite costly unfortunately. The US does have raspy crickets but they are very tiny and live high in the treetops.
Good alternatives include Cosmoderus armored crickets, which are rarely imported to the US but there are some available from time to time, and Stenopelmatus Jerusalem crickets, which are also uncommonly sold but native to the US. Jerusalem crickets, like armored crickets, are omnivores and will need both vegetables and live insect prey to survive. Unfortunately both have short lifespans of 1-2 years and can die for no reason in captivity so be sure you buy a healthy specimen. Bugs in Cyberspace sells Jerusalem crickets seasonally; they are available now in fact!

 

[Hisserdude]

Just so everyone knows, I'm pretty sure all exotic Orthopterans are illegal to own in the US, because even most of the predatory species will turn to eating plant matter if starving, the group as a whole is pretty strictly regulated here. The exceptions include the few exotic cricket species we use commonly as feeders, most of which have naturalized themselves in some areas of the US by this point.

So even if you were able to find someone in the US who had exotic Raspy crickets, (which is VERY unlikely), you'd have to keep your mouth shut about keeping them unless you want a knock at the door. Same goes for Phasmids and most exotic beetles. We do have one US native from this group though, Camptonotus carolinensis, they seem to be very hard to source and are rather small, but they should be legal to keep wherever you are in the US, and they are predatory!

 

[Dennis Nedry]

Just so everyone knows, I'm pretty sure all exotic Orthopterans are illegal to own in the US, because even most of the predatory species will turn to eating plant matter if starving, the group as a whole is pretty strictly regulated here. The exceptions include the few exotic cricket species we use commonly as feeders, most of which have naturalized themselves in some areas of the US by this point.

So even if you were able to find someone in the US who had exotic Raspy crickets, (which is VERY unlikely), you'd have to keep your mouth shut about keeping them unless you want a knock at the door. Same goes for Phasmids and most exotic beetles. We do have one US native from this group though, Camptonotus carolinensis, they seem to be very hard to source and are rather small, but they should be legal to keep wherever you are in the US, and they are predatory!

I thought that Vietnamese stick insects and Jungle nymphs were legal in the US, I remember a youtuber who kept them

 

[Hisserdude]

Jerusalem crickets, like armored crickets, are omnivores and will need both vegetables and live insect prey to survive. Unfortunately both have short lifespans of 1-2 years and can die for no reason in captivity so be sure you buy a healthy specimen. Bugs in Cyberspace sells Jerusalem crickets seasonally; they are available now in fact!

BTW, it could vary from species to species, but the JCs I had refused all veggies when given the choice between them and live prey or dog food, protein definitely seems to be the most important aspect of their diet. I think the reason most people's die off randomly is due to not giving them enough protein, that and using improper substrate, (unless they are a dune inhabiting species, most JCs don't like sand as their substrate, which some people keep them on).

 

[Hisserdude]

I thought that Vietnamese stick insects and Jungle nymphs were legal in the US, I remember a youtuber who kept them

Nope, not unless you have the proper permits, (which for those species, may not be THAT hard to acquire).

 

[LawnShrimp]

BTW, it could vary from species to species, but the JCs I had refused all veggies when given the choice between them and live prey or dog food, protein definitely seems to be the most important aspect of their diet. I think the reason most people's die off randomly is due to not giving them enough protein, that and using improper substrate, (unless they are a dune inhabiting species, most JCs don't like sand as their substrate, which some people keep them on).

News to me. I always assumed that the name "potato bug" was because they fed on roots and greens of crops.

 

[Hisserdude]

News to me. I always assumed that the name "potato bug" was because they fed on roots and greens of crops.

They'll chew on root vegetables and such for moisture, and when they have nothing else to eat, but the species I kept, when given a choice, always chose meat over veggies. This might differ from species to species though, I'm not sure.