Silverfish

[RatBrick]

I actually found this forum because I was looking for information about keeping silverfish as pets, but the thread was from many years ago, so I figured it might be fun to start a new discussion.

Just a couple of months ago I actually saw a real silverfish for the first time, but it quickly ran away before I had a chance to try and catch it or really get a good look at it. Today I found one in my home and was able to catch it in a jar. It's a lot smaller than the first one I saw, but I'm hoping I can keep it alive long enough to grow into a big healthy silverfish. I just think they're really neat, ya know?

My husband thinks keeping bugs that eat paper and glue is a really bad idea (especially because I'm an artist) but I reckon it's better to have them contained in a cage than to let them loose so they can eat my sketchbooks, right? And it's sure to inspire some new sketches at least.

Anyway, I'm interested in hearing what my fellow bug enthusiasts have to say about the topic. And, for more discussion, what's your "weird" favourite bug? Personally I go through phases, bouncing from one many-legged friend to the next, but currently it's cicada killer wasps. Though I imagine if I'm successful in keeping this dear little silverfish, it might take their #1 spot.

 

[me and my Ts]

 

[HooahArmy]

Hey RatBrick! I love your username, by the way. Welcome to Arachnoboards if you're new, or if you're someone like me who finally decided to stop siphoning off a sibling's account, congrats as well.

The concept of keeping silverfish is actually a very nice idea. I study toxins and poisons, including those from biological critters, and laud the silverfish as one of the cleanest insects around. They neither bite nor sting, and are neither poisonous or venomous. They are not vectors for any known diseases, are not predatory, and are rather docile shadow-hiding invertebrates. In the correct conditions of a dry and dust/paper filled environment, they will readily reproduce, hence they are often found in garages, under kitchen shelves, or in sheds. Keeping them might not be such a terrible idea, and since they are insects, I've never had any qualms about feeding them to my wards (turtles, fish, arachnids, mice, and frogs), when I gather them out of my garden or house. I however never feed those I find around chemicals, like my garage.

The only reason why people tend to shun the humble silverfish is because they are 'unsettling'. They undulate (eew!),have waving protrusions (yuck!), and hang around humans (oh dear!).They are seen as pests because of their unsavory sight, and the fact that their feces can be gross when they're living around your food or dishes. In reality, silverfish want nothing to do but to live alone in the dark, eating crumbs and other things found in dust.

If you would like to befriend the marvelous silverfish, feel free to test our various sizes of enclosures. They like dry places and can live directly in our homes under shelving, so ample substrate might not be needed, nor would high humidity. For food, you may consider their typical staples--vegetable stuffs for moisture (their diet when they live outdoors) and cereals and grains that are more enjoyed by the urban silverfish. Think of them as a little long terrestrial tarantula who hails from an arid environment!

I hope this helps!

 

[RatBrick]

Hey RatBrick! I love your username, by the way. Welcome to Arachnoboards if you're new, or if you're someone like me who finally decided to stop siphoning off a sibling's account, congrats as well.

The concept of keeping silverfish is actually a very nice idea. I study toxins and poisons, including those from biological critters, and laud the silverfish as one of the cleanest insects around. They neither bite nor sting, and are neither poisonous or venomous. They are not vectors for any known diseases, are not predatory, and are rather docile shadow-hiding invertebrates. In the correct conditions of a dry and dust/paper filled environment, they will readily reproduce, hence they are often found in garages, under kitchen shelves, or in sheds. Keeping them might not be such a terrible idea, and since they are insects, I've never had any qualms about feeding them to my wards (turtles, fish, arachnids, mice, and frogs), when I gather them out of my garden or house. I however never feed those I find around chemicals, like my garage.

The only reason why people tend to shun the humble silverfish is because they are 'unsettling'. They undulate (eew!),have waving protrusions (yuck!), and hang around humans (oh dear!).They are seen as pests because of their unsavory sight, and the fact that their feces can be gross when they're living around your food or dishes. In reality, silverfish want nothing to do but to live alone in the dark, eating crumbs and other things found in dust.

If you would like to befriend the marvelous silverfish, feel free to test our various sizes of enclosures. They like dry places and can live directly in our homes under shelving, so ample substrate might not be needed, nor would high humidity. For food, you may consider their typical staples--vegetable stuffs for moisture (their diet when they live outdoors) and cereals and grains that are more enjoyed by the urban silverfish. Think of them as a little long terrestrial tarantula who hails from an arid environment!

I hope this helps!

Thanks for the welcome! :3

I know most people tend to think of bugs of all sorts as "icky," but I've always liked them. As a kid I played with dirt dauber wasps and would give them rides around in a little toy bus.

Anyway, I appreciate the advice. Currently I've got my little bug friend in a temporary jar with some slightly dampened paper, and I was going to transfer it to one of those "critter keeper" plastic cages today. Though now that I'm thinking about it, I'm not sure what type of environment to give it. Should I do a more "natural" enclosure with dirt, leaves, and tree bark, or do you think it would do better with something more flat and "human house" like? (for example, a "shelf" it could hide under?)

I've read they eat dog food. Is that a good way to feed it? I've got dogs and pet rats, so plenty of various animal foods in the house to share. lol

 

[HooahArmy]

Good call on the critter keeper since it's traditionally used to house invertebrates. Silverfish can readily scale acrylic walls like flies, yet the covering should keep them in check. Any environment will do, and they tend to live in the same areas as crickets, and hence can be treated like crickets in a way. Depending on whether you would like to keep a few homies, or breed for feeders, your environment would differ. Keeping homies, you can house them as your please. A natural enclose as you suggested would make your buddies quite merry. However, in the case that you do want to use them for feeders in the future, natural works too, but keep in mind any wild-harvested decor items, as they can harbor pollutants.

Silverfish do indeed consume pet food (mine like to hover around the dog dish), yet since they tend to feed on a primarily vegetarian diet of grains, wood pulps, and plant fiber, the pet food may make for one chubby silverfish! Pet food also tends to be oily, so you may experience a higher likelihood of a 'pongy' oil oxidation smell and stinkier, greasier poops. This data comes for me during a time I offered a few kibble treats to millipedes as an experiment. They got real stinky, real fast. Your rat food may be a better option since they would be mostly grainy and would mimic the silverfishes' natrual munchies.

(P.S: I love rats! I live with a small commune of mice myself.)

 

[RatBrick]

Good call on the critter keeper since it's traditionally used to house invertebrates. Silverfish can readily scale acrylic walls like flies, yet the covering should keep them in check. Any environment will do, and they tend to live in the same areas as crickets, and hence can be treated like crickets in a way. Depending on whether you would like to keep a few homies, or breed for feeders, your environment would differ. Keeping homies, you can house them as your please. A natural enclose as you suggested would make your buddies quite merry. However, in the case that you do want to use them for feeders in the future, natural works too, but keep in mind any wild-harvested decor items, as they can harbor pollutants.

Silverfish do indeed consume pet food (mine like to hover around the dog dish), yet since they tend to feed on a primarily vegetarian diet of grains, wood pulps, and plant fiber, the pet food may make for one chubby silverfish! Pet food also tends to be oily, so you may experience a higher likelihood of a 'pongy' oil oxidation smell and stinkier, greasier poops. This data comes for me during a time I offered a few kibble treats to millipedes as an experiment. They got real stinky, real fast. Your rat food may be a better option since they would be mostly grainy and would mimic the silverfishes' natrual munchies.

(P.S: I love rats! I live with a small commune of mice myself.)

Ah, good to know! I think the bigger it gets is better, right? I'd like for it to be easily visible, since they're so fun to look at. (They kinda look like little aliens. lol I'm a big sci-fi/fantasy nerd.)

Glad to meet a fellow rat lover too. I've got 7 of 'em, and they get along surprisingly well with my dog. lol
(The reason I ended up with so many is because the first one I bought turned out to have been mistakenly misgendered at the pet store and was pregnant, had like 14 pups. I found homes for about half of them, but decided to keep the rest.) Their wide variety of personality and expression is amazing.

(The attached photo is one of the ones I gave to a friend. He named her Ratatoskr.)

 

[RatBrick]

Here's the tiny silverfish in its critter keeper home. :3

 

[A cave cricket]

PM me for a guide on silverfish.