how to keep locusts ?

LauraMartin · #1 (**permalink**) 25-04-2008, 01:48 AM

Hey, am gettin a beardie next week and know im gonna have to feed locusts especially when he is an adult. locusts are the only live food iv never kept as my other animals are small and fine on crickets. iv seen locusts in the shop and they freak me the heck out!!! they are so jumpy and the adult ones are so big, i was holding a tub of adults and one jumped in the box and knocked the box out my hand!!

anyway to the point, i need to keep them in a way that i wont have to really have contact with them, my crix are in a large lee's cricket keeper, would locusts be ok in one of these? as the tubes of the cricket keeper make it easy for me to 'handle' the crickets. i only use one of the 4 tubes from the cricket keeper now, i was thinking og getting a tall plastic box thing and using some of the spare tubes for the locusts, you think that would work?

also any general advice of keeping locusts like food, substrate etc would be great.

i always thought i would eventually get over my fear of bugs, keeping reptiles and amphibians, but no such luck, im still a total wuss!

Durhamchance · #2 (**permalink**) 25-04-2008, 01:52 AM

I hate the ruddy things too!

We have a small faunarium to keep our locusts in, and I get them out with tweezers.

LauraMartin · #3 (**permalink**) 25-04-2008, 02:27 AM

ewww but to tweezer them i'd have to put my hand in, what if one jumped on my hand? what then? i'd die, thats what! of a heart attack at 22!! not a nice way to go, death by locust induced heart attack!

once i had brown crickets, and i couldnt even tweezer them, i had to switch back to black cos they arent as jumpy!

aww am getting so itchy now, thinking they are in my hair!

when i seriousley think about it, and imagine myself with locusts, am gonna HAVE to use the cricket keeper. i cant be anywhere near them things, i cant believe people hand feed them! i salute you brave brave people out there,

i would literally rather stab myself than pick one up, like literally if someone was forcing me to do either, i would choose to stab myself! i wish i could stop being such a loser and just not be scared!

emma_fyfe · #4 (**permalink**) 25-04-2008, 02:30 AM

you can get really long tweezers so your quite far away from the locust. i used to pick them up with a plastic bag on my hand so they couldnt touch me

im fine with them now, just not keen on them when they have wings!

LauraMartin · #5 (**permalink**) 25-04-2008, 02:38 AM

wings? WINGS? please oh please tell me they cant fly. well i know like real locusts like on nature programmes can, but i was kinda hoping these were different types??

i love the idea of a plastic bag like!! i am so not even brave enough to touch one with pillow on my hand never mind a bag.

its mainly the jumping thing that freaks me out, im the same with anything that is jumpy or flappy like moths n daddy long legs!! eeeewwww!!

emma_fyfe · #6 (**permalink**) 25-04-2008, 02:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LauraMartin

wings? WINGS? please oh please tell me they cant fly. well i know like real locusts like on nature programmes can, but i was kinda hoping these were different types??

i love the idea of a plastic bag like!! i am so not even brave enough to touch one with pillow on my hand never mind a bag.

its mainly the jumping thing that freaks me out, im the same with anything that is jumpy or flappy like moths n daddy long legs!! eeeewwww!!

yep they grow wings when theyre older, they've usually been eaten before they get to this stage though!

I dont think theyre as bad as crickets, they dont run, just hop. I just never liked their back legs, theyre so strong! lol

I'm sure you'll be able to overcome your fear though

LauraMartin · #7 (**permalink**) 25-04-2008, 02:47 AM

il give it a go! il just use to cricket tube thing and have to get a high container so they cant jump out! beardie is only gonna be 6 weeks when i get him, so i can start myself off on baby locusts, maybe work my way up to adults lol. thanks for the advice, your bag thing gave me an idea, am gonna wear garden gloves, then i wont feel them at all, hopefully one day i will be brave enough to touch one lol. night x

emma_fyfe · #8 (**permalink**) 25-04-2008, 02:48 AM

lol have fun! night x

Lucifus · #9 (**permalink**) 25-04-2008, 06:05 AM

I'm not a fan of them either, gives me great satisfaction every time my bosc annihilates an adult, especially one who decided to jump on my face during general cleaning.

Durhamchance · #10 (**permalink**) 25-04-2008, 06:45 AM

We pull off the back legs to stop em hopping. I totally freak if one jumps on my hand when I'm trying to catch one

I've got better with time though, but I still run a mile if one gets loose

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