locusts

[SHarte]

I thought i'd post this here as it makes sense I own a leo but feed it locusts, my girlfriend has asked if she can keep 1 of the locusts as a pet i was wondering what was required to keep 1 as a pet not as food?

[Kyle T's]

some lettuce and some wer to put it and u will b on ur way

[adamntitch]

to thrive they realy need heat , grass and bran as feed also height and some branchs

[84KB11]

Temp 35 to 40C day, 25C night
Plenty of light during the day to stimulate feeding.

Tall enclosure with branches to climb and hang from when moulting.

Shallow dish of bran or rolled oats.

Fresh grass daily (put in in morning, remove any leftovers in the evening).

Be careful when cleaning out as some people can develop alergies to the droppings (its due to enzymes present in them). Gloves are a good idea.

I keep them as pets and to feed other animals.
Also a good introduction to keeping tropical grasshoppers.

[Slinkies mum]

yep I agree with 84kb11. I don't keep them as pets but I put small ones in with my Blue tongue skink. He can't climb so if they stay near the top of the viv they are safe and grow on quite nicely. In there they have temps over 90f and of course UVB, I tend to lose a few in th water bowl tho . They just chomp on his fruit and veg, I don't bother with the grass and new shoots cos I'm not keeping them long term.

I think they need a damp sand pot for egg laying.

[84KB11]

Forgot to mention egg laying,

Placew a wide mouth container into the enclosure, a minimum of twice as wide as the locust is long.
Mix a fine sand with water until it will just hold its shape when squeezed, but still crumbles when touched.
Fill the container with sand to a depth no less than 1.5 times the length of the locusts abdomen.

The adult will back fill the laying hole with a foam like substance (makes finding the egg pods easier!).

Either remove the whole tub and incubate, or remove the individual egg pods and incubate in fresh sand.