What are /r/InvertPets' favorite Products & Services?

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Can you post a picture? Identifying the species is important to pin down some things like humidity needs, food habits, etc. I would gladly point you in the right direction if you reply with an image!

It's possible you do have a spiny flower mantid but maybe it's still a juvenile? The juveniles tend to look different from the adults.

Another option is to get this book to help: https://www.amazon.com/Praying-Mantids-Keeping-Aliens-McMonigle/dp/0980240115. The book does have shoddy construction, as a review says, but it's got some good info still.

I use a sand sifter such as this one.

https://www.amazon.com/Flukers-Hermit-Crab-Sand-Scooper/dp/B00NG0GHZ8/ref=sr_1_1?crid=21BUUOQGG6EY7&keywords=hermit+crab+scooper&qid=1662939874&sprefix=hermit+crab+scoo%2Caps%2C89&sr=8-1

1. Bugs in cyberspace has em but they are sold out. Rainbow mealworms has 1164 in stock.
2. A 5 gallon is ok.
3. I don't know much but some people use moist dog food.
4. Just flood the substrate with water. A heat lamp is not necessary unless it is DEATHLY cold.
5. I mean live plants are pretty damn cool. I guess for a 5 gallon you could go with a few ferns. If you choose live plants, you will need a drainage layer. Just put some gravel about one inch high, add some sort of barrier water can pass through, like fiberglass window screen or weed blocker, then add substrate. A good substrate is ABG mix. The plants will need an led light but there are some cheap goose neck leds on amazon for like 20 bucks. Here is a good one.

I feel you. End of summer is usually when my brood start to let go, and I cry a ton every time. Hard to say goodbye, no matter the circumstances.
Would Cherry be able to tolerate a dry spot for a bit? I have put my more humid-loving friends in cypress and cedar wood shavings/dust in a quarantine container for a day or two, and it usually clears up any lingering mites. (I get this one locally.). It's quite dry if you use it as mite removal (you can also wet it and use as substrate for some species), but it gets the mites off well before it hurts the beetle.
Even without being able to do that, most mites aren't actually very harmful, just annoying to see on them.

For Eleodes, mostly dry.
You can have a moist spot or layers of substrate so the bottom part has some moisture. They will dig for it if they want it. Especially the females since they lay their eggs in the ground.

I very occassionally spray one side of my enclosure. They absolutely hate it. They scatter and immediately pile into their hides. I do it mostly for the cleanup crew and to be sure the beetle larvae have some moisture somewhere.

For diet.
I haven't seen any of mine all that interested in grains.
Fish flakes, yes. You don't have to mash it up, they'll eat it in flake form.
But try some chopped up fresh fruit like apples. Another favorite of mine is cactus fruit. They'll also eat greens occasionally.
You can also get the <strong>commercially available jelly cups</strong> and Repashy omnivore mixes. Just doing a quick search, <strong>I found a jelly recipe though</strong>.
I also feed mine scraps from my other animals, including cricket pieces, mice pieces, etc. Just feeder bits. But, they'll also be happy with things like ground turkey as an occasional treat.
They are detritivores that feed primarily on desert fruit and plants.

If you don't want to release it, they're easy to keep and make good pets. I'd normally be very critical of anyone keeping a wild animal... but, these are not endangered, and currently the hobby is still working on effective breeding.
So any you find available are wild caught anyway.

Hope that helps!

I had a sling larger than that get out of a kritter keeper. I'm not exactly sure how.

You could try a tall deli cup with small holes punctured into it. Or find a tank with more fine ventilation.

Orchid Mantids live approx 5-10 months depending on the sex and housing. They are amazing pets. 100% recommend. (also not very beginner friendly. Try a giant asian or carolina prior to owning an orchid)

Also the preserving of insects is so awesome. Let me recommend Neutral Buffered Formalin. You can preserve your insects for eternity in sealed bottles of your choice.

Its formaldehyde. You can make wet specimens from these quite easily. Be EXTREMELY careful using formalin as its basically super cancer in a bottle. Dont get it on you basically.

I'm also 31 and (now) an avid invert collector! I'm trying to get my boyfriend into invert keeping as we speak lol.

I also find it fascinating that my insects have totally different personalities. My T is super confident and owns her tank like a queen. My Mantis is terrifyingly smart. She has learned to bait crickets by slapping the Pothos Ivy in her tank and making them run out. She then snatches them from a far distance without them ever knowing what hit them. Shes notorious for holding 2+ crickets in her arms while she eats 1.

My Scorps are different species, but given a 10 gallon tank with multiple hides, they decided to room together and hunt together. Ive never seen anything like it. Also my Emperor loves roaches and my Forest Scorpion loves crickets. They wont eat each others food lol.

Also amazing on a 6 month old cricket. Thats gotta be like 400 in human years lol

I use stainless ant mesh I ordered from AliExpress, but I bet you could just use standard screen mesh like this

TIMESETL 3pcs Stainless Steel Woven Wire 20 Mesh - 12"x8"(30x21cm) Metal Mesh Sheet 1mm Hole Great for Air Ventilation - A4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077M93J18/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_mYprFb8JW8WVM