Jack of all Inverts

Caresheets

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Ghost Mantis (Phyllocrania paradoxa)

Size

Females up to 6cm (2.5in)
Males up to 5.5cm (2in)

Moisture

30-50% humidity, can tolerate higher
Spray daily or every other day

Temperature

22-27°C (72-80°F)

Sexing

A trained eye can sex Ghosts by their crown at i2. Sexually dimorphic crown differences are easily distinguished at i3. Males will have a longer, more jagged crest, and females a rounder and wider one. Females have 6 abdominal segments, and males have 8.

Feeding

Ghosts can be finicky and prefer flying prey. Fast roaches are also easy to feed with. Offer food when the abdomen is thin. Do not feed on a schedule. 

Instars

Both males and females mature at i8 and molt 7 times after hatching.

Enclosure

Enclosures should be 2 times as wide as the mantis is long and 3 times as tall as the mantis is long. Here are some guidelines:

Zilla enclosures work well if properly modified with mesh. Make sure any added mesh is taut and not loose. DIY setups are also popular because of this. When making a setup, try to add cross ventilation. When decorating your setup, avoid clutter and low hanging branches to prevent mismolts. 

Breeding

About 3 weeks after maturing to adulthood a female should be ready to breed. 2 weeks after molting a male should be ready. A female can live ~6 months as an adult, a male will live ~3 months. Females are printing presses once paired. They will lay around 10-13 ootheca, generally laying one every other week. Depending on size, each ootheca could hatch anywhere from 5-40 nymphs. 

Budwing Mantis (Parasphendale agrionina)

Size

Females up to 7cm (3in)
Males up to 4cm (1.5in)

Moisture

i1-i3 should be kept more humid, 60-70% humidity
40-60% humidity, Spray daily or every other day

Temperature

22-28°C (72-82°F)

Sexing

Budwings can be sexed at i4 with a magnifying glass but can be easily sexed by a glance at i5. Females have 6 abdominal segments, and males have 8. Females have a wider abdomen and males are thinner and more lithe. As they get older males develop more prominent antennae and wingbuds.

Feeding

Budwings are great eaters. They are very aggressive and will actively chase down their prey. They are not picky about feeder types.

Instars

Males molt 8 times and mature at i9, females molt 9 times and mature at i10. 

Enclosure

Enclosures should be 2 times as wide as the mantis is long and 3 times as tall as the mantis is long. Here are some guidelines:

Zilla enclosures work well if properly modified with mesh. Make sure any added mesh is taut and not loose. DIY setups are also popular. When making a setup, try to add cross ventilation. When decorating your setup, avoid clutter and low hanging branches to prevent mismolts.

Breeding

About 3 weeks after maturing to adulthood a female should be ready to breed. For males, 2 weeks after molting should be enough time. A female can live ~6 months as an adult, a male will live ~2-3 months. This species can lay around 4-6 oothecae. Each ootheca can hatch as many as 150 nymphs. 

Other Info

Females are more prone to overeating, so make sure your feeders are appropriately sized.

Bold/Regal Jumping Spider (Phidippus audax & P. regius) 

Size

Female Regal up to 22mm (0.86in)
Male Regal up to 18mm (0.7in)

Female Bold up to 19mm (0.75in)
Male Bold up to 13mm (0.5in)

Moisture

50% humidity
Spray daily or every other day. Lightly mist their setup, large water drops can drown spiders.

Temperature

20-29.5°C (68-85°F); prefers room temp or warmer, tolerates as low as 65°F.

Sexing

In Regal Jumpers, males always have green chelicerae and females typically have a purple/pink. Females generally begin to display color at i6 and this becomes more prominent as they age. Body morphology is telling with males having longer arms and females becoming stockier in the body. 
In Bold Jumpers, both males and females have green pedipalps. Body morphology is the best way to sex them, as males will grow longer arms and females will have stockier bodies. Bryantae Bold females generally show their colors around i6 and older as well. 

When adult, female jumping spiders will have an epigyne or epigynum, or “epi” for short. 

Feeding

Feeding is often simple, just drop feeders into the spider’s setup and watch as they take notice and begin hunting. A good rule of thumb for appropriate sized prey will be ¾ to 1.5 of the size of a spider. Feed them when the abdomen appears thin. Remove any uneaten food from a potentially premolt sling to avoid stressing them out. Jumping spiders can sometimes go weeks without food, but I offer them water often.

Instars

Most jumping spiders can have anywhere from 8 to 11 instars, potentially more. Audax seems to have more variation in instars compared to regius. I do not sell any spiders younger than i5.

When preparing to molt a jumping spider’s abdomen will appear large and very round. They will begin to heavily web up a safe area to create a place to molt, known as a molt hammock. These can often be so thick that you can’t see the spider inside. They can re-use this hammock for a few molts before making another. Offer more water if you see that they’re in premolt, but otherwise leave them alone. After a day or two has passed post-molt, the spider will kick the old molt out of the nest and begin to explore again.

Enclosure

Some spiders prefer smaller containers, so if you upsize them and notice they stop eating, try sizing them back down. I recommend adding cross ventilation through meshed vents or poke ventilation. It is important to make sure getting into your setup doesn’t involve destroying too many webs. Zilla enclosures are not recommended as jumping spiders can slip through them.  

Breeding

When a mature male spots a female, he will begin to wave his arms around to impress her. This dance can last anywhere from a few minutes to a half hour, and sometimes a female won’t be receptive. She will attempt to warn him or bite at the air, using a paintbrush to separate them. When a female is receptive she will be flipped by the male and they will mate. Mating can take anywhere from 10 minutes to over an hour in my experience. 

Other information

Jumping spiders are surprisingly intelligent and personable. They are very curious and eager to explore if given the option to. Some will warm up to handling, others may not like it as much.
These spiders can jump up to 6 times their body length in distance. Phidippus sp. Jumpers love to sunbathe and enjoy bright light. Do not keep them in the dark. I recommend having them on 12/12 timed lights. These creatures can live to be from between 18 months to 2 years in age.

Northern Walking Stick (Diapheromera femorata)

Size

Females up to 9.5cm (3.7in)
Males up to 7.5cm (3in)

Moisture

50-70% humidity

Spray daily, they enjoy a good drink

Early instars need higher humidity 

Temperature

22-27°C (72-80°F)

Sexing

Sexable at i4/i5. Males will begin to develop claspers, pincer-like circi at the tip of the abdomen. Females will grow larger and more robust, and have a tapered abdomen. Females will develop a flat-end segment. Adult males are brown; females are greenish-brown and larger.

Feeding

Young nymphs (i1/i2) may need their leaves torn or cut to allow easier eating. Replace leaves every 1-3 days depending on their state. Keep fresh leaves always available 24/7. Snip branches and keep the ends in a container of freshwater to keep them good longer. This species consumes Oak (Quercus sp.). I have successfully raised mine on white (Q. alba) and northern red (Q. rubra) with the occasional offering of pin oak (Q. palustris). Other varieties of oak are likely to work as well. 

Instars

It is believed that they molt 7 times, maybe more. Phasmids eat their molts, so it's harder to track them. They molt similarly to a mantis, so please provide 4 times the length of the animal in molting space. Once they hit a larger instar they start growing FAST.

Enclosure

Estimates for enclosure size are based on a cohabitated group of 10-15. For large volumes of phasmids, I reccomend upsizing early and using a 24x24x36 inch pop up. Bigger will not hurt.

Make sure fresh leaves are always available and that the container of water your leaves are in is sturdy. All of my individuals are cohabitated, never aggressive. They do however walk over each other, so I provide plenty of space for multiple individuals. 

Breeding

Males will hitch a ride on the back of a female and connect abdomen for several hours. They are polygynandrous; females will mate many times with many males. One female can produce over 250 eggs each. Oviposition begins in late August, peaks during mid-September, and tails off at the end of September. Females will continue to lay until late October until most of the green foliage is no longer present.

Other information

These hatched after a chilled diapause of ~3 months+. Leave them to overwinter outside in a container or put them in a fridge. Make sure leaves are available when you pull them out of cold storage. 
I have occasionally noted an odd straggler that hatches way after others, often many months behind. I am still looking into this oddity. 

Domino Roach (Therea petiveriana)

Size

Females up to 35mm (1.4in)
Males up to 25mm (0.9in)

Moisture

50% humidity

Keep the substrate damp, not wet, with average water content. Allow the top layer of substrate to dry out before adding more water. Directly add water to the soil to re-hydrate your roach bin. Give them a wetter and a dryer side to their enclosure to allow a moisture gradient. Additional water can be provided through food. There should be enough ventilation to make sure the soil is able to dry, and it shouldn’t be too humid.

Temperature

22-29.5°C (72-85°F)

The warmer they are, the quicker they grow.

Sexing

At adulthood, males have longer hairy antennae, while females have short straight antennae.

Feeding

These insects feed primarily on dried leaves, but love small bits of protein-based pet foods and fruit. A thick layer of leaf litter should always be available to your dominos. I use oak and maple leaves. Offer cuttlebone chunks for calcium. 

Instars

These roaches are slow growers. If kept at ~75°F it may take them 1.25 years to grow from birth to adulthood.

Enclosure

Domino roaches need several inches of substrate as they are a burrowing roach. I use organic peat with added leaves, sphagnum moss and charcoal for my substrate. I provide my dominos with substrate at least 4-6 inches deep. Make sure whatever container/setup you use is deep enough for burrowing. I have bark chunks set on top of the substrate, under the leaf litter for extra cover.

Breeding

Females are oviparous and will produce as many as 13 ootheca that will each yield as many as 16 nymphs.

Other information

These roaches are beetle mimics! Nymphs and adults stay round and clumsy. They’re often burrowed in the substrate, so you may not see them much. Domino roaches get their names from their adult forms’ signature black and white spotted wings. They cannot fly.

Panda King Isopod (Cubaris sp. “Panda King”)

Size

1-2 cm

Moisture

80% humidity, allow a gradient of moisture from wet to dry soil

Temperature

22-26°C (72-78°F)

Feeding

I always provide my isopods with leaves as a staple, but often provide fruits and veggies, pet kibble, fish food, and . I offer cuttlebone chunks or ground eggshells for calcium. Remove uneaten food before it molds. You don’t need to feel isopods daily, but it’s a good idea to add supplemental foods other than leaf litter at least once a week. 

Enclosure

For all of my isopods, I generally use a mix of organic peat, decayed wood, flake soil, sphagnum moss, garden compost, chopped and whole leaves, as well as calcium carbohydrate or eggshells. Coco coir can be used as a filler for water retention, but is mostly inedible fiber. Ensure that your isopods have access to moist hides and substrate to provide the necessary moisture. For hides, I use chunks of cork or oak bark. Ventilation should be present but minimal to maintain proper moisture.

Breeding

If kept warm and wet enough, panda kings will produce steadily. They are a quicker breeding Cubaris and can quickly proliferate. In a year I went from 35 to 300 individuals.

Other information

The best beginner cubaris, in my opinion. This is a popular species in the hobby due to its panda-like markings, cute face, and its ability to conglobate (roll into a ball!) 
I keep these with my fulvous roaches. They share a bin, and both are very prolific.

Giant Leopard Moth (Hypercompe scribonia)

Size

Caterpillars up to 7.6cm (3in)
Male moths up to 51mm (2 in)
Female moths up to 30mm (1.2 in)

Moisture

50% humidity
No spraying needed, all moisture needed is provided through fresh leaves.

Temperature

72-78°F (22-26°C)

Sexing

You cannot sex a caterpillar, but can sex a pupae with effort and a trained eye. Sexual dimorphism in adults is mainly in size, but males will have fuzzier antenna and a thinner frame.

Feeding

From hatch they will devour various species of plants as they are polyphagous. I have offered them dandelion, plantain, wild lettuce, maple, and willow. There are many available host species, see here. Clean any buildup of waste when you add new feed. Replace feed every 1-2 days.

Instars

Slow growing, molting many times as a caterpillar throughout the year until fall. Nearly grown caterpillars will overwinter, then pupate and eclose the following spring.

Enclosure

Young caterpillars can be housed in a 32 oz deli cup, but once they start to lose their orange banding it's time to move them into a mesh pop up. Avoid overcrowding in later instars. Ends of branches can be snipped and placed in water to remain fresh.

Breeding

This species can remain in copulation for periods of over 24 hours. After this, the female will lay several hundred small pearly eggs.

Other information

Also known as the giant wooly bear, this species’ caterpillars are black and fuzzy with red bands. The adults of this species do not eat, they simply seek females/call males, mate and lay eggs. Every year there is one brood of this species in the north, and two in the south.

Greater Waxmoth (Galleria mellonella)

Size

Caterpillars range from 3 to 30mm long

Moths range from 10 to 19mm long

Size of moths is dependent on amount of diet consumed

Moisture

29-33%

Do not add additional moisture

Temperature

85-91°F (29-33°C)

Do not chill or heat past 105°F (40.5°C)

Room temperature (73°F/23°C) cultures may not grow properly

Sexing

Female moths are typically larger than males, and males are usually lighter in color

Male moths beat wings in courtship, and have an indentation on the front of the wing

Pupae can be sexed near the tip of their abdomen by either a small slit (female) or a pair of rounded knobs (male)

Feeding

Keep food constantly present to grow the biggest feeders

Adult moths do not eat as they have reduced mouthparts

Growth

If kept hot, these moths can go from egg to moth in about a month with the larval stage only being 20 days

Enclosure

A 32oz deli cup with a metal mesh lid, packed half way with substrate with added egg cartons, paper towel rolls, or waxpaper

Breeding

Males live for an average of 21 days while females live for 12 on average

One gravid female can lay over 1000 eggs, but more often somewhere around 500

Male moths will beat their wings to attract females, calling with sound waves

Other Information

G. mellonella larvae parasitize the honeybee but never eat bee larvae.

Waxworm Diet Recipe

Ingredients: Rolled Oats, Gerber Rice Baby Food, Wheat Germ, Beeswax, Bee Pollen, Corn Syrup, Honey

Directions:

  1. Mix your dry ingredients in equal parts (Rolled Oats, Wheat Germ, and Rice Baby Food).
  2. Add optional additives to your liking. Beeswax and Bee Pollen are what I add.
  3. Stir until everything is evenly mixed.
  4. Add both wet ingredients and stir in or mash in until the consistency can pack down, but doesn't tightly cling to your hands. It should be faintly sticky and clumping, but not dripping.
  5. Move medium into a 32oz cup with a METAL mesh lid, or another DIY plastic container. I've found the hard way that waxworms can eat through fabric lids and even mesh pop ups.
  6. Pack it down and poke holes into it with a toothpick. This allows the moths to lay eggs easier.
  7. Add paper towel rolls, egg cartons or wax paper to provide places for caterpillars to cocoon.
  8. Add 10+ or so moths/pupae of both sexes to your cup. If you have larvae, you can add those instead.
  9. Set your 32oz on a heat pad set at ~85-95°F. They are designed to live inside beehives. Note that 114°F is too hot and will begin to kill them and that temperatures too low will stunt growth. Temperatures 65°F and under should be avoided. Do NOT put your waxworms in the fridge if you intend to raise moths.
  10. Keep feeding your waxworms constantly to get the biggest moths (¾ an inch), or cut them off of food early to get miniature moths ¼ the size. This allows them to be diverse feeders for various predators of many instars.

LIVE FEEDER NOTES: