Jerusalem crickets

C

crittergu

Fourth Instar
Anyone with any experience on keeping these in captivity? I found one...fascinating and disgusting and almost cute at the same time.

 
They live a few months or more and feed on various things including most vegetables. I haven't heard of anyone who's even seen eggs.

 
I've always wanted one of those! It's wierd how so many people fear them. Do you have a map of their range in the U.S., I might go to either Colorado or Texas this summer and want to return with a few. They're cute, big, and colorful at the same time! I heard they could live to five years, but I kind of doubt it.

To donatas_s: He means Stenopelmatus sp., known as Jerusalem crickets; not crickets from Jerusalem (that's what I took your post to mean).

 
Thanks, I don't know if I'll go there any time soon, though. My friends in Colorado say they've seen "big orange crickets with black & white stripes" under boards in their yards, so I'll hope their range has expanded.

 
I love bugs, but these have always been kind of freaky to me. I guess it's all the times I've been suprised by them crawling on my leg or popping out from under pots and pans in my house. In fall the males wander around looking for mates and I always have to rescue them from my work. I can hear them tapping on the linoleum in the hallway as they walk across or scratching on the walls. They can hiss by rubbing their back legs against their abdomen and they have a pretty strong bite.

They're probably the coolest bugs we have here in california though. I've tried keeping them but haven't been able to keep them alive for more than a few months. Not sure why. Probably wasn't replicating their natural habitat good enough. They are scavengers so they will eat anything but really love catfood. I caught one in the drawer once that tore open a package of Mentos and had already eaten half of one. :P

 
The one that I captured escaped...so no story here.

I had a chance to get another one, but I let it get away. Tarantulas, scorpions, roaches etc. I don't mind...but something about these guys gives me the woogies. It must be that squishy abdomen. :blink:

 
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