General Discussion

@GingerC

Yeah! They do have lots of names... Something I never actually realised til now. Lol. Generally here, they're called slaters or woodlice!

And they kinda cute, aren't they?! :D I remember having one that I kept inside for a while and it was actually pregnant because when I looked inside the home I had created for it after a little while, there was tons of little whitish babies!! For a good few years at least, I was obsessed with em. Haha

For a creature so small, they're pretty cool!!

@GingerC I got it for a rly good deal on craigslist, it was such a good find! They were in a 29gal before that, which was fine for them at the time but Shuckle has way outgrown that now. I'm glad I got the 55 before the 29 was too small! They don't pinch me, but only because I don't give them the chance to xD I always hold my crabs by their shells where they can't reach me. Shuckle has my name on her fist, her claw is always open and ready, and I'm ngl its kindof terrifying bc of how big she is. I don't want to find out how much that would hurt!

Do shrimp count? |D I used to have some ghost shrimp that I loved dearly. Sadly they eventually died off (the woes of poorly bred "feeder" animals), but I'll probably get more next year. My betta was always fascinated by them; he would actually sit on the bottom of the tank and watch them eat algae pellets.
I'd love to get fancy dwarf shrimp, but they're about $4 a piece (ghost shrimp are $0.20 a piece, in comparison), and I feel like I'd be doing them a disservice if I don't have a brightly lit, heavily planted tank like all the ~aesthetic~ ones I see on Tumblr lol.

So, after a bit of research, I think my spider is a Zygiella x-notata, also known as a missing sector orb weaver. I can't say for certain, though... I haven't noticed a missing sector in their web (a defining feature), but the size, shape, and color are spot-on.

Also, @Reefknot, I just learned that there are even more isopod names. We need to add sow bug and potato bug to the list!

So, we're ordering our mantis tomorrow! :D The only problem is that the website we're getting it from doesn't have any more African mantids in stock. Yesterday, we decided we'd just get a giant Asian mantis instead, but they weren't available this morning.... so now our only choices are between a Malaysian dead leaf mantis or an Indian flower mantis. Hopefully, something different will be in stock by tomorrow. :P

Has anyone ordered a bug from Bugsincyberspace.com? I'd like to hear your experiences if you have.

@PaperKittens

They had giant Asian mantids for sale again this morning, we ordered two of them! :D They should arrive on Tuesday, I'm super hyped. My dad also decided to register there, so I guess we might be making future purchases. :-D

I got really excited when I first found that site; they really do offer a pleasing variety of the coolest things ever. The Jerusalem crickets, orbweavers, antlions, and jumping spiders especially caught my eye... the jumping spiders more so than anything else. /oOOo\

I know the basics of caring for a regal jumper, but would you care to tell me your experiences? :D

Also, blue ramshorn snails are really pretty, and having tons of tiny ones all over the place sounds adorable.

I just finished setting up the terrariums. They're really big plastic jars that used to be full of chocolate biscotti, and more recently, crickets - I disinfected them yesterday, no worries. ^-^ If the nymphs have any trouble finding their prey, I can just put them in deli cups until they grow.

It's gonna take forever for Tuesday to come...