While children are intrigued by creepy-crawly insects and love capturing, poking, and playing with them, most adults grow out of such an interest. However, that may not be the case for everyone! For those who enjoy being around bugs, it is not a surprise that keeping them as pets has become pretty common. Here is a list of some bugs popularly kept as pets. Who knows? Maybe after seeing this list you will want one of your own!
Ants
You can find ants everywhere. They are very social creatures that live in a colony, ruled by a queen. Since the queen is the only fertile female, the remaining females are workers. Ants have the carrying capacity of many times the weight of their own body and communicate with each other through pheromones and sounds. Their use of teamwork and organization to complete difficult tasks is amazing! Harvester ants are the most common type of ant sold in ant farms. With the clear glass on the side, ant farms provide a fun activity of watching the ants carry on their daily routines making tunnels and storing food. Common food for ants are fruits, vegetables, nectar, and bird seeds.
Tarantula
Tarantulas are arachnids that are found all over the world. With 800 different species, there is a wide variety of colors, patterns, and sizes to choose from. They live in a variety of different environments ranging from high branches of trees to deep burrows in the ground. Since these spiders are noiseless, require little space, and easy to care for, they have become more and more popular as household pets. They eat a variety of living things, ranging from crickets to rats. If watching them catch and eat their prey is not exciting enough, it is also exciting to watch them molt. As the old skin comes off, it looks as though there are two tarantulas in the tank!
Millipedes
There are 10,000 species of millipedes with the African Millipede being the most popular kept as household pets. These creatures have many little segments on their body, with two pairs of legs on each one. Depending on the species, they can have 36 to 400 legs. They are round, slow, and eat plant materials such as fruits, vegetables, and rotting wood or leaves. Millipedes love burrowing into moist soil so a tank must include some deep soil with other moist hiding places as well. While they can live in groups, make sure to not mix males and females in the same tank unless you want hundreds of little millipedes scurrying around. Through several molting periods, these baby millipedes will continue to grow body segments and legs until they are fully grown.
Praying Mantis
The praying mantis is so called because of the front legs bent down as if in prayer. These legs are used for attacking which is one of the most interesting things about keeping this insect as a pet. The mantis feeds only on live insects, such as flies, moths, caterpillars, crickets, and even each other at times. Some prey may hide from the praying mantis so always be sure that the mantis finds and eats it. However, unlike other insects, the praying mantis does not eat every day. Depending on the species, it may even be unhealthy for the particular mantis to feed every day! It is well known that the female may eat the male during the act of mating. While this is true, it does not occur every time, especially if the female is well-fed beforehand.
There are many other bugs that are kept as popular pets, but these are just a few to look into! However, if you start seeing pests in your home that you did not invite in as a pet, call ProActive Pest Management at 630-451-8101 for a fast free quote!