All About Pet Insects

With millions of species of invertebrates on our planet they are extremely diverse, and they can be fascinating to observe in a vivarium. The majority of all animals alive today are invertebrates, and they include spiders, worms and insects. In this article we are going to look at pet insects. Insects are identified by the rule of threes – they have three pairs of legs, and three parts to their bodies: head, thorax, abdomen.

Insects, like all invertebrates, are ecotherms, which means that they rely on external sources to heat their bodies. Some like the praying mantis are carnivores, whilst others, like the stick insect, are herbivores. They tend to be delicate creatures, and they should be considered as pets for observation, rather than pets for handling.

The Indian Stick Insect (Carausius morosus) is a common pet in schools, and is very easy to look after. There are green, or light brown, and they have distinctive red markings on the inside of their legs. They use these to flash at potential predators. Another defensive mechanism that they have is their ability to sway like a twig in the breeze as an act of camouflage.  If you do keep an Indian Stick Insect then you should spray the vivarium occasionally to ensure that it has the right humidity levels. Their legs break easily, and get caught in fabrics, so you should only handle your pet stick insect with extreme care.

The Leaf Insect (Phyllium sp.) is another insect with skills in camouflage. As its name suggests it does an excellent imitation of a leaf, even down to having brown spots, and tatty edges on its body. They need to be kept in vivariums with temperatures of between twenty one and twenty seven degrees centigrade, so you will need to make use of a heat pad. You should only have the heat pad at one end of the vivarium, so that your pet can move away to cool down as necessary.

Whilst these are just two of the pet insects that you might consider, there are plenty of others to choose from. As you develop some expertise in keeping insects you will likely want to progress to more exotic species such as the praying mantis (Sphodromantis sp). This insect was designed for killing, and watching it feed is one of the most interesting parts of keeping them. You usually purchase them as nymphs and can enjoy watching them grow up.

Good luck with your insect-keeping, and remember that researh is very important.