7 replies to this topic

[dboeren]

My Camponotus floridanus colony is doing well and I'm trying to think of other kinds of terrarium animals I can keep with similar characteristics.

 

1.  Takes a small amount of space (my ants live on my computer desk so I can watch them at work)

2.  Something cool or interesting to watch

3.  Low maintenance.  It's hard to get people to watch or feed exotic animals so ideally it should be OK if I'm gone for up to 7-9 days

4.  Ideally something that is out and about at least a fair amount of the time

 

What I have right now is the ant colony and two pythons (a Diamond/Jungle Python hybrid and a Blood Python).  In the past I've kept boas, bearded dragons, and tarantulas.

 

Most of the options I can think of run afoul of the vacation rule or the space rule.  I do have an empty 18x18x18" Exo Terra but from my readings even few frog or lizard species can live in that, or would be limited to one small animal.  Plus, being active animals they tend to need more frequent attention.  And, 18x18x18" is really pushing the desk-sized criteria too.  Snakes work well, but I don't think I want another snake right now.  I'm also not wanting to add another ant colony yet and the US vendors are out of stock on a lot of species too - I'd rather have something different.

 

This has led me mostly to inverts.  Tarantulas would be a good option but my wife is afraid of them and many of them will eventually need a larger home and no longer fit on a desk.  That can be solved of course by getting new tarantulas periodically but again, wife.  I've seen some cool looking scorpions but from what I've heard they pretty much hide almost all the time which makes them a much less interesting desk animal.  My wife doesn't like them either, and I'd definitely be limited to the least-potent species.

 

Perhaps a smaller species of mantis?  They seem to fit in small vertical enclosures (~6x6x9"), the main drawbacks seem to be a harder time finding food for them and a very short lifespan.  Anyone here do mantids?

 

A jumping spider has very similar requirements to a mantis with similar drawbacks too.  My wife thinks they are scarier than a mantis so probably not really useful.

 

Anything else I'm missing?  Centipedes I hear are fast and aggressive, millipedes sound sort of dull (along with probably most herbivorous inverts), stick and leaf insects are illegal.  Crabs seem to require water and more cleaning so they are likely too much maintenance.  Termites are forbidden too.

 

One option I admit I know almost nothing about is beetles.  Maybe some good options there?  What are some active interesting species?  Some of the horned ones seem to look pretty cool.

 

What do you guys suggest?

[Full_Frontal_Yeti]

I think jumping spiders is the good option really.

they are not long lived

they do not get that big, only needing one enclosure their whole life.

 

some of them are just cute as a button

 

and did you know baby jumping spiders are called spooters?

How can anything with that cute a name be bad?

 

If she calls them spooters, they can't be creepy anymore.


Also free for the catching in most places during the season.

Edited by Full_Frontal_Yeti, September 23 2024 - 3:02 PM.

[ANTdrew]

Ants will kill and eat most inverts you put in with them. Springtails are the only thing I think could peaceably coexist with a mature ant colony unless it’s a huge tank you’re thinking about. Isopods may work out, but my Tetramorium ruthlessly killed all the ones I tried putting in a few years ago. If you want a jumping spider or a mantis keep it alone. They can live in tiny enclosures with minimal care. Jumpers are somewhat easier than mantises.

[dboeren]

This would be in a separate enclosure, not mixed with the ants. Also, apparently my wife thinks a spider that can jump is scarier than one which cannot, even if it’s smaller? I was surprised by that too…

[ANTdrew]

Tell her they just sleep 23 hours a day.

[dboeren]

So I've found out there are "Dwarf Tarantulas", species that don't get very big.  Some max out around 2" diagonal leg span, others up to 4" which is still smaller than most T's.  I'm going to do some more research on the ones that stay 3" or smaller (and have pretty colors) and I may find something that will fit my needs and perhaps if they are smaller they will be less scary?  Initially they'd probably be 1/3-1/2" or so which is similar to just regular spiders you find around the house and over time would grow to max size.

 

I'll also make sure to look for a locking container as her main fear seems to be that it will escape somehow.

[mbullock42086]

amazon milk frogs- tiny and beautiful.  easy to breed too.  

[cooIboyJ]

Anoles, these are small lizards which I think most places sell as feeders for snakes and such, but I think that they should be easy enough to keep, and they are also very easy to breed. And you can also sell them for about $5-8 as feeders or pets. All you would need is to buy the lights and heat lamp and you should be all set (make sure to have a lid). I have never kept anoles myself, but I went to a pet store once, and this is what the worker said, and some of this I found out with some research a long time ago when I wanted to keep these as pets.