I have two African giant blacks that I've had for about four years now. They have been in a very simple plastic terrarium with bark substrate, a feeding dish and some rocks to hide under. I've fed them veggies, mostly cucumber, lettuces, herbs, and other leafy things, with some fruit once in a while.
Recently, one of my large aquariums opened up, about 30 gallons, and I'd like to move them into that. It opens up possibilities for decorating. I'll likely put in wood and sticks, more hidey places and rocks, etc. I like natural look terrariums.
My question is, would a planted terrarium, or just potted plants set in, be appropriate? Obviously, I run the risk of the 'pedes snacking on the plants but I would be just propogating cheapy plants I already have (spider plant and pothos) so it'd be no great loss, easily replaced, and pretty much free. Spider plants and pothos are generally considered nontoxic for most pets -- birds and mammals -- but how about for 'pedes? And since 'pedes are scavengers like decaying plant matter, I wonder if they'd bother it to the extent another herbivore would. Am I leaving out any concerns? Should I stick to plastic/silk plants?
Second, I've always fed my 'pedes plain old veggies, but now I'm seeing all sorts of other options.
* bird pellets (fruit flavored)
* cricket diet, cricket jellies, etc.
* rotting wood and leaf litter
What are the pros/cons of these diets? My 'pedes are doing great after four years, and I want them to live as long as possible. For those who have kept 'pedes a long time, what have you fed, and what are your results?
Bird pellets strike me as strange, a bit, because they contain a lot of grain (I have a parrot who eats Harrison's organic pellets).
Cricket diets strike me as intriguing, because it would be so easy to feed, but my concern is that it has chemicals and other weirdnesses, since crickets aren't kept for long lifespans, but usually as food. For example, we stopped feeding commercial hermit crab food to our crabs because they have stuff in them that actually interferes with a crab's moult. The crabs have been much happier on a home-prepared diet.
Rotting wood and leaf litter sounds great but my concerns are that rotting wood might be hard to come by without my going into the woods and gathering it (easier in the summer than the winter), and with both leaf litter and rotting wood I'm concerned about introducing parasites or other un-welcome creatures.
I'd love to hear any responses!
