Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I noticed some really big mayfly/mosquito type bugs flying around
and was wondering are these ok to occasionally put in a cham cage?

are they mosquito or mayfly? Mosquito feeds on blood (well, the females do) and if they have ingested any diseased blood there could be a problem. Mayflies on the other hand are strictly in reproductive mode as adults. They generally live one day and then die. There are also crane flies which some folks mistake for big mosquitoes but they are actually mosquito hunters.

Regardless, they will not provide much in nutrient value for your cham.

you can generally distinguish crane flies b/c of thier size:
www.gardensafari.net/hania/x021_insekt_langpoot5.jpg

mayflies have a "tail" (ovipositor) www.boothphotos.com/images/Mayfly.jpg

mosquito www.humboldtredwoods.org/images/mosquito.jpg

lele
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

>>are they mosquito or mayfly? Mosquito feeds on blood (well, the females do) and if they have ingested any diseased blood there could be a problem. Mayflies on the other hand are strictly in reproductive mode as adults. They generally live one day and then die. There are also crane flies which some folks mistake for big mosquitoes but they are actually mosquito hunters.
>>
>>Regardless, they will not provide much in nutrient value for your cham.
>>
>>you can generally distinguish crane flies b/c of thier size:
>>www.gardensafari.net/hania/x021_insekt_langpoot5.jpg
>>
>>mayflies have a "tail" (ovipositor) www.boothphotos.com/images/Mayfly.jpg
>>
>>mosquito www.humboldtredwoods.org/images/mosquito.jpg
>>
>>lele
>>-----
>>0.1 veiled - Luna
>>0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
>>0.1 brown anole - Jamaica
>>0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia
>>0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta
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Victor Gomez
gomezvi.tripod.com/sdchamkeepers/
gomezvi@yahoo.com

(and mad at that darned enter button! hehe)
Craneflies mosquitos hunters? No.
Craneflies (the ones around here anyways) do look like big mosquitos. But the adults have no mouth parts and are unable to eat. They exist merely to reproduce.
Yes, I've heard them referred to as 'Skeeters' and Mosquito Hawks. A lot of people think they hunt mosquitos.
My own son used to be VERY afraid of them, until I told they have no mouths with which to bite. Now he's fascinated by them. Future Bug Nut in the works....
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Victor Gomez
gomezvi.tripod.com/sdchamkeepers/
gomezvi@yahoo.com

Hey, I can relate to that enter key thing! LOL!

oops! I just re-read my post and meant to say that folks think of them as mosquito hunters. Like your son I was afraid of them as a kid for the same reason! They are wonderfully delicate creatures that I am forever trying to free from spider webs along with dragonflies.

I never responded to the Leaf Bug thread about all your minibeasts that have now become "pets". All those lobster roaches of mine I am getting a bit attached to...they will be getting a new condo in a few days! Luna is not interested and I've gotten to the point of not even offering them - cute little things that they are!

How old is the future bug nut? Have you seen this site? The guy sells specimens which I am not in the market for but he's got some beautiful photos - and his philosophy on collecting is based on conservation (I still have mixed feeling about collecting but who am I to judge???)

lele
Insect Culture

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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica the j sisters were sent to freedom last month
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia (MIA
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

I have 4 little ones, ages 8, 6, 4, 3. The Bug Nut is 6. That boy can RETAIN lots of information! I tell him ONE time about a bug or reptile, he repeats that info to the other kids verbatim several weeks later.
Buying specimens... hrmmm... That's akin to purchase mounted reptiles. Dunno about that. But then again, if this allows others to see the beauty of the bug, well, (hate to say this) the end justifies the means.
Great site! I just might buy a specimen or two for my Bug Nut. I especially like the E. t. phasmid and this other bug in particular......

Ahem! This is the Cham forum! My baby veileds are doing great! Got another hatch last night! Coming in onesies and twosies. Eating great, 1 week old crix and fruit flies. Picking up 1000 more crickets today.

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Victor Gomez
gomezvi.tripod.com/sdchamkeepers/
gomezvi@yahoo.com

4 huh? lots of budding bug nuts?

I had to do an insect collection for my horticulture class and it is great to have and it was extremely educational (but I couldn't stand using the "killing jar" The neighborhood kids think it is really cool, too! The 6th graders have to do a collection each year so I offer to help to try and "enlighten" them along the way...like why we don't need to catch, kill and mount dragon flies, bumblebees and butterflies. However, that said, we wouldn't know as much as we know (we being bug nuts in general) if it weren't for specimens. My objection is for collecting for the sake of collecting and/or profit with no science connected to it.

But as you said....this is the cham forum! Luna's pissing me off - can I say that here? She won't eat, she won't lay, she's being cranky.

Congrats on all your little ones (the 4-leggers

lele

p.s. did you see this lovely thing??

Link

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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica the j sisters were sent to freedom last month
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia (MIA
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

Those things are really pretty! The gold bug, the image of which I posted, costs $35 for a pair. Seems expensive, but I looked around and the cheapest I could find elsewhere was $40 for a single male, and not 70 mm.
>>But as you said....this is the cham forum! Luna's pissing me off - can I say that here? She won't eat, she won't lay, she's being cranky.
Hmmm.... you're up in NH or somewhere in New England. Have you been giving her natural sunlight? Is it warm enough? Maybe she's just getting cagey, needing to go outside. How about her diet? You haven't fallen into a rut, feeding her the same thing over and over, have ya? When was the last time she got some good ole house flies?
Wait... lay? she's gravid? How far? Is she all bumpy and fat? Don't forget to give her PLENTY calcium!
If she's REALLY gravid, don't worry too much about her food (as long as she still looks plumpish!). Give plenty water, maybe even pedialyte if she gets a little stressy. What one friend of mine did to help induce his virgin female veiled to lay is he replaced his ficus with one that had LOTS of loose soil. The female just dug a hole in the pot, laid her eggs, and went back to her business.
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Victor Gomez
gomezvi.tripod.com/sdchamkeepers/
gomezvi@yahoo.com

Hi Victor

** yup, NH. it's gotten into the low 50's but with the sun shining and no wond I have actually taken her a out a couple times to climb her favorite little crabapple tree.

>>Maybe she's just getting cagey, needing to go outside. How about her diet? You haven't fallen into a rut, feeding her the same thing over and over, have ya? When was the last time she got some good ole house flies?

**this cham has a buffet table to choose from! I have going: crix, supers, silkies, roaches, waxworms, and now butterworms, too! It used to be that she would take crix no matter what but not even those anymore. i try several things in a day then I try nothing for 2 days hoping she will pig out - not happening.

>>Wait... lay? she's gravid? How far? Is she all bumpy and fat? Don't forget to give her PLENTY calcium!

**this has been her "false pregnancy" that goes back to December! She's my little virgin but you may recall back in Dec. she was showing gravid colors, belly distended, cut back on eating, etc. Even the vet said she looked gravid (she was about 8 months). Since she wasn't eating I was giving her NCG 2x/day as directed but when nothing was happening I was afraid she would get hypercalcimia so I cut back and she ate an occasional silkie so stopped altogether. I have had a box in there for her ever since - nothing. Now she looks skinny sometimes but I weighed her today and she is holding at 94g! I am so confused! She will be a year in early May.

>>If she's REALLY gravid, don't worry too much about her food (as long as she still looks plumpish!).

**well, it's weird. her ribs are sticking out (can see the ribs heads) but she doesn't seem to have the plumpness. I am convinced that she reabsorbed them (had to. it's been 4 1/2 months!

Give plenty water, maybe even pedialyte if she gets a little stressy. What one friend of mine did to help induce his virgin female veiled to lay is he replaced his ficus with one that had LOTS of loose soil. The female just dug a hole in the pot, laid her eggs, and went back to her business.

**I have changed her laying tub a couple times. First it was a box of coco-fiber but it wouldn't have held up so I put a dead scheff branch in loose soil and a light on it. She would go down and bask (LOL! she had an upper and lower basking site and would use both!) but never made ANY signs of digging. I just changed it to sand/coco-fiber. She still goes down to bask but again, no sign of digging - ho-hum, what is a mother to do?? :-/
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica the j sisters were sent to freedom last month
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia (MIA
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta