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New Pets . . . Insects?!?

sweet~nichole~marie

sweet~nichole~marie

Tallulah's Mama
Well, I seem to be acquiring some strange pets. ~LOL~ I was given some Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches from a fellow teacher to use for a physics lab and ended up liking them so much I kept them. They have been living in the classroom for the year and are now home for the summer (I just hope none escape!). I was a little squeamish the 1st time I picked them up, but now have no problems with them. They are quite interesting.

This is my boyfriend holding one!

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I was also recently given a baby praying mantis by one of my students (her uncle breeds them). She eats tons of fruit flies and I swear she is bigger every time I check on her.

Her name is Lucy Liu, since she kicks major fruit fly butt ~LOL~ I just watched her hunt and devour at least 15 just a little while ago. It is very cool to watch her!

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A few years ago I would never have thought I would have pets like these, but they are really interesting to watch, and so easy to care for!
 
Interesting for sure lol are you a science teacher? what grade? I think I will stick to snakes hehehe
 
K. Rene said:
Interesting for sure lol are you a science teacher? what grade? I think I will stick to snakes hehehe
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How did you guess? ~LOL~ I teach 9th physical science, 10th biology, and 11/12th Marine Science. I keep snakes, turtles, insects, and fish in the classroom for the kids to see and learn about. I'm also going to put together a terrarium of carnivorous plants for next year. I might get a crested gecko, also.

Tavia said:
I'll pass on the cockroaches but praying mantis are great pets!
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They are actually much cooler than I thought they would be. They honestly are nothing like the twitchy, creepy ones that you find in your kitchen (GROSS!). They are more like big beetles. And the kids love to hear them hiss!
 
I've had a pet praying mantis before, so I can identify with that. They are actually very interesting, and I think beautiful insects. Not sure if I'm keen on the roach though ;)
 
The roaches I could do without. My niece had one for a while and enjoyed it, but I would pass. The mantis though would be awesome to have as a pet. Your students are lucky to have a teacher that has different creatures in her room. Thanks for sharing them with us.
 
I had a Maddy hisser once, a male. I had him for nearly 3 years. Very interesting and non demanding pet and I actually missed him when he passed! His name was Hiss (real original, huh?) He ended up getting so tame that in time he no longer hissed.
 
Be careful with the roaches, I had two and it turned into two hundred in three generations. I couldn't get rid of them fast enough. I did keep one as a pet for a long time though, her name was Princess Leia. Once, one of the big males escaped and my mom found him in the laundry basket. HILARIOUS!!!!! She screamed bloody murder and I, of course laughed my head off.
 
I had a few that had babies when I was at a summer camp.. Came home and found all of the babied dried out under the light on the fish tank... It was kinda sad. My big male got loose for a month before I found him in the cereal box that I kept in my room to give them and my chinchilla's treats.
Heard some crunchin and investigated, found the big guy just chillin in there with a frosted flake.
 
My hat is off to you but I can NOT do insects! I respect all creatures but I can not have them as pets. I got all creepy crawly feeling just looking at your pictures.

Latch them roaches, they can climb and will get out if they find a small way through.

Good Luck!
 
Awwww! I love hissers so much. I have quite a few right now. I wanna get some tiger hissers but my boyfriend would DIE. He hates hem. DX
 
I've had mantids as pets, and when I tried breeding Dubia roaches to feed Blossom (leopard gecko) I was so glad she went off eating them, they were such handsome and interesting insects!
 
I don't do bugs, especially spiders or roaches lol. Ask Crouse Corns what happened at his house last Sat night......another story....anyways what is the life span on the mantis and those roaches??
 
I could be wrong, but I think the praying mantis lives about 1 year. When we'd keep them, usually they were adults & we'd catch them in the summer. They would live until Nov. I think, or possibly until Dec. It's been about 8 or 9 years since we kept any though. A good place to catch some is at night in car dealership parking lots. They eat the moths that are attracted to the big parking lot lights.
 
Hissers live for about 5 years, and the mantis's age depends on the type. I know some only live for a few months.
 
It seems most mantids live 6 months to a year. I didn't know the Hissers lived that long! ~LOL~ I have found a few dead ones in the classroom throughout the year. They don't seem to last long once they escape their tank. I think they escaped more because students wouldn't put the lid on tight after handling them. I just hope they don't really get out at home. They don't seem that interested in climbing. They like to burrow down into the coconut bark. I also slather on a layer of Vaseline along the top of their tank. Messy, but they can't climb through it.

They have been really great in the classroom. Many students who refused to touch them eventually wanted to hold them. There were a few brave students willing to hold them in the beginning, and them as they saw the other students, decided they wanted to try it also. I think it is great experience for them. I use them is a "Speed of a Cockroach" lab at the beginning of the year. The lab is really about experimental design and thinking it through before jumping in, because the kids design these really elaborate obstacle courses and then the cockroaches just sit there ~LOL~ It is so funny and they talk about it all year.
 
I'm not big on roaches, but I do respect them... But I love mantids.. Had one as a pet when I was a little kid... Very cool :)
 
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