Data sheet desert locusts
Latin name:
Schistocerca gregaria
Origin:
North Africa, Near and Middle East
Size:
7 to 9 cm
age expectation:
several months
Breed:
possible
Lining:
Suitable for amphibians, reptiles, birds, rodents Syrio, Trauttmansdorff gardens – Schistocerca gregaria, CC BY-SA 4.0
General information
desert locusts belong to the migratory locusts. You are impressive Short sensory scares that appear in swarms in phases. A swarm can contain 50,000,000 desert locusts.
This grasshopper species grows quite large. The females will between 7 and 9 centimeters. large and the males create a body length between 6 and 7.5 centimeters. Their large wings always protrude beyond the abdomen. The Shield on the neck is particularly pronounced in the desert locusts. The animals are grey-yellow to ocher colored and have dark spots on their forewings. The migrating locusts appear bright yellow.
Straight skinned locusts are pink in color at first and can deteriorate under deteriorating environmental conditions reddish brown to dye. This creates swarms of red-brown and yellow locusts. When resting, they usually carry their hind wings in a folded position. The red eyes have vertical stripes.
The Hind legs are yellowish to brown in colorwhich is different from other species.
desert locusts are widespread in the desert areas of North Africa, in the Near and Middle East. The swarm formation is closely monitored because of the economic damage it causes, so that the locusts can be combated in good time if necessary.
Over and beyond desert locusts also live in the arid regions of South Africabut do not form swarms there.
attitude
To keep desert locusts are suitable Normal size fauna boxes, in which around 40 adult specimens have space. A larger amount is due to lack of space not recommended, otherwise the animals will become aggressive could become.
Who get many desert locusts for his stockpiling If you want to grow one, you should buy a terrarium of a sufficient size.
Recommended as a facility branches or egg cartonswhich offer the insects opportunities to climb and increase their radius of action. retreats are also important and can be realized with cardboard rolls.
The Locusts like temperatures between 26 and 32 °C, which can be generated using a radiant heater. The Power cables should be well attached to the rear wall of the terrarium and thus hiddenbecause otherwise desert locusts will nibble on these too.
breed
When breeding desert locusts is some finesse asked. Definitely are some technical work, hygiene and enough food necessary.
For breeding 2 or more containers needed. Breeding takes place in one, while the others are used for rearing young animals.
Suitable for breeding a plastic container, a wooden box or an older terrarium. Anyone who wants to breed the desert locusts permanently should spend a little more money and buy a container whose Bottom with a grid insert Is provided. However, this grid should have quite tight meshes. The Excrement and other dirt fall into the drawer under the grille and can be easily removed.
Craftsmen build their desert locusts some wooden boxes themselves. The animals in the breeding tank need at least half the day light. The longer the brightness, the greater the breeding success.
In the breeding container are ideally equal numbers of females and males. desert locusts are sexually mature after four weeks and lay 200 to 400 small eggs in a lifetime.
That is also important egg-laying substrate. Here comes a mixture peat, sand and earth question which one should be germ-free for good breeding success. To be on the safe side, it can stand in the oven for a few minutes at high temperature settings.
This egg-laying substrate filled separately in a container. It should always be slightly damp be, but never wet, otherwise the locust eggs will die.
As soon as the grasshopper eggs are in the substrate, they say about 10 days waiting timebefore removing and replacing the egg tray. The egg-laying container is placed in the rearing container at 30 °C. It can be a few degrees cooler at night. The young desert locusts hatch after 21 days.
special feature
desert locusts are very suitable for raising young terrarium animals, since the locusts do not hide but move freely. In this way, the young terrarium animals hardly use any energy when they capture food.
fodder and feeding
lining
You have to be careful here, because the wrong food is life-threatening for the locust population. desert locusts do not tolerate very moist feed such as tomatoes, cucumbers or lettuce. Pesticides are taboo and there should not be a lack of food, because they eat constantly.
Very good fodder Blackberry leaves, herbs, carrot tops, wheat germ and oat flakes.
Water is for the desert locusts not necessarybecause dry and moist lining regulates the moisture balance. It therefore makes sense to always feed both at the same time so that they do not die or nibble on the terrarium wood.
feeding
desert locusts are popular with reptiles such as geckos, chameleons or bearded dragons. Also rodents, amphibians or birds they like to eat.
Adult desert locusts have sharp thorns on their hind legs. It is more comfortable for the reptiles when the Hind legs removed before feeding become. Which animal would like to have an unpleasant piece in its throat that it cannot eat.
It’s not about the risk of injury, it’s about that avoiding an inconveniencebecause the Grasshopper legs are extremely stiff, so that after choking down a long insect, no thorny hind legs fit inside. These then get stuck in the necks of the terrarium animals, break off later and finally slide down.