Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Find and Catch a Grasshopper
• Part 2 of 3: Set Up Your Grasshopper Housing
• Part 3 of 3: Feeding the Grasshopper
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

For those who want to keep insects as pets, grasshoppers are a good choice, because they are inexpensive to keep (one might say, financial costs are not required at all), they do not require any special food, they do not need a lot of space or anything. something special. However, to keep your grasshopper healthy, you need to provide it with a warm, dry home and adequate food.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Find and Catch a Grasshopper

1. 1 Choose the right season to find your grasshopper. Grasshoppers are found on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica. If you live in an area that is warm even in winter, you can catch grasshoppers all year round. However, if you have warm summers and very cold winters, it is best to look for grasshoppers during the warm season, when the temperature does not drop below zero degrees Celsius, either day or night.
   • Grasshoppers cannot move freely if they are cold. Therefore, it is easiest to catch them early in the morning just after sunrise, when they are inactive. However, grasshoppers are usually difficult to spot as they blend well with their surroundings. If you are unable to locate the grasshopper early in the morning, try continuing in the middle of the day - during this time they are most active and easier to spot.
2. 2 Look for grasshoppers in the appropriate location. In many regions, grasshoppers are very easy to find. Look for them in overgrown fields, lawns, or along rivers. Look for grasshoppers where there are leaves and grass to feed on.
   • If you have a garden, you can look for grasshoppers there.
3. 3 Set a trap. To catch a grasshopper, you can use a fine mesh, a T-shirt, or a flannel blanket. Put a blanket (net) on the ground and go up to it: as a result, the grasshoppers will jump on it. If the blanket is fluffy, the grasshopper is unlikely to be able to quickly jump off it.
   • After the grasshopper is on the blanket, quickly cover it with a glass jar.After that, insert a thin piece of cardboard under the neck of the jar to hold the grasshopper, turn the jar upside down and close it with a lid.
   • You can also just catch the grasshopper while it is sitting on the grass. Slowly and carefully approach the grasshopper as close as possible. When you are within reach, try to quickly cover the grasshopper with a can so that it does not have time to bounce. You may need to do this several times, but eventually you will catch the grasshopper.
4. 4 Use a glass jar to move the grasshopper. You can take the grasshopper home in the same jar that you caught it in. A glass jar with a screw cap is suitable for this. Just punch a few holes in the lid before you catch the grasshopper so that it can breathe inside the jar.
   • If necessary, ask an adult to help you poke holes in the lid with a sharp knife or scissors.
5. 5 Be careful with multiple grasshoppers. If you want to keep more than one grasshopper, consider the possible consequences. Grasshoppers can fight each other, especially if they are not given enough food. If males and females are kept together, they will produce offspring.
   • If you want to breed grasshoppers, just place males and females in the same terrarium. Females will lay eggs in the bedding of the terrarium, from which juveniles will then emerge, which look much like the adults, but much smaller.
   • If you don't want to breed grasshoppers, don't keep males and females together. If you notice that a female grasshopper has laid eggs, you can take them out and put them in the freezer where they will die.
   • Do not release captive-born grasshoppers into the wild, as this can disrupt the natural ecosystem.
6. 6 Understand what to expect. In the wild, grasshoppers are usually short-lived. If they are not destroyed by the cold, predators will. However, in a warm and safe environment, a grasshopper can survive for several years. If you decide to keep a grasshopper as a pet, then get ready to care for it for quite some time.
   • To keep your grasshopper healthy, you need to feed it daily, maintain your enclosure, and make sure it is warm enough.
   • If you feel that you are not ready for this, it may be worth getting another insect with a shorter lifespan.

Part 2 of 3: Set Up Your Grasshopper Housing

1. 1 Choose a glass or plastic terrarium. You will want to watch the grasshopper, so a clear glass terrarium is perfect. It should be large enough for the grasshopper to move freely. In addition, the terrarium should be covered with a plastic or metal mesh on top.
   • The grasshopper can gnaw through the fabric, so a mesh cage or cloth cover will not be able to hold your pet for long.
   • Grasshoppers love to jump, so make sure your pet has room to jump.
   • A terrarium can be purchased at most pet stores.
   • A 20-40 liter terrarium should be enough for you, depending on the size of the grasshopper.
2. 2 Think about what size grasshopper is right for you. It is believed that there are more than 10 thousand species of grasshoppers on the planet, and the size of adults varies from 1 to 7 centimeters. To estimate how big your pet can grow, look at the size of the grasshoppers in the area where you caught them. Chances are, the grasshopper is of the same species, so it will grow to a similar size.
   • Usually, female grasshoppers grow to be larger than males. To determine if you have a male or a female, look at the belly of a grasshopper. Females have four small spots at the end of the abdomen, through which they lay eggs in the ground. Males have a smooth, rounded belly.
   • Make sure the terrarium is large enough for the grasshopper.Unlike smaller grasshoppers, larger ones will need more space to jump freely.
3. 3 Cover the bottom of the enclosure with bedding. You can put dry sand, dry oatmeal, or even coconut fiber on the bottom. This will make the terrarium more comfortable for the grasshopper. Cover the bottom with 3–5 centimeters thick litter so that the grasshopper has enough space.
   • Place a few twigs and sticks in the terrarium to give the grasshopper a place to sit and jump from branch to branch.
4. 4 Make sure that light enters the terrarium. Grasshoppers prefer a dry and warm habitat. During the day, the temperature in the cage should be 25–35 ° C. This can be easily achieved by illuminating the terrarium with an incandescent lamp during the day.
   • A heating mat or cage lamp can be purchased at your local pet store (call in advance), although a regular incandescent lamp can also be used.
   • Some sunshine will work, but do not place your terrarium with a grasshopper where it will be exposed to direct sunlight or it may overheat.
   • At night, the temperature in the terrarium can drop to 15 ° C. Turn off the lamp at night, but remember to turn it on in the morning. If the grasshopper gets too cold, it can become lethargic and even die.

Part 3 of 3: Feeding the Grasshopper

1. 1 Choose the right grass for your grasshopper. Grasshoppers eat almost all types of herbs. To diversify your pet's menu, collect several types of herbs on the street. For example, you can pick some grass from a lawn, as well as wild grass from a vacant lot or river bank.
   • Don't worry about giving the grasshopper anything poisonous. If you put poisonous grass in the terrarium, the grasshopper will simply not eat it. Next time you will know that this herb is not suitable.
   • Grasshoppers also eat leaves.
   • Give your grasshopper fresh grass and leaves daily. Keep in mind that grasshoppers can eat a lot, 16 times their own weight. In addition, if you keep several grasshoppers in the terrarium, if there is a lack of food, they can fight for it and kill each other, so it is better to make sure that there is an abundance of food.
2. 2 Spray the leaves before giving them to the grasshopper. Grasshoppers need moisture to live, and in most cases, the water they get from the grass they eat is enough for them. However, if you live in a very dry area, you can moisten the grass with a little water. To do this, spray the grass with a spray bottle or lightly spray it with tap water before placing it in the terrarium.
   • Grasshoppers do not tolerate high humidity. A few wet blades of grass will not harm, but a wet terrarium can lead to problems. Make sure the litter is not wet and remove any leftover grass regularly.
3. 3 Avoid insecticides. Try to collect food for the grasshopper in areas that have not been treated with insecticides and pesticides, as these can kill your pet. If you are collecting grasshopper grass from your lawn, make sure the area has not been sprayed with insecticides.
   • As a general rule, if you collect his herb in a place that is not handled by people (for example, in an abandoned area), you do not need to worry about insecticides.
4. 4 Remove dried grass from the enclosure that has not been eaten by the grasshopper. You can give the grasshopper more than he is able to eat, since he eats quite a lot. However, to keep the cage dry and comfortable, it is necessary to remove all withered, dried or moldy grass and leaves from the cage. Do this at least once a day and add fresh food.
   • Keep in mind that the grasshopper can eat at night, so make sure he always has fresh food.

Tips

• If you find it difficult to catch grasshoppers, you can purchase them at your nearest pet store.Grasshoppers are often used as food for reptiles, so they are usually very cheap.
• If you want to try feeding your grasshopper anything other than grass, try giving it green vegetables such as lettuce or celery. In doing so, do not forget to give him a sufficient amount of the usual food.
• Be careful when handling grasshoppers as they can jump quite high. Grasshoppers are afraid of people because they are huge in comparison to them, so proceed with caution so that they feel safe.
• Grasshoppers take time to get used to their surroundings, so if your pet tries to escape, just close the enclosure tightly.
• Grasshoppers need a place to rest and sleep. Try placing a few sticks upright to make a small house. Hard leaves and flower buds can also be used for this purpose.
• If you have a cat and you see it jumping around your yard, it may be chasing a grasshopper.

Warnings

• Do not keep more than one or two grasshoppers together as they can fight each other. It is unlikely that you will be pleased if one day you find that one of your grasshoppers is eating others.

What do you need

• Terrarium
• Glass jar
• A small piece of cardboard
• Mesh, T-shirt, or fluffy flannel blanket
• Branches
• Sand
• Enough Grass to Feed a Grasshopper