#jilldsumner

Photos by coralreefdreams, animalita, and natureali

Your movements are definitely disturbing the air enough for most bugs to notice!

There are definitely exotic vets who will see inverts, especially in larger cities, but they're not super common. Given how popular bugs are as pets and how long some of them can live (up to 30 years for some tarantulas!), it really should be a more common thing. But also a lot of times you don't know something is wrong with your invert until it dies because either they don't show distress or people don't know what to look for. Unfortunately a lot of bug keeping is trial and error since there's not always the best care info available.

There are a few species that will eat small vertebrates, although I’ve never heard of them eating a mouse specifically in the US. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened. I have seen Australian huntsmen eating mice, and I’ve seen a captive wolf spider eating a baby mouse, so it’s not out of the question. But in general it’s pretty rare for non-tarantula spiders in the US to eat vertebrates and unlikely to be seen inside a house. There are no true tarantulas on the east coast except in some of the islands off Florida. I think I’d chalk that one up to misinformation/legend unless anyone else can find a confirmed observation of an east coast spider eating a mouse.

I think it would be fine to cover them in mesh bags around a branch they’re attached to or something! Obviously just keep an eye on them so you can let the nymphs out when they hatch. Really anything that keeps them safe but still exposes them to the normal outdoor temperatures should work. I would recommend ID the oothecae to see if they’re a native species first, though. Not that the non-native species will be eradicated at this point, but no need to help them along.

Lol they were for sure gonna tell their pals where that sweet delicious soda was. Only flowers for you, bees!! A little sippy sip won't hurt them though so it's okay :)

It's real! Of course they're not drawing on purpose. They're just hanging onto the marker with their jaws and walking around. I'm afraid legally I can't post the photos without permission! But here's a link to an article about it (including video) for anyone curious.