# Bird grasshoppers



## DannyN (Dec 7, 2009)

So recently, Ive been going to a wetland preserve by my house and every time I walk along the path I see these huge grasshoppers flying straight for the trees. I finally found out that they are bird grasshoppers (guess because they take to trees) I have caught two so far, a male and a female, some of them seem really hard to catch, while others just let you pick them up, I am going again to see how many more I can catch because I think they are cool (and would make a good occasional feeder for my pets  ) Any one have any info on breeding them, or info period haha, thanks.


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## PhilinYuma (Dec 7, 2009)

I guess that you've already checked on our search engine and on the inrternet, mate, and you may be able to identify yr grasshopper to the species on the Images pages. You haven't told us where you come from, and Schistocerca sp are pretty well spread out across the U.S. so you might want to check the key to that genus in Jaccques Helfer's "_How to know the Grasshoppers...and their Allies_". You might also check with Peter on how to raise them, and check out a really old book (try the library if you don't want to buy a copy) that has long been a favorite of mine, _Culture Methods for Invertebrate Animals_ by Frank Lutz, ed (1937!) pp. 287-291.

Good luck!


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## DannyN (Dec 7, 2009)

PhilinYuma said:


> I guess that you've already checked on our search engine and on the inrternet, mate, and you may be able to identify yr grasshopper to the species on the Images pages. You haven't told us where you come from, and Schistocerca sp are pretty well spread out across the U.S. so you might want to check the key to that genus in Jaccques Helfer's "_How to know the Grasshoppers...and their Allies_". You might also check with Peter on how to raise them, and check out a really old book (try the library if you don't want to buy a copy) that has long been a favorite of mine, _Culture Methods for Invertebrate Animals_ by Frank Lutz, ed (1937!) pp. 287-291.Good luck!


oh geeze, I have no clue on the genus ( AND IM NORMALLY ON TOP OF THIS STUFF!) I live in Florida. I will check out that book, thanks.


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## PhilinYuma (Dec 7, 2009)

KSTBCR said:


> oh geeze, I have no clue on the genus ( AND IM NORMALLY ON TOP OF THIS STUFF!) I live in Florida. I will check out that book, thanks.


Sorry, I wasn't clear. All of the bird grasshoppers, so far as I know, including the ones that hang out around Rick's house, belong to the genus Schistocerca. According to Helfer, whose book, by a stroke of luck, happens to be passing my computer desk this week, the following occur in various parts of Florida: S. ceratiola, (very unlikely), S. americana (year round in FL), S. obscura, S. rubiginosa and S. alutacea. I took these from the book. There are other large grasshoppers in Florida, like Macneillia obscurum but it is hard to confuse anything, from my experience of western species, with the bird grasshoppers.


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## Rick (Dec 8, 2009)

We have them all over around here. They can be hard to catch most of the time. They make a nice, huge meal for a large mantis.


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## DannyN (Dec 8, 2009)

Rick said:


> We have them all over around here. They can be hard to catch most of the time. They make a nice, huge meal for a large mantis.


yeah, I bought a huge pond net, and modified it, they usually retreat to the trees when they hear you coming and then they are easy to catch, I think Im just going to end up feeding them off to my chameleons, better to let my chameleons enjoy them than have them try to breed, probably die, and get no where with them


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