Keeping exotic animals - general questions
Greetings, future alien keepers and fellow curious humans! Are you ready to dive into the thrilling world of spiders, mantises, beetles, and other fascinating bugs? You've landed in the perfect spot! This FAQ is designed to address basic questions about us and our experience with the hobby of keeping exotic creatures.
Are our animals living a good life?
Animals can’t communicate directly with us to confirm, but based on the evidence, it truly seems so. As an objective measure, we consider their overall lifespan and health condition. Long-term stress and poor environment significantly reduces lifespan in all living creatures. Under our care, mantises achieve remarkable lifespans, with many living over a year into adulthood. Attaining such longevity in the wild would be nearly impossible due to various factors, including parasites, predators, adverse weather conditions, and many others. We meticulously monitor the behavior of each animal under our care, ensuring that we provide a habitat tailored precisely to its needs at every stage of life.
Is there a deeper layer of meaning to this?
There is deeper meaning to everything in life. To simplify, we believe it’s a mutually beneficial relationship between humans and animals. These creatures were enjoying their lives (and fulfilling their purpose) long before our species joined the party. With our arrival, we’ve built huge cities, covered everything in concrete, chopped down forests, and made it uninhabitable for many other species with whom we were supposed to share this planet. Here’s an obvious example: many tarantula species have almost gone extinct in the wild, but their population is thriving in the hands of keepers. What do humans get from this? This is a very exciting and therapeutic hobby that fills life with color and joy.
How many bugs escaped from us?
None. Not a spider, mantis, cricket, or roach has escaped from us. We’re extremely cautious and responsible in our practices.
Are any of our animals wild-caught?
None of our animals are wild-caught. We get them from trusted breeders, mostly at reptile expos. It’s best to avoid buying wild-caught animals, especially if you’re new to the hobby. Supporting responsible breeders is crucial for the whole hobby. Remember, it takes 7-10 years to raise a large A. chalcodes, while it only takes a few minutes to take one from nature.
Are we breeding and selling animals?
Not regularly, but we have bred a few species on occasion to gain hands-on experience and expand our knowledge, which we can then share with others.
How many different species do we keep?
Typically, we have around 20-40 different species overall. Currently, the majority of them are spiders, as maintaining a large collection of mantises is more challenging and time-consuming.
Where do we acquire animals from?
We live in the EU, where regular exotic animal expos (reptile expos) are held in many countries. These expos offer a wide variety of species, including snakes, turtles, birds, and many others.
Can I use ChatGPT to get animal care advice?
You can, but we strongly advise against it. If ChatGPT was honest and precise, the most common advice you would hear would be ‘I don’t know,’ but instead, you might receive something that ‘could work’ or ‘maybe,’ which is akin to flipping a coin. Always ask responsible keepers for advice, who have a proven record of successfully keeping the species you’re interested in.
