A Bug's Wife

11/07/2024

So because of the location of Lock, Shock, and Barrels eggs, (My Mourning gecko trio, Lepidodactylus lugubris) I was able to use my phone's flashlight to "Candle" them last week and see that our first egg that was laid had gone dark and the air pocket was very visible. So we waited with bated breath..... and were surprised today by our first in house produced Mourning Gecko! This baby girl has been separated and set up in her own little 32 ounce deli cup after a brief trip in a sauce cup while my heart skipped a few beats.

What a wonderful Wednesday surprise!

10/27/2024

For those of you keeping jumping spiders or mantids, our friends at Narwhal Enclosures have started making customs for everyone! Inquire with them to get yours secured.

10/16/2024

We are looking for some new branches for Cricket the male brown anole! Females around here are few and far between, and he deserves some girlfriends after hatching from a plant in a department store almost 3 years ago.
Free with proof you have at least one female brown anole.

10/08/2024

We had a chance to visit Cheddar the other day and snapped it up, and she is growing super well. Her owner liked her SO much in fact, that she decided to purchase another Pixie frog to watch grow! Love to see happy animals and happy owners.

We've got 8 of 9 Kenyan Sand Boa babies taking F/T pinky mice, and after this Friday's feed some will be ready to go! Stay tuned for photos and write ups on those babies...

09/06/2024

Here are our nine little Kenyan Sand Boa babies as of a couple weeks ago! They've since been moved to substrate while we wait for another shed cycle to start, so they aren't as easy to photograph anymore. We've got 6 of 9 started on frozen/thawed pinky mice, with 4 even showing an appetite like their mum!
We think number 3 is our favourite here, but who would you choose?

08/31/2024

We've been busy getting our 9 babies on F/T here, and 4 of 9 have decided they know EXACTLY what food is, while the other 5 are taking a bit longer to get the routine. Patience is key with babies, I like to give them a chance to figure it out before trying more drastic measures like live or force feeding!

Very happy with everyone so far. Availability to come soon!

08/10/2024

9 little babies have dropped here at A Bug's Wife! Shaking with excitement this weekend, these are our first in house produced animals! With our girl We**ie and her tiny borrowed husband, we got 9 good babies and 5 or 6 slugs! So proud of our girl today being so good with her first litter.

07/31/2024

Yesterday during feed and sprays, something caught my eye as I opened a vivarium door....
A very first egg from Barrel, the largest female in our Mourning gecko (Lepidodactylus lugubris) trio!
I managed to snap this out of focus photo of her about a week ago, and you can see the egg developing through the thin skin of her tummy. Incubation takes 2-6 months depending on a few different factors, and normally I'd add a small container to keep the freshly hatched baby isolated, but Barrel had other plans with her positioning of this egg... Lock still has some growing to do before she starts producing eggs, but Shock should be laying her first any day!

So rewarding to see projects coming together! (even if they are parthenogenic ones)

07/30/2024

From their freshly hatched baby stage, these Chinese Mantises, Tenodera sinensis, molt to stand on your thumbnail. Now, at L4 (Third molt stage or Instar, as their hatching body is L1), these little carnivores are learning that things other than fruit flies (or my finger, looking at you number 3) are for eating too! I use a steady hand and a pair of pointed tweezers to help show them the tasty insides, and then once they've eaten enough, or they throw it away, they go back home to have some water and a rest. Once they've all molted and had a chance to explore with their new bodies, we will do some gender reveals, pick some names, and see if we have a few more to let go!

I'll never get tired of these creatures.

07/20/2024

October 12th and 13th, Red Deer gets its own convention again! Can't wait to see everyone there

Venue announcement 🎉 Terraria will be held at the Red Deer Resort and Casino, a venue familiar to many!
All the amenities you could ask for, plus a bonus of a new restaurant and casino for after hours wind down.

07/15/2024

The Brazilian Salmon Pink Birdeater (Lasiodora parahybana) I affectionately dubbed "Oh god, please don't run" that we had for a while had 3 successful molts with us, and went off to their new home this week! Their new owner has almost ten tarantulas already, so this little arachnid will have a much more comfortable and experienced human to keep them big and happy. Good luck, little one!

07/09/2024

We had our first baby molt up to L3 yesterday! Very proud of my little creature features, the rest should be following suit this week and then we can work on starting handling.
Nymphs are often quite flighty, but right around now they'll start to show signs of being interested in their human (Or sometimes not, but I'm always willing to trade them out if they aren't what you wanted!)

07/03/2024

Caught our little WC Boreal Chorus Frog (Pseudacris maculata) doing a bit of climbing the other day! Seeing as people often keep mourning geckos with small species of amphibians like dart frogs, I figured why not this little one? She and a male who passed recently were brought to me by a friend who rescued them from landscapers about 2 years ago. Mary has always been more shy than her mate was, but it's been really nice to see her exploring and eating openly in this tank.
"Terrestrial" frog may not be the best descriptor for this species!

06/30/2024

Chinese Mantis nymphs (Tenodera sinensis) have arrived, limited number available at $15 each! Feeding on hydei fruit flies and needing a small mist daily at this age, these little fellas have no shortage of personality despite their small stature! Although they are able to fit comfortably on your thumbnail now, in 7/8 molts (a year-ish) they can reach over 6 inches long and feed comfortably on mealworms and soft bodied feeder worms.
PM to secure your own little 4 legged wonderbug, there really is no other pet like these guys!

06/23/2024

During feeds and an enclosure move for these guys, I noticed the female hadn't been up for a few days. Unfortunately, it seems she had a rough molt and didn't make it.
But the male seems healthy and is eating (and pooping) well, so that's positive! I'll keep an eye to make sure he keeps his appetite, and go from there.

My blonde girl from Inclusive Inverts on the left, and my spooky boy from The Reptile Shop Red Deer on the right! Really looking forward to watching these two grow, they already have such personality at this size. She is curious and likes to hold on to me firmly while exploring, but he is much more shy and likes to just let go sometimes...
Loving this species so far, definitely recommend.

06/16/2024

Happy Father's Day! This photo from 2017 by Dhritiman Mukherjee shows a critically endangered male Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) acting as a basking platform for babies. With an adult female laying 25-95 eggs per season and a maximum adult male reaching up to 20 feet, that means a lot of space to suntan! They are devoted parents (Like most crocodilians) and the father will care for all of the babies in his territory, even if they may not be his.
So here's to the dads, the step dads, the grandpa's, and all the "Dads" in between!