Cassie's Critters

I was fortunate enough to witness the release of 100+ cray fish today 🦞 Due to the floods we had last year, the Murray river turned to black water. Due to the filthy conditions, these cray fish were leaving the water to find a healthier water source, and so the fisheries rescued as much of them as possible and took them on a holiday to the Narrandera fisheries centre. Today, their long holiday ended and they were released back into their home waters!

I just stumbled upon this freshly emerged male #rain #moth (Trictena atripalplus). You can tell he is a male by his large, fluffy antennae. Female #antennae are thinner and not as filamental. He will crawl up this iron bark eucalyptus tree to find a safe spot where he will begin pumping and drying his wings. And then he will begin his life mission of finding a mate. He will have only 24 hours to successfully copulate before perishing. These guys don’t even emerge from their pupae casings with mouth parts because their only purpose as a moth is reproduction. They do all their eating and growing in the #larvae form where they can spend years underground eating the roots of #eucalyptus trees.

This video shows the colour difference between two of the most common Australian #tarantulas: Phlogius kuttabul and Phlogius strenuus. Kuttabul is blue grey and Strenuus is dark brown. Both #spiders are around 5 years of age with a fang length currently at 6-7mm long.

I had a bunch of Extatosoma tiaratum that I was planning to pin, but they were in the freezer for too long and became too brittle to work with. So, the cockroaches got snack. Nothing goes to waste here 😂

Here’s a short time-lapse of a male #Extatosoma #tiaratum having his final moult. For more information on the moulting process, check out this YouTube video: https://youtu.be/MIPgO8te_tU?si=Jh4eBZoBrPyWyrKo We still also have quite a few male nymphs available which can be bought from our location or I can express ship them to all states except WA and TAZ.

These 60 powdery mix Porcellionides pruinosus are looking for a new home! This species of isopod prefers arid environments and are high protein aggressive. This means that they are not recommended to use as clean up crew for small animals, since they have the tendency to nibble on little creatures. For more information on the Porcellionides pruinosus, check out our YouTube video via this link: https://youtu.be/ljWi1Nh4nPs?si=CjSKb6B3LUG6LpXy 💰PRICE INCLUDING EXPRESS POSTAGE AND HANDLING 💰 20-$25 40-$30 60-$35

We have 100 #Porcellio #dilatatus (giant canyon isopod) that are ready for their new home! This #isopod species is great to use in dryer enclosures with deep substrate and are not as protein aggressive compared to Porcellionides pruinosus. 💰PRICE💰 $45 for all 100 which includes express postage and handling to all states except Western Australian and Tasmania.

Woke up this morning to find a cute Delena cancerides (social huntsman) on my lounge room wall 🕷️ He was given a free feed and then relocated outside in the garden

These starter clay springtail colonies are a very popular cleanup crew for tropical, sub-tropical enclosures, since these little guys help reduce mould and fungi outbreaks. For only $25 (which includes express postage and handling) you could have your very own springtail colony!

People think it’s the snakes you have to worry about, but it’s these aggressive lizards you have to watch out for 😂

Have you ever seen a water flea poop? 💩 Well, now you have! 😂 Watch our latest YouTube video to learn a bit about this micro-organism ⬇️ https://youtube.com/@cassiescritters1

We have quite a few clay springtail colonies available! These little invertebrates are fantastic clean up crew for enclosures prone to mould growth. 💰PRICE💰 $25 which includes postage and handling. I can ship to all states except Western Australia and Tasmania.

Would you look at this beautiful green-lined ground beetle (catadromus lacordairei) I found last night! These guys are predators and will use their fast speed to chase down other insects to eat. They will also scavenge on dead or dying invertebrates. If these guys feel threatened they will squirt out a nasty smelling chemical from a pair of defensive glands on the tips of their abdomens. #greenlinedgroundbeetle #catadromus #lacordairei

Happy Easter everybody! The giant burrowing cockroaches are enjoying their Easter snacks! #giantburrowingcockroach

Today is the day. I finally found a rain moth that is beginning to emerge. Stay tuned for the results!!!!

It always fascinates me how fast Extatosoma tiaratum emerge from their eggs! I literally looked at the eggs, looked away for 3 seconds and saw this guy nearly already out of his egg when I looked back! #extatosomatiaratum #giantpricklystickinsect #phasmid

This very cute tricolour soldier beetle (Chauliognathus tricolor) landed on me whilst I was walking to the post office this morning. Soldier beetles feed on pollen and nectar, but will also eat smaller insects that they find on flowers if they get the chance. They don’t cause any damage to plants and are great pollinators. Because of this, they are classed as a garden friend and not a garden fiend. #Chauliognathustricolor #soldierbeetle #insect #entomology

It’s feeding day for the tarantulas! Daigon has always loved her food

Here’s a very nice looking odd ball I found in my Armadillidium vulgare colony; A nice young piebald female. Hopefully her colour morph will be past down to her offspring!