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Maybe I don't understand the plan - it seems like if you're going to completely wrap the planters in a plastic covering that would defeat the purpose of using the ceramic planters and ultimately look the same as if you wrapped ugly plastic planters in the same covering. I have used inexpensive...

Yikes, well thanks for the heads up. Have you used the vivo sun quads personally? Any issues there?

I can't speak to the Odyssea model you had specifically, but mine has three cooling fans in it. I have read reviews that the models that lack the fans tend to overheat. Mine has been running for 2.5 years without issue.

I have some incarnation of this: https://www.amazon.com/Odyssea-Timer-Aquarium-Marine-Cichlid/dp/B016VAZ31S But mine was with 6000k spectrum lights. Has a timer too. Not sure if they're discontinued? They pop up on ebay from time to time, I believe that's where I got mine.

It also depends on your fixture itself - a single reflector dome is the most efficient. I have a quad and if I were to use a 5.0 it would be too weak. In a perfect world you'd measure it with a UVB meter. Some reptile stores/vets will have them on hand for clients to use if you make some...

I think this is a pretty good article from Bill Strand: https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-cage-set-up-replicating-the-sun/ I think most people use the aforementioned Reptisun 5.0 or Arcadia 6%. But it depends on your enclosure and your fixture. I actually use an Arcadia 12% desert bulb for...

Let's back off Katydids then and say any arboreal(ish) orthoptera that is either permitted by USDA, or California Native so nobody cares if I have it. Are there any species I can breed in a home-type setup where I can get more than one generation a year?

Yeah I have some red runners in an escape-proof (literally water-tight with a gasket with window screen over air holes too small for them to escape from to begin with) enclosure. I will occasionally feed them off. I had a larger colony last year - I culled it because some roaches started showing...

I'm probably leaning discoids, though smaller may be better - are any of the aforementioned species smaller than discoids?

I got my first katydid of the season in my yard last night - heard him chirping on my rose bush. Wrong species though. Looks to be an invasive Mediterranean. Probably too small to be of much value as feeder, and even though these guys have supposedly been here since the 1930s I don't think I'd...

What do you feed your colonies? I want a species that readily eats leafy greens and the repashy gutload I use. Dubias devour both, red runners are pretty meh on my gut loading.

Hello all, I have decided I am going to phase out my dubias and replace them with... something else. The primary reason is that their tendency to "play dead" (or at least not move at all) in the food dish or feeder run means that they don't trigger a feeding response. My panther chameleon...

An update: the species I am looking to breed specifically is the Greater Anglewing Katydid (Microcentrum rhombifolium). I selected this species because the USDA has issued regulations that it can be legally shipped in the US. It looks like this species peaks around August in population. I...

Hello All, This is a question for the NorCal forum users primarily but anyone can chime in - has anyone seen any katydids yet this year? I feel like I used to see them all the time over the summer. I'm wondering if it's too early in the season, or if our insect apocalypse is whittling down the...

The "veiled tested" refers to the fact that veileds will more frequently eat foliage than many other species so you (theoretically) would need to be more careful with a veiled than a Jacksons. So you actually should have more leeway with a Jacksons, and if it is "tested" by a veiled, it should...

I've always found it pretty easy - I've raised a few batches all the way to moths. I've used both an old school hovabator incubator with water in the bottom (during colder months) or just any container with some moist paper towels in the bottom, and then I put the petri dish they come in into...

Hello All, I have been collecting high-quality out-of-print herp husbandry books lately - it seems that with the dawn of the internet comprehensive husbandry guidelines written by people with listed credentials who also cite sources to support their claims have largely gone the way of the...

Yeah for the record we are in agreement it would be a poor choice.

I have not independently verified this story, but way back when I was an undergrad at UCSB I took their herpetology class, and the professor and TAs told the story of how Jackson's chameleons were introduced to Morro Bay (there was a wild breeding population for a while, I am unsure if it still...

Hello All, So with with the weather about to get chillier, I am a few weeks away from my annual "switching of the bulbs" where I swap out my 75 watt incandescent basing bulb to a higher wattage 150 watt basking bulb (both are always hooked up to a thermostat but my local summers get quite warm...