# giant armoured cricket



## MattyD (Jul 12, 2011)

Hey
new to the site but thought id share these photos of my armoured cricket.
woke up one morning to find it like this.
i have had it around two week now and only know the basics, there isnt alot of information out there and i am just wondering if anyone knows anything or where i can find a caresheet to help building some knowledge on it.

1.2.0 leopard geckos
1.0.0 giant armoured cricket


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## Lukeyk (Mar 3, 2008)

Whoa thats cool! Does it eat veg?


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## DannyB (Nov 8, 2009)

Those things create the most horrible noise ever heard!!


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## jaykickboxer (Feb 11, 2008)

lukeyk said:


> whoa thats cool! Does it eat veg?


they squirt blood as a defense ! Nice


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## Biggys (Jun 6, 2010)

DannyB said:


> Those things create the most horrible noise ever heard!!


what noise mate :lol2:


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## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

Is it covered in white mites, or is that how it's supposed to look? I can't make it out


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## vivalabam (Aug 8, 2010)

garlicpickle said:


> Is it covered in white mites, or is that how it's supposed to look? I can't make it out


I was thinking that...


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## snowgoose (May 5, 2009)

Sadly it does look like a large mite infestation to me


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## MattyD (Jul 12, 2011)

yh they eat veg, lettace n cucumber a favourite. also had a few medium locusts. when its fully grown iv heard they will eat adult locusts so cant wait for that 
yh as hes a male he is extremely loud. similar noise to normal cricket but like something out of a horror film, ear piercing noise.
and no iv got it on sand atm n its been rollin around or brushed past upside down


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## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

that's ok then


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## snowgoose (May 5, 2009)

MattyD said:


> yh they eat veg, lettace n cucumber a favourite. also had a few medium locusts. when its fully grown iv heard they will eat adult locusts so cant wait for that
> yh as hes a male he is extremely loud. similar noise to normal cricket but like something out of a horror film, ear piercing noise.
> and no iv got it on sand atm n its been rollin around or brushed past upside down


Ah, lol I was wondering how any mite infestation could get that bad without help :lol:


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## angelgirls29 (Jul 10, 2010)

Is it's "nose" really that blue or is it the lighting?


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## MattyD (Jul 12, 2011)

its all natural colouring. some are a paler brown were as he is black. some are a purpely colour. there is a little more blue on his underbody.


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

wow..
really?


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## Smigsy (Jul 30, 2009)

It looks mahoosive! how big is it? and why why why when a normal cricket can drive you mental chirping would you get a bigger louder one?


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## MattyD (Jul 12, 2011)

it is its around 3.5cm, rumour has it they get to 5inch
just read up abput them and seen them on a livefood website i use and thought yh il have one it looks cool lol.


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## kris74 (May 10, 2011)

I think it looks awful mate haha, crickets give me a shiver down my spine, I find them really gross. I think my H.gigas would find it really tasty though :devil:

No offence intended....!


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## MattyD (Jul 12, 2011)

it wont mate, when attacked the spray blood from their leg joints so the predator drops em, or it throws up for same affect. read bout some tests done n no matter on the size of the lizard they just stay clear after 1st encounter


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## empirecook (Sep 1, 2009)

I'm guessing its a _Hemideina crassidens_ (Wellington Tree Weta).

Here's a care sheet: Wellington Tree Weta - Hemideina crassidens


:2thumb:


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## MattyD (Jul 12, 2011)

no its a *Acanthoplus discoidalis *
not alot out there even when u do find sumat
thanks tho


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## snowgoose (May 5, 2009)

tbh, I think they are kinda cool, I have read up on them a few times.

I know Rick did have some available a while back


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## MattyD (Jul 12, 2011)

rickslivefood??
thats where i gt him from


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## empirecook (Sep 1, 2009)

MattyD said:


> no its a *Acanthoplus discoidalis *
> not alot out there even when u do find sumat
> thanks tho


:lol2:

In that case: African Armoured Cricket - Acanthoplus discoidalis

: victory:


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## snowgoose (May 5, 2009)

MattyD said:


> rickslivefood??
> thats where i gt him from


Yeah that's the guy 

When you said you got him form your livefood place , he was the only one I could think of :lol:


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## MattyD (Jul 12, 2011)

cheers for that, i had come across that before.
my only problem is what to do for the substrate. i have seen a few pics with bark, soakin wet. and others that say just sand. i have some bark ready to swap over, dont know wether to mix with sand or not


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## MattyD (Jul 12, 2011)

snowgoose said:


> Yeah that's the guy
> 
> When you said you got him form your livefood place , he was the only one I could think of :lol:


yeh iv used him a few times now, never had any problems, better than local petshops. he ran out of stock twice before i got this but it was his last.
the eggs have to go through a few seasons before hatchin(iv heard upto 9month in some cases) so stock anywere is unpredictable


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## empirecook (Sep 1, 2009)

MattyD said:


> cheers for that, i had come across that before.
> my only problem is what to do for the substrate. i have seen a few pics with bark, soakin wet. and others that say just sand. i have some bark ready to swap over, dont know wether to mix with sand or not


Why not go for both?

Half coir and half sand?


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## MattyD (Jul 12, 2011)

empirecook said:


> Why not go for both?
> 
> Half coir and half sand?


you mean literally split down the middle rather than mixed up?


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## snowgoose (May 5, 2009)

I would give them something like a 40:30:30 mix of coir / sand and bark and just keep it moist, but soaking.

I've read that they don't spend much time on the ground so some kind of "general mix" should be fine.


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## empirecook (Sep 1, 2009)

MattyD said:


> you mean literally split down the middle rather than mixed up?


Sorry, didn't explain it properly. I mean mix the substrate to ratio of 50/50. :thumb:


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## MattyD (Jul 12, 2011)

thanks for that, he is always on the mesh on branches but does venture round on the floor, do think he doesnt like it as they can climb glass and have the hairs on their feet, he constantly cleans the sand off


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## JoeR (Dec 24, 2009)

LOL that thing is mental looking!!!!
Pretty cool though I must admit


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## alexandrosham (Nov 5, 2011)

I have personally seen these things in the Wild in Kenya - their size is amazing!!

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2


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## Mr Mister (Oct 12, 2011)

MattyD said:


> Hey
> new to the site but thought id share these photos of my armoured cricket.
> woke up one morning to find it like this.
> i have had it around two week now and only know the basics, there isnt alot of information out there and i am just wondering if anyone knows anything or where i can find a caresheet to help building some knowledge on it.
> ...


Oh look - large feeder food.

I've seen these for sale from time to time.

From what I recall, they may eat some insect matter, as well as the usual sort of things. Not sure if they would kill live food though, or how long they live.

Would be surprised if they live very very long, mind you.

You could try showing it this, see what happens?

Armoured Ground Crickets Mating - YouTube


There is also some blurb here, which may or may not be of use.

***

They seem to like a few inches substrate although dont often spend much time there.

The male seems less active than female he also likes to hide more than her, Not sure if this is with all or just mine?

The love to climb and spend much of there time walking about or hanging onto the lid, They climb extremely well much like a phasmid or mantis happy to walk up glass sides,

They wonder about on branches and although not as agile as a mantis seem to do very well even with there bulky size.

When they are resting they do this like an assassin bug normally on the underside of a piece of bark.

They are meant to release a toxin from the neck? I think this comes from the armoured bit as this is where it gets sticky and wet looking and oddly only the female seems to do this?

Will update all this once i have found out more and kept them longer!
So if anyone can share more info or correct mine great









Feeding
This still appears to be a problem?

Mine are eating but very tiny amounts to the extent i wouldnt expect them to live, But they are









So far we have found they prefer eating dead things! Such as dead crixs and a chopped waxworm (didnt like mealworms?) and the odd dead mantid or stick insect we have here they have munched.

I have offered them bramble which they have nibbled, wafer chicken they liked and sweetcorn although they tend to like the leafy parts more than the cob itself.

The seem to drink a lot and every spray they will drink and often run to top to make sure they have enough.

I havent given them a bowl yet incase i loose them through drowning?
I have offered lots of foodplants nothing they seem to like much?
Although im going to try growing some birdseed and see if they will take to this as it seems they attack millet crops?

Worth a shot and not too hard.
So pretty much there main diet seems to be dead food and they are not fussed how long its been dead?
And the male did take a whole live locust but i still have a few living with them which they havent eaten?

Breeding 
not sure how they breed or whatever yet but info i have found is....
they lay an ootheca/egg case which has about 15 eggs per case normally they lay these in wild in April to May, In captivity i dont have a clue?
The eggs then stay in diapause in the wild 50% of the eggs hatch and the rest not till following season.
So this will be fun to watch for me when it happens!

BUG NATION • View topic - armoured Ground Cricket (Acanthoplus discoidalis)


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## Mr Mister (Oct 12, 2011)

snowgoose said:


> Ah, lol I was wondering how any mite infestation could get that bad without help :lol:




Like a neglected kid with rampant nits.


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## Mr Mister (Oct 12, 2011)

It's not as bad erse as what I want.

THIS is nature on a really bad day...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5x_1U51Xb8

Can I get them?

No.

I could buy some daft roaches if I wanted though.


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## Mr Mister (Oct 12, 2011)

@OP

Thought since you are into crickets, you may like these.

Sorry that the uploader sounds like he lives in his mum's basement.

Jerusalem Cricket Breeding Video I - YouTube


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## HustleBones (Mar 19, 2013)

Does this guy ever stop posting?


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## Mr Mister (Oct 12, 2011)

HustleBones said:


> Does this guy ever stop posting?


Says the guy that posts, just to ask that.

You'll be fun.

:whistling2:


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