# which "insect" pet is best?



## Titch1980 (Mar 6, 2006)

i have talked to er yet, but im thiking my youngest daughter may like some stick insects or something, are these good pets for a 7 yr old?
if not can you recommend something else?
plus ca i have all advice/info about keeping them, housing etc etc
thaks


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## DannyLeigh (Aug 4, 2008)

Stick insects would be quite good. Ones like Indian or Vietnamese stick insects should be good, they are bomb proof! Obviously she will have to be responsible, but my brother had stick insects when he was 7, so as long as she is responsible enough, I'm sure she could do it.


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## Reptilover (Jan 15, 2007)

Stick Insects great if you want to watch...

Not handle.

However when looking at insects for pets you carn't expect something that can be handled, there just not suitable for human contact. You asked which is the "best" insect preferbaly for a 7 Year old. You could have pratically any insect, just with caution and some sensibility. Getting a chille rose tarantula is always a good starter tarantula and younger people find them interesting however adult supervision (Feeding, etc) is needed. They can be kept in a rubbermaid box or fish tank like enclosure which does'nt need to be big. 

Praying mantis could be also good, not something to handle but can be quite interesting to watch especially when catching food. Can be kept in old jam jars (cleaned out) with trigs in them. Some are kept a room tempreture whilst others provide heatmats lined onto a habbistat to control the tempreture.

Personally i recommend either Giant African Land Snails (GALS) which can be kept in a rubbermaid or glass tank big with a heatmat. Will feed on anything from lettice to dandelions. They grow very large and will keep kids, never mind adults entertained for hours. Bathing them can be interesting for the children if done right and under supervision.

I would also recommend a trio or 3 female giant african milipede. Big, black and bulky milipedes that need a simple setup. Can be held but excrete a liquid and if ingested can make you ill however with adult supervision or saftey this should not happen making sure they wash there hands before and after they touch it. 

Good luck :2thumb:


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## herpzane (Apr 1, 2008)

I think some indian stick insects would be the best starter. I gave a pair to my five year old cousin and he has had them for well over 2 months without any problems. Yes they are bomb proof lol


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## macro junkie (Oct 27, 2007)

a prayingmantis would be best imo..they have more to offer..when there adult the males are great flyers which always intrests the kids also a stick insect eats leafs.Boring (yawn) mantids are great hunters..Im sure a mantis would be far more intresting than a stick insect.kids love to watch the mantis hunt and kill a cricket.lol


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## DannyLeigh (Aug 4, 2008)

The thing is about mantids is that, yes they are cool but, a seven year old may not like having to feed mantids live food. Mantids do rule though!


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## Titch1980 (Mar 6, 2006)

its ok she wouldnt be feeding them, lol
she is responsible, but still i would be in charge of all that so i knew it was being done.
although she said if it was something that "eats leaves and bugs, mum can feed it bugs and i can feed it leaves", lol


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## DannyLeigh (Aug 4, 2008)

Fair enough, if you feed it, get a mantis! They rock! :2thumb:


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## macro junkie (Oct 27, 2007)

get a big one..giant asian or sheild mantis.


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## Natonstan (Aug 9, 2008)

Ive always wanted a mantis but always been put off by them, how fast do they move?


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## Steve 88 (Jan 21, 2008)

cockroaches!, preferably madagascan hissing cockroaches, big, handleable, interesting and hardy as hell. just feed em fruit n veg. plus they hiss!  perfect for kids


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## dooglefluff (Oct 5, 2008)

What about Madagascan Hissing Cockroaches? they are cool and not as disgusting as people think, they're easy to keep and feed, quite easy to handle as well.

I have some babies if interested.
:flrt:


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## lynneowen1 (Jun 5, 2008)

a mantid ..............gr8 pets


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## Joe1507 (Aug 11, 2008)

African land snails are a favorite among children, although are quite boring, a flower mantid looks beatifull, easy to keep, and for a young girl it will look very appealing (pink, flowery, nice frills off of it) hope i helped.


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## lynneowen1 (Jun 5, 2008)

Joe1507 said:


> African land snails are a favorite among children, although are quite boring, a flower mantid looks beatifull, easy to keep, and for a young girl it will look very appealing (pink, flowery, nice frills off of it) hope i helped.


flower mantids are a bit too small...........i would pick a bigger spec.


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## PSYCHOSIS (Sep 23, 2008)

I May sound like an idiot but i say get a Centipede maby a Scolopendra Subspinipes :2thumb:


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## Titch1980 (Mar 6, 2006)

ok i am open to considering all these different things, so
what would i need to keep them in, feed them etc?


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

I def say mantid or tarantula. I find sticks "boring"


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## Slinkies mum (Jul 15, 2008)

Nobody has mentioned beetles. I have pachnodas and my 4 yr old grand-daughter if fascinated by them. They are about an inch in length and very colourful plus on an evening they fly and buzz.
Gals are good for kids but she won't get to see much of them, mine only venture out at night.
Indian sticks as everyone has said are bomb proof and quite happy to wander around your hands.
All of these are easy to feed and you don't need to be buying bugs for food.


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## Stumps (Aug 31, 2008)

rach1980 said:


> ok i am open to considering all these different things, so
> what would i need to keep them in, feed them etc?


If you only keeping one mantid, i kept mine in a 9L really useful tub, with cut out vents covered in mesh, with plant and branches in them and fed mealworms and small crickets. The same housing for sticks, except if larger species a bigger tub. Indians feed on bramble, privet and hawthorn and Macleay spectres on bramble and eucolyptus (sp?).

Mantids are cool and Macleay spectres are great as a first pet.


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## PSYCHOSIS (Sep 23, 2008)

Yep i would say get a tarantula maby *G.rosea or a B.Smithy*


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## Louiseb (Sep 3, 2008)

For a first pet I think a Giant African Land snail, veggie so no feeding of live food for you. Or stick insects. Areaton asperrimus are a bit more exciting than indians and bulkier so easier to handle for kids.


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## Erinaceinae (Mar 26, 2007)

Hissing roaches definately!
a tub, a bit of bark, a bit of woodchips/compost, a bit of fish food/fruit/veg and your sorted!
cheap and easy and lush 
i have a few of all sizes i would be willing to sell,
x


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

PSYCHOSIS said:


> Yep i would say get a tarantula maby *G.rosea or a B.Smithy*


**B. smithi you mean
Tbh any of the Grammostola and Brachypelma genus, along with Avicularia and Aphonopelma. There are more than 2 beginner spiddies in the world :lol2:


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## Mattymantis (Aug 28, 2021)

Titch1980 said:


> i have talked to er yet, but im thiking my youngest daughter may like some stick insects or something, are these good pets for a 7 yr old?
> if not can you recommend something else?
> plus ca i have all advice/info about keeping them, housing etc etc
> thaks


Hey so if your looking for something that she can handle safely and interact with, get a mantis, they are excellent critters, so curious, so easy to keep (if you don't mind handling hoppers etc to feed them). If you don't give them a reason to fear you, keep everything in their habitat stress free and feed them properly, they will be very friendly, I have 2 Mantids, a zebra mantis who is in her last stage of being a nymph, and a thistle mantis who is just a baby at L3, they are both so chill and amazing to watch, unless you are a fly or a hopper! Honestly if your daughter likes insects and doesn't mind dealing with the live food, get a mantis, very cheap, non venemous and doesn't require anything special, just food and a mist with water from a spray bottle, the enclosure doesn't have to be massive depending on the species of mantid, some people keep smaller breeds in a 32oz deli cup for their while life and they are fine in there, I would recommend anyone to get a mantis, I love all animals but I used to not touch spiders, crane flies any insect really, I didn't even really consider them as animals, but my Mantids have changed my mind and I would handle anything that wasn't venemous now, the enclosure will need to have mesh at the ceiling or something similar so the mantis can moult safely, let me know if I can help anymore


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## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

I would imagine that 12 years after creating this thread, the OPs daughter will have already decided what to get.


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