# Hey,, I have a question about locusts..educate me?



## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

Hi.
A couple of weeks ago, I was feeding soem adult locusts to my bosc.. and they let out some nasty liquid brown, iodiney looking stuff... ok so poo or blood?

anyway.. 
just got soem tiny baby locusts yesterday.. and one left a similar...but RED drop on me.. again blood? soemthing they give off when scared?

Anyway..and i was wanderin if the diferenc ein colour is
cos of the locust size
its state of gutloadadness 
or that its different stuff [ie ones blood, ones poo]

that kinda stuff really... anyone know?

thanks


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## weeminx (Oct 28, 2006)

well i dont know for sure what it is...but im thinking it has something to do with the food they have been eating.i normally get a dark green spit from them.have fed them peppers before and got yellow and red out of them.
im pretty sure its vegetable matter it has stained my clothes and has left a dark spot on one of my beardies tails from 2 years ago :lol2:
its defo a defensive thing.maybe a quick google will answer more questions


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## leopardgeckos4me (Nov 11, 2006)

*nah its not poo *

*sumtimes its red green brown..*

*its a defensive technique they squirt it out when scared stains clothes they do it to me all the time on my finger:-xwhen i get um out to fed my leo it does stain so beware lol!*


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## sami (Oct 23, 2006)

it's defensive yes, no idea what it is though, it certainly could be excrement, not sure how you've decided it's definately not.


Oh and rather than "scared" it's "squeezed" locusts are not capable of feeling fear. 

Mason


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## weeminx (Oct 28, 2006)

ive noticed that the stuff the excrete through their mouths can burn through paper.saw lots of like *** burn holes through some kitchen towel they were on and on the edge of the burns was this liquid.:grin1: i think ill have to have a look on google to see if i can find out what it is 
oooh sounds like its midgut fluid
http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/41/1/69.pdf


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## miffikins (Feb 25, 2007)

Thats really weird! I have to say I've never noticed that before. I tend to just pick my locusts up gently and let them hop off my hand into the vivs, and I've never been 'pooed' on....weird!

: victory:


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

i think i must have gotten rougher or soemthig cos im gettin it all the darn time now..grrr lol im having to grab them by thier heads to avoid gettin messed on.
no probs when it comes to loading the bulk bag into crix keepers..just when im trying to feed them to the reps...especialyl savvy [bosc] but then if i was a locust id prolly be pretty blummin scared too.


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

I'd guess the closest equivalent is vomit - they spit up whatever's in their guts at the time.


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## weeminx (Oct 28, 2006)

apparantly its used by the locust to break down the vegetable matter they eat.they spit it out in defence.
yuck!!!!:lol2:


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

ha ha!! we always called it "spittin tobacco" with grasshoppers here.


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

its not good then surely? all the goodness that we give them through gutloading ends up on the floor?

gota be more careful..


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