Looking to keep 'rubber duckies, ' 'Spanish oranges, ' white dragons, Greek shields, or zebra pillbugs? This is the isopod guide for you.
Isopod Zoology is an updated reference for enthusiasts, providing husbandry notes for a wide range of exotic species that have become available in the last decade. Orin McMonigle provides a solid biological foundation that will serve hobbyists well as they encounter new species or develop new varieties.
A full range of Orin's invertebrate husbandry manuals can be viewed at CoachwhipBooks.com.
The amazing diversity of color and form in cockroaches around the world has rarely been displayed to the average animal enthusiast. Several well known species have been bred for decades as feeder insects for reptiles and other exotic pets, but there has only been a handful of dedicated blatticulturists keeping and breeding a wider range of species for sheer enjoyment. As exotic cockroaches receive more attention, more and more people are trying their hand at them, but with very little attention given to these creatures in the popular literature. That changes now, as Orin McMonigle shares his enthusiasm and wealth of knowledge in this new book, For the Love of Cockroaches. Orin provides experienced instruction for proper housing, feeding, and breeding cockroach species, followed by details on the many species available to enthusiasts (illustrated in full color). At 350 pages, this is the definitive cockroach manual for anyone branching out into these fascinating insects.
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Although names like assassin bug and waterscorpion are composed of familiar words, the actual animals they describe are not readily visualized by the general public. These unique creatures are members of a stunning and diverse group of nymphal insects known as true bugs. Giant water bugs can be as large as a man's hand, big enough to readily dispatch fish, snakes, and small turtles in the wild. Large assassin bugs kill and eat massive armored beetles that the world's largest scorpion, tarantula, or centipede would run from. Beautiful metallic shield bugs band together to take down prey a thousand times their mass without the use of venom or jaws. Others species hunt on the open ocean or feed on plants, reserving their spines and vicious attacks for battle over mates. Despite such endearing qualities of this widespread and common group, the only impressive aspect of true bug literature is its intense insufficiency. Even common laboratory species generate little writing. This book is the first and foremost attempt to provide a large format presentation on the biology of true bugs, represented in direct observations and repeatable husbandry guidelines for the largest and most formidable species. A full-color, pictorial essay accompanies this detailed text, highlighting the variety and design of this breathtaking group of insects.
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Own the ultimate crabber resource In Breeding the Vampire and Other Crabs, you will find detailed husbandry experiences for a wide variety of fascinating pet crabs. In-depth reproductive data for the popular vampire crabs are presented, while many other beautiful and fascinating species are discussed and depicted.
Crabs are arguably the most widely kept group of pet invertebrates. They are integral to the marine aquarium hobby as clean-up crews and display animals. Fiddler crabs have been a mainstay of the hobby for half a century. Larger terrestrial species, including moon crabs and hermits, have been fostered as small terrarium animals nearly as long. Exotic beauties like the vampire and panther crabs are encountered at well-stocked freshwater shops today. Although crabs have been widely cared for, reliable literature on captive husbandry and reproduction is scarce and scattered. No other group of creatures is broken up into separate avocations (and disconnected literature) to such an extreme. Breeding the Vampire and Other Crabs is a compendium designed to look at these widely loved creatures as a whole and is molded by the experiences of a life-long crab enthusiast.
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Brightly iridescent grasshoppers, feeder crickets, thorny predatory katydids, tattered leaf katydids, spidery cave crickets, and rotund king crickets are just some of the fantastic members of the Order Orthoptera. Grasshoppers and their allies include many of the largest and most flamboyant insects, favored by entomologists and insect lovers around the world. They play heavily in dried insect collections, zoological insect displays, and the feeder insect trade. Humans began keeping crickets for their beautiful songs eight centuries before canaries.
Orthopteran Zoology is the first and only book dedicated to discovery and mastery of the husbandry requirements needed to successfully maintain these intriguing creatures in artificial habitats over successive generations. Those who read this text will acquire a greater appreciation and understanding of this spectacular order of insects. Beginning enthusiasts and experts alike will enjoy this journey through the living biology and requirements of North American natives, incredible exotics kept in zoos across the globe, Asian and African singing crickets, and kaleidoscopic exotics maintained in European collections.
Orin McMonigle is the author of The Ultimate Guide to Breeding Beetles, Isopod Zoology, Centipedes in Captivity, and many more invertebrate husbandry guides.
Orin McMonigle's series of insect-rearing guidebooks for beginning and advanced entomological enthusiasts has a new addition focusing on raising butterflies and moths through all their stages. Orin provides advice and examples from a diverse selection of species (North American natives as well as some select non-natives). We've all enjoyed professional butterfly houses, and now we can bring some of that excitement straight into our living rooms as we care for caterpillars as they grow, pupate, and emerge with fresh wings.