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Keeping Wetas in Captivity

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Keeping Wetas in Captivity high pitched rasping sound, almost a Eggs and Egg Laying hissing sound. This sound is produced on ARTICLE 5. Raising Hemideina wetas both the reverse, and forward strokes The adult female laid many eggs. These from egg to adult when agitated, and whilst upside down or were cigar shaped, greyish black and 4.5 right side up. to 5 mm long. They are positioned While upside down if the aggressor (e.g. vertically like those of other weta species. a finger) touches the middle of the body, The eggs were laid in the soil of the ice This article describes the methods and The wetas can be given 20 mm lengths of the weta will envelop it with its legs and cream container. An adult male was materials I used to raise the nymphs of 5 mm diameter plastic tube for sheltering bite hard. This is followed by two or present with the female previously so it four species of Hemideina wetas. I have in. These can be attached to the walls of three additional good bites before the weta was hoped that the eggs would be fertile. written the article to explain the best way the tank. They not only provide shelter will release and kick away to once again They were laid during April as was the to accomplish this fascinating aspect of but are good for observation of the assume the upside down defensive case with with Hemideina crassidens and weta husbandry. The methods discussed nymphs and are convenient during posture. The weta may persevere with H. thoracica. are 'tried and true' and I found them servicing. These tubes work well up to the biting or it may freeze or, having first applicable to all the Hemideina species I the 3rd instar but after this the nymphs kicked away, it may run to escape. have bred. become more sensitive to daylight and prefer dark shelter. The tubes should be The article is divided into two sections. either painted or dark-coloured tubes The first deals with the hatching of used. The diameter of the tubes should nymphs and their growth up to the 5th be increased as the nymphs grow. The instar. The second section covers the 6th second method is to employ plastic food instar to adult stages. Feeding, containers as described below. accommodation, moulting, behaviour of nymphs, and the management of new adults in preparation for the next Rearing Techniques generation are covered. The communal enclosure has one serious disadvantage. Weta nymphs are highly cannibalistic. This behaviour is very From egg to fifth instar common in nymphs, beginning soon after hatching and continuing to 5th instar. Housing and Habitat Although cannibalism occurs in the older instars, it is less serious then. Right from Two methods can be used to house the hatching, nymphs will be competing with nymphs. The first is to use a glass tank each other for available food and shelter, similar to that for keeping adult wetas both in the field and in captivity. Cannibalistic predation in the early instars measuring 60 cm by 30 cm by 30 cm which would be a minimum size. Soil may be a strong incentive to disperse. In should be spread on the floor, (depth is later instars cannibalism occurs mainly unimportant), leaf litter sprinkled on top, when newly moulted nymphs are eaten. and plenty of twigs and branches provided for climbing. With this problem in mind I opted for the because insect food, when dead, quickly Unnatural Food time so that the first instar nymph second method of accommodation. This becomes mouldy if left for more than two appears, leaving behind its embryonic involved using plastic food containers days. Water is necessary and easily Unnatural foods such as dog sausage, cuticle. The pronotum has a bluish grey such as are used for margarine, cottage provided by misting the plant food prior apple and lettuce can also be used to good film over it which is retained for a few cheese and so on. The lids of these to placing it in the containers, and by affect. However these items should be hours after the nymph has hatched. The containers were perforated with a hot wire misting the container. used in moderation as they can cause nymphs range in size from 6 to 8 mm to give good ventilation. Soil, leaf litter indigestion and scouring. Often a nymph depending on the species. Hatching and a few twigs were supplied to make a Plant Food will die from having prolapsed its rectum occurs usually at night and the nymphs mini-environment for the nymph. Initially Feeding nymphs from the 1st to the 5th if the wrong food has been administered. disperse quickly around the enclosure. I used hollowed-out blackberry and instar is easy. Clumps of the common Apple is liable to do this but, when raspberry canes of 90 to 100 mm long. weed Hydrocotyle americana (wax weed), fresh, is very popular. Unnatural foods Later I used plastic tubes until the nymphs which is a mat plant growing in shady or are best fed once or twice a week only Behaviour reached the 3rd instar. Then they simply sheltered parts of lawns and grassy areas, and then fed together with a natural food hid in the leaf litter on the bottom of the were dug up, divided into small pieces item. As the nymphs easily become The newly hatched wetas have a strong container. with soil attached, and placed in each addicted to an artificial diet, moderation is urge to climb upwards, and in my container. The wetas in their early instars important. enclosures were conveniently hiding, Whilst the nymphs sheltered in the tubes, were very fond of it and the plant is massed together, under the lid each servicing the containers was very straight readily available at the time the nymphs morning. It is best to remove the adult forward. The nymph could be seen, food hatch, from October onwards. Eggs wetas during the hatching period as could be replaced and the droppings Chickweed, puha, dandelion and plantain predation of the nymphs by the adults is removed without disturbance. Droppings are all useful as they are tender enough The eggs of the four Hemideina weta inevitable. were deposited all over the container and for the wetas to manage. All of these species I have reared to date range from the nymphs were not upset when they plants wilt quickly and so must be 4.5 to 7mm long. They are all cigar- were removed. Once the nymphs started replaced each day. shaped, various shades of grey to black hiding in the leaf litter, care had to be and are laid singly in soil in an upright Sixth instar to adult taken as the wetas were camouflaged and Animal Food position. The egg may be buried from a the risk of removing them, along with the few mm to as much as 10 or 20 mm deep By the 6th instar, Hemideina wetas can be rubbish, was high. I found the nymphs Insect food is very popular and appears to when laid. treated as adults as far as feeding and considerably more amenable to be essential. Animal protein is very general care are concerned. They are disturbance during cleaning and servicing important in early instars. Midges, easily handled now, being larger and than the adults. Food was the main houseflies, small caterpillars, aphids, and Hatching stronger. Their threat display is used problem until the preferences were small moths are all acceptable. with vigour and the nymphs will bite to discovered. The main disadvantage of Generally I feed maimed or freshly dead The mature embryo splits the egg shell or defend themselves. They should be keeping wetas in separate containers is the insects. In the field I have seen chorion by building up pressure inside the placed in 2 litre ice-cream containers or considerable work-load servicing them Hemideina crassidens nymphs of various egg. This is done by the large pulsating larger at this stage to accommodate their dilations of the neck membranes behind involves. sizes feeding on thrips, aphids and moths. greater size. If left in accommodation Weta nymphs of all species I have kept the head and the spine or egg-tooth on the lacking in space the nymphs continue to scavenge for dead or injured insects and front of the head. The split in the egg grow but their antennae and legs become chorion is usually longitudinal passing Food some deliberately kill healthy ones. The bent and distorted. feeding behaviour is described on page over the top of the egg, and enables the The nymphs should be fed every second 28. embryo to escape and wriggle up to the day and the container cleaned out as well soil surface. Here it moults for the first The nymphs are easier to find in the leaf Food Up to the 5th instar, Hemideina wetas remaining in this position. It is litter now and are much easier to weigh moult approximately every 4 weeks. imperative that the nymph remains ind measure. Ideally they should still be From the 6th instar onwards nymphs are After this the duration between moults undisturbed. kept separate as cannibalism remains a fed in the same way as adults. The lengthens to 2 to 3 months. The nymph problem and, as well, disturbance to a Hydrocotyle should be discontinued as the increases in weight and size, the abdomen The moult itself will take from 2 to 6 moulting weta can be just as lethal as nymphs now have digestive problems with in particular continuing to enlarge and hours to complete.
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