Critter Crib

September 4, 2026September 4, 2026

Essential Supplies for Praying Mantises: Beginner Checklist

Essential supplies for a praying mantis including enclosure, climbing branches, live feeders, misting bottle, and thermometer — Essential praying mantis supplies include a properly sized enclosure, climbing and molting surfaces, live feeders, a mister, and temperature-monitoring equipment.

Bringing home a praying mantis doesn’t require a shopping cart full of expensive equipment. Compared with many exotic pets, mantises have fairly simple setups.

Simple doesn’t mean you can put one in a jar and call it a day, though.

The right enclosure, ventilation, climbing surfaces, appropriate humidity, and correctly sized live prey all matter. Molting makes enclosure setup especially important because a mantis needs enough vertical space to hang upside down and shed its old exoskeleton safely.

If you’re getting your first mantis, this checklist covers the essential praying mantis supplies you’ll want before your new pet arrives, along with a few optional items that can make care easier.

September 4, 2026September 4, 2026

How to Clean a Millipede Habitat: A Safe Routine

Cleaning a millipede habitat by removing old food and debris while leaving healthy substrate undisturbed — Safe millipede habitat cleaning focuses on removing spoiled food and debris while preserving healthy substrate, leaf litter, and hiding areas.

Cleaning a millipede habitat is a little different from cleaning a hamster cage or reptile enclosure. You don’t want to strip everything out, scrub the tank until it smells sterile, and replace all the substrate every week.

In fact, doing too much cleaning can be worse than doing too little.

A millipede enclosure is meant to function like a miniature forest floor. The substrate, decaying leaves, wood, moisture, and microorganisms are all part of that environment. Many millipedes also eat material directly from the substrate, so replacing it constantly removes an important part of their habitat and food supply.

The better approach is simple: clean small problems regularly, remove spoiled food before it becomes a mess, and disturb the deeper habitat only when necessary.

Here’s how to clean a millipede habitat safely without turning routine maintenance into a major disruption.

September 4, 2026September 4, 2026

How Much Space Do Isopods Need? Housing Size Guide

Isopod enclosure with substrate, leaf litter, cork bark, and hiding areas for a healthy colony — Isopods don’t need huge enclosures, but they need enough space for substrate, leaf litter, hides, a moisture gradient, and colony growth.

Isopods are tiny, so it’s easy to assume they barely need any space. A small plastic container can certainly hold quite a few of them, but enclosure size isn’t just about fitting the animals inside.

A good isopod enclosure needs enough room for substrate, leaf litter, hides, ventilation, and—most importantly—a moisture gradient. You also need to think about what happens when a starter colony begins reproducing.

Fortunately, you don’t need a giant terrarium to keep isopods successfully. Even a modest enclosure can support a healthy colony when it’s set up correctly.

So, how much space do isopods actually need? Let’s look at practical enclosure sizes for starter cultures, growing colonies, display setups, and bioactive terrariums.

September 4, 2026September 4, 2026

Tarantula Behavior Explained: What Common Behaviors Mean

Tarantula in a natural enclosure illustrating common tarantula behaviors and what they mean — Learn what common tarantula behaviors can mean, from hiding and burrowing to webbing, feeding, molting, and defensive displays.

Tarantulas aren’t exactly expressive pets. They don’t wag their tails, chirp for attention, or come running when you enter the room. Much of the time, a perfectly healthy tarantula may appear to be doing almost nothing.

Then one day it’s climbing the enclosure walls. Another day it has buried the entrance to its hide. Maybe it suddenly refuses food, spends hours rearranging substrate, or flips completely onto its back.

If you’re new to keeping tarantulas, some of these behaviors can look strange or even alarming.

The good news is that many seemingly unusual tarantula behaviors are completely normal. Understanding what your spider is doing—and why—makes it much easier to tell the difference between everyday tarantula behavior and something that deserves closer attention.

Here’s what some of the most common tarantula behaviors mean.

September 4, 2026September 4, 2026

Complete Hermit Crabs Care Guide: Habitat, Diet, and Daily Care

Hermit crabs in a natural habitat for a complete hermit crab care guide — A complete guide to hermit crab habitat, diet, molting, and daily care.

Hermit crabs may be tiny, but caring for them properly takes more planning than their size suggests. They’re often sold as easy, low-maintenance pets, yet a healthy hermit crab needs much more than a small plastic enclosure, a food dish, and a spare shell.

The hermit crabs commonly kept as pets are land-dwelling animals that depend on warm temperatures, high humidity, deep substrate, access to both fresh and salt water, and plenty of places to climb and hide. They’re also social creatures, and with good care, they can live far longer than many new owners expect.

If you’re thinking about bringing hermit crabs home—or you already have a few—this guide covers the essentials, from setting up their habitat and choosing food to understanding molting and establishing a simple daily care routine.

September 4, 2026September 4, 2026

What Do Fire-Bellied Newts Eat? A Complete Feeding Guide

ire-bellied newt with earthworms, bloodworms, and other suitable foods in a naturalistic habitat — Fire-bellied newts are carnivores that benefit from a varied diet of appropriately sized foods such as earthworms, bloodworms, blackworms, and other nutritious invertebrates.

Fire-bellied newts may be small, but they’re enthusiastic little predators.

In the wild, they eat a variety of tiny aquatic animals and invertebrates. In captivity, the same basic principle applies: fire-bellied newts need an animal-based diet with enough variety to provide balanced nutrition.

So, what do fire-bellied newts eat?

Good options include appropriately sized earthworms, chopped nightcrawlers, bloodworms, blackworms, small crustaceans, and other suitable live or frozen invertebrates. The best diet doesn’t rely too heavily on one food. Instead, it combines nutritious staples with occasional variety.

Feeding also changes with age. Juvenile newts usually need smaller food and more frequent meals, while healthy adults can generally eat less often.

Here’s how to build a practical feeding routine for your fire-bellied newt.

September 4, 2026September 4, 2026

Common African Dwarf Frog Care Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

African dwarf frogs in a planted aquarium illustrating common care mistakes — Avoiding common African dwarf frog care mistakes starts with clean, properly cycled water, gentle filtration, appropriate feeding, safe tank mates, and an aquarium designed around the frogs’ needs.

African dwarf frogs can look like easy pets. They’re small, fully aquatic, and don’t need the elaborate terrestrial habitat that many other amphibians require.

But small doesn’t mean maintenance-free.

Many African dwarf frog care mistakes happen because owners treat them exactly like fish. These frogs have their own needs when it comes to feeding, water flow, tank mates, access to the surface, and aquarium design.

Fortunately, most common problems are preventable.

If you’re new to African dwarf frogs—or you’re trying to figure out why yours doesn’t seem quite right—here are the care mistakes worth watching for and what to do instead.

September 4, 2026September 4, 2026

How Much Do White’s Tree Frogs Cost? Setup and Ongoing Expenses

White’s tree frog in a terrarium with a calculator and pet care expense list — The frog itself is only part of the cost of owning a White’s tree frog, with enclosure setup, lighting, food, supplements, replacement supplies, and veterinary care adding to the overall expense.

White’s tree frogs are often considered fairly approachable amphibians for beginners, but the frog itself is only one part of the cost.

The enclosure, lighting, heating, humidity equipment, substrate, food, supplements, and veterinary care can easily cost more than the animal.

So, how much does a White’s tree frog cost?

A White’s tree frog itself may commonly cost around $30–$100 or more, depending on age, coloration, breeder, availability, and where you buy it. A complete initial setup can bring your total starting cost to roughly $250–$600 or more.

After the habitat is established, ongoing care is much less expensive. Many owners may spend approximately $20–$50 per month on food, supplements, substrate, water treatment, and other routine supplies, although costs vary considerably.

Veterinary care is the wildcard. An exotic-animal appointment can quickly add another $100 or more to your expenses.

Before bringing home a White’s tree frog, it’s worth looking at the full cost rather than simply asking how much the frog costs at the pet store.

September 4, 2026September 4, 2026

Best Enrichment Ideas for Happy, Active Pacman Frogs

Pacman frog in an enriched terrarium with deep substrate, plants, hiding places, and a shallow water dish — Pacman frog enrichment should focus on natural behaviors such as burrowing, hiding, hunting, and choosing between different areas of a safe, well-designed enclosure.

Pacman frogs have a reputation for being one of the least energetic pets around.

They burrow. They sit. They wait for food. Then they may sit some more.

That doesn’t mean their enclosure should be an empty box with a water dish.

Good Pacman frog enrichment isn’t about making your frog run around or perform tricks. It’s about creating an environment that allows natural behaviors such as burrowing, hiding, hunting, choosing different resting spots, and responding to changes in its surroundings.

A well-designed habitat gives your frog options without constantly disturbing it.

If you want to make your Pacman frog’s enclosure more interesting while keeping stress low, here are some of the best enrichment ideas to try.

September 4, 2026September 4, 2026

How Long Do Axolotls Live? Lifespan and Care Factors

Axolotl in a planted aquarium representing lifespan and long-term care — Axolotls can commonly live around 10–15 years with proper care, including clean, cool water, good nutrition, and a stable aquarium environment.

Axolotls aren’t short-term pets.

While their small size and permanently youthful appearance can make them seem like simple aquarium animals, bringing one home can mean committing to more than a decade of care.

So, how long do axolotls live?

In captivity, a well-cared-for axolotl will commonly live around 10–15 years, although individual lifespans vary. Some may live for less time because of illness, genetics, or poor husbandry, while exceptionally well-cared-for individuals can potentially live longer.

The biggest difference you can make as an owner isn’t finding some secret longevity trick. It’s getting the basics right consistently.

Clean, cool water, good nutrition, low stress, and an appropriately maintained aquarium all contribute to giving an axolotl the best chance at a long life.

Here’s what affects axolotl lifespan and what you can do to support your pet through the years.