24 replies to this topic

[Betta132]

Will do so if I see any cases before they hatch.

Toebiter has now captured and drained backswimmer. Picked backswimmer skin out and put it in a natural pose, will keep it if it dries nicely. 

Added a whirligig beetle in hopes of it being fast and durable enough to evade the biter. Biter is still nervous but seems to be doing fairly well so far, at least judging by that catch. I think it may have gotten the swimmer while it was sleeping. Is that something they're known to do? 

[Betta132]

Whirligig beetle was not fast or durable enough. Five-legged toebiter is evidently very good at fending for itself. No clue how it caught the whirligig except by sneaking up on it at night. 

[Riffledace]

If the waterbug is still a nymph, the leg should partially grow back when it molts.

 

While I certainly wouldn't say that a waterscorpion would safe with a giant waterbug, movement is what triggers a waterbug to attack. Waterscorpions don't move much, and tend to play dead when threatened. 

[Betta132]

Things you can definitely keep with a baby toebiter: 

• Snails
• Rocks
• Sticks

Things you definitely can't keep with a baby toebiter: 

• Larger bugs
• Backswimmers
• Whirligig beetles
• Anything with a soft body
• Anything that doesn't have armor

Things you might be able to keep with a baby toebiter: 

• Other baby toebiters? 
• Water scorpions? 

Will try a water stick insect if I can find any. They're a type of water scorpion that pretty much just sit with their butt snorkels at the surface and do nothing. Also, they look like sticks, not edible things.

Also want to try predatory diving beetles, once my biter is big enough to not be a target.

[Betta132]

Have finally gotten the toebiter to eat frozen bloodworms. It wouldn't take them from tweezers, but I dropped one on it and it attacked the worm after a second or two. I think it caught a whiff of the smell and realized it was edible. Didn't seem to have any problems draining the worm, either, which is good. 

It's calmed down just a little bit, it doesn't panic and run in circles as soon as I get near the tank, but it still panics a bit if I open the lid. Hopefully it'll stop doing that after awhile. 

 

Also, to add to the list of things that can be kept with a baby toebiter: 

• Very, very tiny things that are the size of or smaller than its beak. It doesn't see them as food. There are copepods and miniscule little backswimmers puttering around in there not being eaten.