What Kinds of Insects Can I Put in a Five Gallon Tank?

When choosing a new pet, you can take the road well traveled, or select on oddity that will impress your friends. Insects, although never domesticated, have been pets in various parts of the world for thousands of years. There are several insect, and insect-like, candidates for your five gallon tank that are readily available and low-maintenance.

  1. Stick Bugs

    • With more than 3,000 species of stick bugs to choose from, you can raise one or two, or even a colony, of these exotic pets with little planning and maintenance. Stick bugs are found in tropical and subtropical regions in the world, and, for camouflage, can resemble a twig or branch, leaves, flowers and even moss. Stick bugs, or stick insects, require at least a five-gallon tank, with a mesh, or screen, lid for optimal air flow. A mixture of soil and peat moss makes the best substrate for the insect, and you must provide some branches and plants, artificial or real, so the insect can feel at home.

    Tarantulas

    • With eight long legs, big hairy abdomens and a size triple that of a normal house spider, tarantulas are the creepiest of the creepy crawlies for many people. However, if you are more interested than repulsed, a monster eight-legger may be the perfect new pet for you. Although they are arachnids, not insects, tarantulas commonly occupy the insect category in the pet trade. There are two types of tarantulas: those that dwell in the ground, called burrowers and terrestrials, and those, called arboreal, that prefer to stay off the ground in hammock-like webs. Ground-dwellers are the simplest tarantula species to care for, and many different species can call a five-gallon tank home.

    Scorpions

    • Also not a true insect, the scorpion is another fearsome-looking pet you can scare, or amaze, your friends and family with. There are many different kinds of scorpions commonly available as pets in your local pet store, and each species has a character all its own. Scorpions contain a fluorescent chemical that will glow under a black light, which may be the reason scorpions make popular pets. Although a five-gallon tank may prove too small for a colony of scorpions, and some larger species, this tank makes an adequate habitat for many of the smaller scorpions, and a home for one or two individuals of the medium-size species. All scorpions possess a venomous stinger at the end of their iconic segmented tail, so use caution if you make a scorpion your pet.

    Millipedes

    • Commonly known as thousand-leggers, millipedes actually do not have thousands of legs. Typically, a millipede can have between 100 and 400 legs, depending on age and size. Millipedes are segmented, and can curl up into tight, protective balls when threatened. Millipedes are basically harmless, but may ooze a bothersome chemical when disturbed or when feeling threatened. One or two of the larger species of millipedes can comfortably make a five-gallon tank home, while a colony of the smaller species can exist in a five-gallon tank.