How to Take Care of a Katydid Insect

PDF download Download Article
PDF download Download Article

If you listen to the sounds of nature in a field at night, you can expect to hear the chirping of crickets and cicadas, as well as the sound of katydids. These less popular green insects usually resemble grasshoppers, with extremely long and skinny legs, although they come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Katydids are very gentle creatures; if you find a katydid outside, put together the right habitat for it, and feed it every day, you can easily keep it as a pet!

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Putting Together Your Katydid’s Habitat

PDF download Download Article
  1. This will be a big enough tank to house 1-2 katydids, although there’s no harm in using a bigger tank than this! Make sure at least 1 of the sides of the tank is made of mesh or gauze, to ensure that the tank is adequately ventilated. [1]
    • Keeping the tank well ventilated is very important for keeping your katydid from suffocating!
    • Go to any pet store that sells supplies for keeping insects to find a suitable tank for your katydid. You can also keep your katydid in an enclosure made entirely of mesh or gauze, if you prefer that over glass.
    • Use mesh or netting for the roof of the tank; your katydid will hang from this material when it’s molting.
  2. Because you’ll have to keep the inside of the tank pretty moist, use a moisture-absorbing substrate for best results. Examples of this type of substrate include potting earth, small pebbles, or even tissue paper. [2]
    • You can buy this type of substrate at any pet supplies store or even some home improvement stores.
    Advertisement
  3. The best way to do this is to use a light bulb, since your katydid will also need a source of light other than direct sunlight. Place the light in the top of the tank and use a bulb wattage between 15 and 25 watts for best results. [3]
    • You can monitor the internal temperature of the tank by placing a thermometer along the side of it.
    • Avoid using an energy-saving bulb or fluorescent light tube, since these won’t provide the right amount of heat for your katydid.
  4. Your katydid doesn’t need much in the way of decor, since the leaves you feed it will essentially act as decoration. However, your insect will need lots of vertical space in order to be able to molt, so use a “less is more” approach when it comes to decorating your tank. [4]
    • If you absolutely want to decorate your tank, consider opting for just a small branch and a couple of leaves to simulate the katydid’s natural habitat.
  5. Katydids need a warm, moist climate to live in. Spray enough water into the tank so that the substrate is kept moist every day. [5]
    • If you notice that it’s difficult to keep the substrate moist, you may have TOO much ventilation in the tank. If this is the case, you’ll have to reduce the amount of mesh siding you have to keep some of that moisture in the tank.
  6. Place your katydid in a separate holding tank, similar in structure to your normal tank, while you’re cleaning. Remove all of the dirty substrate from the tank, as well as any droppings and old leaves on the ground, then add new, clean substrate to the floor. [6]
    • This is especially important not only because your katydid will produce a lot of droppings, but also because the moist environment of the tank is very amenable to mold buildup.
    7. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Feeding and Handling a Katydid

PDF download Download Article
  1. All katydid species will eat leaves and stems, while some will also eat fruit, flowers, and small insects. If you’re not sure what species your katydid is, just feed it a simple diet of 1 or 2 leaves of oak, bramble, hazel, hypericum, or butterfly bush every day. [7]
    • If you want to see if your katydid will eat an insect, try leaving a few aphids in its tank. If it eats insects, it’ll definitely eat these!
    • If there’s any food leftover from the previous day, remove it before you feed your katydid again.
  2. Katydids get their daily water intake by drinking tiny droplets of water off of leaves, rather than drinking it from a bowl or cup. Luckily, when you spray the inside of the tank to keep it moist and humid, you’re also providing your katydid with the water it needs to survive! Thus, you don’t have to have an extra water bowl for the tank. [8]
    • In fact, if you have infant katydids in your tank, it’s much safer to not have a water bowl in the tank at the same time, since the katydids could fall into it and drown.
  3. Your katydid may or may not react well to being handled, but if you want to try it out, just be aware that they are very fragile creatures. They can also jump pretty far, so keep a close eye on your pet when you take it outside of the tank. [9]
    • Some katydids will also bite, but don’t worry, their bites won’t hurt that much!
    4. Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Breeding Katydids

PDF download Download Article
  1. As long as you have 1 male and 1 female katydid in your tank and you make sure the humidity, temperature, and food in the tank are all correct, your katydids will eventually breed by themselves. Keep them in a relatively large tank as well, especially if you’re planning to create more katydids. [10]
    • Instead of a 30 by 30 by 30 cm (12 by 12 by 12 in), consider going with a 45 by 45 by 45 cm (18 by 18 by 18 in) or even 60 by 60 by 60 cm (24 by 24 by 24 in) tank.
  2. Female katydids, especially field katydids, like to chew big holes in plant stems and deposit their eggs inside. The type of plant doesn’t overly matter, so long as it has a relatively thick stem. Try and use a stem that’s thicker than the body of your katydid, if possible. [11]
    • Some species of katydid will bury their eggs in the substrate rather than deposit them in a plant stem. If you’re not sure what species you have, go ahead and put a plant stem in the tank just in case.
  3. Katydid eggs take 45 to 60 days to hatch, but they require a very humid environment in order to remain healthy. Make sure you’re spraying the inside of the tank at least once a day and consider spraying it twice on occasion in order to ensure the eggs have enough moisture to last 2 months. [12]
    • Use a terrarium hygrometer attached to the side of the tank to measure its internal humidity levels. You can buy this type of hygrometer online or at any pet store that sells supplies related to keeping insects.
    • You should also continue to maintain a very humid environment in the tank after the eggs hatch, since young katydids also require a lot of moisture in order to be able to molt properly.
    4. Advertisement

Community Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    Do katydids bite?
    Community Answer
    Yes, katydids may bite if they feel threatened.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 8 Helpful 79
  • Question
    How do you clean out the tank?
    Community Answer
    Put your katydid in a jar and clean out all of the old food, leave the decorations and dirt, then put her/him back in.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 6 Helpful 65
  • Question
    Do katydids eat crickets?
    Community Answer
    If it is a predatory species of katydids, then it will eat crickets, but it will also need variety in its diet.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 13 Helpful 48
See more answers
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Reader Videos

      Tips

      • Unlike praying mantises or butterflies, katydids are not commonly available for purchase either in stores or online, so the best way to acquire one is to nab it yourself. Look for wild katydids on tree branches, bushes, or leaves, especially just after it rains.
        Thanks
        Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
      • Katydids are usually 3 to 14 centimetres (1.2 to 5.5 in) long, green, and look a lot like grasshoppers. However, you can usually tell the difference between a katydid and a grasshopper by looking at antennae sizes: katydid antennae are as long as their bodies, whereas grasshopper antennae are shorter than their bodies.
        Thanks
        Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
      • If you don’t know the sex of your katydid, remember that male katydids have an unusual forked appendage on the back of their abdomen. They also have a shorter, narrower body than female katydids.
        Thanks
        Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

      Tips from our Readers

      The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
      • Katydids' feet can be painful on your skin because the feet are very strong. If you're worried about getting hurt or bitten, try wearing gloves and being gentle and/or slow while handling the katydid.
      • Don't hurt the katydid. If it bites you, stay calm and carefully put something thin, like a piece of paper, between its mouth and your skin to separate and stop the bite.
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Take Care of a Grasshopper
      How to
      Care for Live Crickets for Reptiles
      How to
      Keep Feeder Crickets From Dying
      How to
      Feed and Care for a Ladybug
      How to
      Raise Your Own Crickets
      How to
      Build an Ant Farm
      How to
      Identify an Insect
      How to
      Build a Ladybug House
      How to
      Preserve Insects
      The Best Ways to Get Rid of Crickets Inside and Outside Your Home
      Why You Keep Seeing Maggots in Your Rice & How to Get Rid of Them
      How to
      Take Care of a Praying Mantis
      How to
      Identify Termite Larvae
      How to
      Grow Black Soldier Flies
      Advertisement

      Expert Interview

      Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about caring for insects, check out our in-depth interview with Shweta Sharma .

      References

      1. ↑ https://www.keepinginsects.com/cockroaches-locusts-ants/giant-katydid/
      2. ↑ https://www.keepinginsects.com/stick-insect/care/
      3. ↑ https://www.keepinginsects.com/cockroaches-locusts-ants/giant-katydid/
      4. ↑ https://www.keepinginsects.com/stick-insect/care/
      5. ↑ https://www.keepinginsects.com/cockroaches-locusts-ants/giant-katydid/
      6. ↑ https://www.keepinginsects.com/stick-insect/care/
      7. ↑ https://www.keepinginsects.com/cockroaches-locusts-ants/giant-katydid/
      8. ↑ https://australianmuseum.net.au/learn/animals/insects/care-of-stick-insects/
      9. ↑ https://australianmuseum.net.au/care-of-stick-insects
      1. ↑ https://www.keepinginsects.com/cockroaches-locusts-ants/giant-katydid/
      2. ↑ https://animals.mom.me/katydid-need-live-3121.html
      3. ↑ https://www.keepinginsects.com/cockroaches-locusts-ants/giant-katydid/

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To take care of a katydid insect, keep it in a large, ventilated enclosure, and line the bottom of the enclosure with potting earth, pebbles, or tissue paper. You should also put a 15-25 watt light bulb above the enclosure to keep your katydid warm enough. Also, spray the inside of the tank with water every day since katydids thrive in a moist climate. To feed your katydid, give it 1-2 leaves or stems every day. To learn how to breed katydid insects, scroll down!

      Did this summary help you?
      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 118,190 times.

      Reader Success Stories

      • Paula W.

        Oct 10, 2024

        "Isn't it nice to be educated & informed about nature! GOD is so interesting to give us these beautiful ..." more
      More reader stories Hide reader stories
      Share your story

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement