@holon42 Thank you, I'm going to spend all of October gathering more decorations for her :).

@fernfren Start with the bugs, you want a strong colony before you get your apex predator. I had a really nice terrarium with just the pillbugs (oh, pardon, rolly pollies) before I got Morty. I moved the colony to a 1 gallon tank. Hoping that soon I can get more bug tanks, maybe even the ridiculously expensive but adorable blonde rubber ducky isopods, or emerald roaches. Might also get a lizard that likes to be handled so my kid can hold it.

@tippitiwichet

oohhhh this is like the time i obsessed abt getting a tortoise but then i realized that it would outlive me & i would need to make arrangements for its care & that sounds like paperwork

idk. keeping bugs in the house just sounds like a disaster waiting to happen for me... but i love the idea of having little composters as pets. i don't think i could do worms, worms have always given me the heebie-jeebies. i've gotten better tho, gardening tends to desensitize one to h-jeebies

@fernfren Well, I tried to encourage your collection of new and interesting hobbies, but if you're going to balk, I just can't help you.

(I might be in a really good mood.)

@tippitiwichet

you did your best (worst)
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

lol gimme a minute i just need to overthink it for a week

@fernfren If you need any help regarding microbial health of your soil and therefore stronger plant health from the excuse to buy pretty things department, let me know.

@tippitiwichet

just FYI, i did google isopods for sale and i learnt that the spiky ones from thailand are SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS

i like the zebras and the clowns tho... but i'm gonna let that simmer for a bit, i'm in the middle of swapping all my furniture around/installing shelves, etc, last thing i need is to throw some live bugs in the mix... but if i can work out where to put a habitat...

@fernfren Lol, yeah, my next bug purchase will likely be zebras, I'm not even ready for my $200 blonde rubber duckies. But my clowns are happy in a 1 gallon, as long as Morty is near to keep it from being overcrowded. I kept them in a basic goldfish bowl for a while, they don't have to be pretty, they are happy with a pile of sticks and some leaf litter, with bug feeder pellets thrown in.

@fernfren i have free garden isopods. i've had them for years (they can live 5 + years in captivity). they love carrots & cucumber & dead leaves. nice, quiet, undemanding & fascinating pets

@redenigma @fernfren We've kept those too, the ones in my garden have a nice range of colors and patterns :)

@tippitiwichet @fernfren i'm looking for the ones with yellow markings. we had a lot of those in NY when i was a child, but i don't ever see them in NH

@redenigma @tippitiwichet

here's the website i found yesterday-- looks like sellers all over the country.

we just have the slate gray plain ones here, as far as I've noticed

@fernfren @redenigma You forgot the link, and I need to see that. I got all my terrarium stuff from https://thedefiantforest.com/ and https://joshsfrogs.com/

@fernfren @redenigma *gasp* Their blonde rubber duckies are the cheapest I've ever seen! Uuuugh I still can't afford this right now. I hope he keeps the low prices for a while.
https://thedefiantforest.com/shop-categorys/ols/products/blonde-rubber-ducky-isopod-cubaris-species-tbd

@tippitiwichet @redenigma

*i forgot the link*
https://www.morphmarket.com/us/c/invertebrates/isopods

@fernfren @redenigma Looks like today's activity will be looking at bugs and daydreaming about the setups I will create after I get moved in to a new apartment. I've already decided I need to get wood shelves just to display Morty surrounded by pretty bugs in small terrariums.

@tippitiwichet @redenigma

i mean, it's kind of essential Bog Witch decor, isn't it? i've already thought about using some large bottles as a habitat... just need to make sure closure is secure... then i might experiment with some yard captures for a while. if htat goes well, i'll get fancy and order some maybe. but yeah, once they start breeding i'm definitely going to need a frog to take care of the excess population. i mean, it will be *necessary* to get a frog at that point, no question

@fernfren @tippitiwichet the nice thing about garden variety isopods is that if they start overpopulating, just dump some back in the garden. mine are in a 10 gallon tank. i have no idea how many are in there now (well over 100 anyway) but i started with 6 about 5 years ago

@fernfren @redenigma Pay no attention to enigma's recommendation for population control, yes it will be completely necessary to get a frog.

@tippitiwichet @fernfren actually i'm currently without a frog for the first time in over 15 years... *i* need a frog

@redenigma @fernfren Yes, yes you do.

@tippitiwichet
yeah i think we're all on the same page about the Necessity of Frogs, which is a great band name, btw. i just need to research and overthink abt it since another lifeform is involved, and already have 15 mouths to feed, not counting the tadpoles outside

@redenigma
just know that when you do make that leap 👀 frequent pics are mandatory

@fernfren @redenigma Good, overthinking frogs is fun. I had Morty's tank set up for bumblebee toads (because it's a 10 gallon, they are wee) and completely overthought it, but then when I couldn't find any online, the Petsmart guy listened to what kind of setup I had and showed me Morty. So she wasn't exactly an impulse. Just a little.

@fernfren @tippitiwichet my frogs have all been Grey's treefrogs, so as native as the isopods :) in NH one is allowed to keep no more than 5 Grey's at a time
these are Pewter, Sterling (he was from NY) & Jade. Pewter & Sterling were males, Jade was female)

@redenigma @fernfren The ones that look like hotrod fire? Yeah, I've got those in the garden, and some peach colored ones, that look a little like tortishell.