Well, We Couldn't Keep the Pallid-wing Alive

Unfortunately, the Pallid-wing Grasshopper (Trimerotropis pallidipennis) we caught last Tuesday (6/14) has died like all of the others we have attempted to keep in the past, despite our efforts. 

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When we caught this year's first Pallid-wing Grasshopper (Trimerotropis pallidipennis), we didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into. At the time the mentality was simply "catch it first and then think about what to do". Not very smart considering we have never been able to successfully keep these grasshoppers in the past. 

After we had caught it and set up a rearing enclosure (described here), it was really a game of sit and wait to see what happens. We had no idea whether it would even eat the dry grasses we gave it. But after a few days, it became pretty obvious that it was not having a good time in our home and it had only nibbled a few chunks out of the grass. 

Out of desperation (and pure curiosity, admittedly), we decided to try force feeding it some stuff. The things had a big head and monstrous jaws like most Orthoptera and it was not terribly difficult to open them up and stuff some food in. First, because we had seen our katydids gobble up Drosophila hydei fruitflies (here and here), we decided to give it mouthful of these flies. When this didn't seem to work, we figured it might like some fruit instead. Fruit is easier to force feed anyway, since it is mostly liquid. On our way back from the Ohlone Greenway, we had picked a very ripe plum which is what we used here. To our dismay (though we weren't completely surprised), the grasshopper didn't really have a thing for fruit and only sucked up a bit of the juice to prevent itself from suffocating in the sticky stuff. I know, it was pretty cruel.

Anyway, after failing to feed it properly for over a week, we weren't sure that it was doing very well. Well. . .  obviously it must of not because it died today. It was just sitting at the bottom of the container, completely limp and utterly lifeless. No injuries whatsoever -- it probably just died from stress and not eating. I guess we owe it an apology. 

- Brian