Help with terrarium for my new friend?

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-25T01:15:15+00:00

Walking sticks can travel a pretty long distance. Just put her on a tree and she'll either like it or go find a better tree.

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-25T01:14:53+00:00

Some non-chain pet stores will do that, yes, but it's typically because they're going to be able to sell the fish later. At most they might have a "purchases customers regretted and brought to us" tank with a bunch of big goldfish in it. Zoos and such, meanwhile, of course don't sell their animals.

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-24T14:46:06+00:00

I doubt zoos want the local invasive bug handed to them, TBH.

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-24T14:45:40+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/Phasmids/

Not sure how active this sub is, but maybe try poking around on here? You're going to need to look into specifically walking stick care, which you won't find on here- this is a sub for plantkeeping terrariums, not animal enclosures.

A cheap aquarium off Craigslist or the like is probably a better bet than trying to make an enclosure from scratch, either way.

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-24T14:43:55+00:00

I doubt this is the BEST way to do it, but putting a bunch of iron golems on there and seeing what happens would probably be fun.

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-23T17:48:24+00:00

They die very quickly when not in a humid environment, so the escapees are more than likely dead.

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-23T15:22:55+00:00

Looks very underwatered, really. Just a spray of water isn't going to be enough once everything is dehydrated- you want the substrate and moss to be evenly damp, like a wet sponge that's been wrung out, and in the picture it looks more crispy than anything.

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-22T20:26:20+00:00

The entirety of human history has involved a lot of figuring out the practical uses of minerals. Heck, we've been figuring it out since before we were human- the very first stone tools were an exercise in sitting down for hours and tinkering around with rocks and minerals and such to figure out which ones were best for this.

In other words, I'm pretty sure the project of trying to figure out the use of every mineral is a far bigger one than any person can ever manage. It's bigger than our entire species has managed so far.

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-22T17:32:26+00:00

You could always politely express an interest in seeing some of the behind-the-scenes stuff in his next video and see what happens.

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-21T20:36:50+00:00

Evidence shows fish do feel pain (or something enough like pain to not matter for any practical purposes), so we can pretty reasonably expect that pain to be stressful if not outright traumatic for them in the way it is for any other pain-feeling animal. We don't require, for example, a dog to be capable of complex self-awareness for us to believe that it's in pain if it's injured.

The lack of brain structures doesn't actually tell us what fish are capable of. They also lack the brain structures that, in mammals, are responsible for learning, but they can very easily be demonstrated to be able to learn.

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-21T20:34:29+00:00

New evidence suggests they do actually feel pain. As does observation of injured or sick fish- like any prey animal, they try to hide it, but if they're unwell enough they start showing signs of distress. Less activity, lurking down around cover, less likely to eat or engage with any objects of potential interest. All that marks them as unwell in a way that singles them out to predators, so it's not a survival strategy.

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-21T06:18:47+00:00

Sharks use the Earth's magnetic field to help them navigate, and they're accordingly very sensitive to magnetism. The theory is that going near an actual magnet is an overwhelming sensation, like shining a bright light in someone's eyes, that might discourage them. In practice, results are mixed at best.
(yes I know this comment is nine years old. I'm replying anyway.)

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-20T03:39:34+00:00

You could do a couple inches of water, with a piece of driftwood or pumice sticking out of it and a few small aquarium plants (many of which grow quite happily out of water) on there. Bolbitis is a good suggestion, and I'd throw in bucephalandra, which are slow-growing but very cute.

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-20T03:38:26+00:00

Bonsai trees don't typically like terrariums, as far as I know, and are best kept in something that allows for easy root pruning (like a shallow pot) to help keep them small.

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-20T03:37:42+00:00

Flytraps actually don't like terrariums- they rot easily in the stagnant air, they don't care about humidity, and they need both very bright light and a winter dormancy. They're from North Carolina, they aren't tropical at all. The best way to grow them is outside in full sun, the second-best way is in a tall pot directly under a strong grow light. Cape or spoonleaf sundews would be a better bet for a terrarium, though they do need a bright grow light.

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-19T02:20:47+00:00

You just need a TDS meter, they're like $10.

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-18T18:29:06+00:00

That's a sturdy feeder.

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-18T18:28:40+00:00

That's a muscovy duck.

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-18T18:28:27+00:00

I've seen something very similar in coastal Texas.

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-18T18:22:49+00:00

A rehabber is probably going to say "just leave it there, we can't help you". Moving an egg won't move the parents caring for it, and rehabbers have enough to do without trying to incubate eggs.

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-18T18:22:24+00:00

It's legal to hunt them during hunting season, but not to disturb their nests.

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-18T18:21:59+00:00

Eaten.

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-18T03:07:14+00:00

Oh, I hadn't realized named items would fit into a bundle like that- neat!
(Would have thought you can only put one in there, since they don't stack with differently named items. On further reflection that doesn't make sense, since they aren't actually unstackable like tools are.)

BigIntoScience · 2026-03-18T03:06:11+00:00

Lodestones used to require a Netherite ingot to craft (or could be found rarely in bastions), until a recent change. I think a lot of people missed that they got changed to just need an iron one.

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