Homonata horrida Update: Hatchlings!

After quite a wait the hatchlings have arrived. Two hatched on the same day (which must be an unlikely event as they were laid a week apart). The first egg hatched after a lengthy 93 days and the other after 86 days at 82f. But these are definitely worth the wait.

The babies are gorgeous: perfect tiny replicas of the adults, and fast! Extremely fast. They are like inch-long racing acrobats that speed about with the slightest disturbance with an incredible ability to jump.  They certainly keep you on your toes with their agility.

I have set them up in a small plastic box with a  thermostat controlled heat mat under one side. Air holes must be very small or you risk escape, and I suggest ensuring reasonably high sides or else you risk flighty babies speeding up up and away.

Due to their skittish nature I have provided lots of cover with a combination of fake plants with broad leaves and small hides made out of kitchen rolls. For substrate I’ve used kitchen towel and to them this seems to be the best hide of all as they love to crawl beneath it.

I found these shed on the day after hatching and they were ready to eat the day after that. Again they show a great love of food, and I was lucky enough to watch them both hunting their first tiny micro crickets without any hesitation.

For now it will be a pleasure to watch them grow and see how they progress. My fingers are crossed for more eggs to hatch soon.