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tslmy 2 hours ago [-]
Born and raised in Northern China (2hrs drive from Beijing), my parents bought me crickets & taught me how to catch grasshoppers when I was in early school age. They have short lifespans, so they are quite affordable and low-maintenance pets for families who aren't yet sure about (or can't yet afford to) keep pets that lives for years (cats, dogs, ...). Plus, they teach young children lessons on caring, feeding, life and death, just as well as the latter. I like it.
cyberpunk 2 hours ago [-]
I had a chinese friend who was apparently really into fighting them, which seems a bit of a fringe sport…
jhbadger 1 hours ago [-]
The Japanese are also into fighting insects, although mostly with beetles. Pokemon is more understandable with this in mind as the idea of people collecting creatures to fight with other people's creatures is an extension of this.
Borg3 50 minutes ago [-]
Beetles? Hmm I never heard about that. Spiders, yes.. And they are huge :)
Rendello 2 hours ago [-]
The clothing patterns of the Japanese cricket vendors in the article are awesome [1]. By a "Torii Kiyohiro" [1] who seemed to have a thing for drawing/carving intricate clothing [2][3].
My partner had a jumping spider as a pet for some time in a terrarium. It was really interesting because he would jump out onto my partners arms when we opened his terrarium and then climb around and then go back after doing some wandering. Pet beetles are also pretty common (and something that I really want tbh). There are a lot of animals that you wouldn't think can be pets, but honestly, if you're helping a critter survive you'll create some attachment to them and maybe they will too. A lot of pet insects can live for 5-7 years too if done right.
SoftTalker 33 minutes ago [-]
Tried to keep crickets as food for a bearded dragon. Never had any luck. I'd end up going outside to catch some or buy them from a pet store or bait shop.
thisisauserid 2 hours ago [-]
Fits in pocket, chirps for attention, low lifespan...
It's an analog Tamagotchi.
hnlmorg 2 hours ago [-]
Stick insects are a common “starter pet” for infants school (kindergarten) kids in England
satvikpendem 2 hours ago [-]
What's brown and sticky? A stick insect.
I recently went to this insectarium and saw a ton of stick and leaf insects, so cool how they evolved to mimic their environment to such a degree.
batuhandumani 1 hours ago [-]
I haven't looked into whether this happens in other countries, but in Turkey, when kids ask for a cat or a dog, parents will often buy them a baby chick from a local market instead. Sadly, within a week or so, once the child loses interest, the chick is often gotten rid of somehow by the parents.
dmurray 1 hours ago [-]
Goldfish are what stereotypically served this purpose in the UK and Ireland, though this seems to have got out of fashion as pet shops no longer sell goldfish to be kept in tiny bowls.
ButlerianJihad 60 minutes ago [-]
Sometime in California of the 1990s, goldfish were superseded by Bettas or "Siamese Fighting Fish". You could find them lounging boredly in those same tiny goldfish bowls, even though they were probably better served with a filter, pump, furniture, and tropical water temperatures.
If you brought together the bowls of two male Bettas, each would viciously attack the glass to get at the other fish. I suppose there were actually people who set up cockfight-like contests, and bet on which fish would survive the fights.
I think I had one of these at some point. They are ornamental, in bright colors and long, flowing fins all over the place. They probably don't live long, no matter what.
brandall10 8 minutes ago [-]
They were very already very popular by the early 80s. I was born in '76, grew up in the San Fernando Valley, and seemed to always have a beta or a pair between 2nd and 6th grade. I recall many other kids did as well - to the point where it felt like a fad of that era, like Chinese jumprope, Rubik's Magic, and Aerobees.
Also I don't recall normal goldfish ever being popular - by that point it was only the telescoped eyed ones, usually in black.
GrayShade 28 minutes ago [-]
> Chinese breeders of the 21st century strive to extend the fighting season to the whole year. They advertise farm-bred "designer bugs" as super-fighters and agree that their technology is "completely counter to the natural process". However, they refuse to use hormones or the practice of arming crickets with steel implants.
Um, what?
sulam 2 minutes ago [-]
Just in case you didn’t read the entire article (it is long) this is a quote from the industrial farming section.
readthenotes1 34 minutes ago [-]
There's a good Judge Dee novel that incorporates pet crickets as a central plot ploy.
1. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Torii_Kiyohiro_-_Thr...
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torii_Kiyohiro
3. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search?artist=Torii...
4. https://www.artic.edu/collection?artist_ids=Torii%20Kiyohiro
It's an analog Tamagotchi.
I recently went to this insectarium and saw a ton of stick and leaf insects, so cool how they evolved to mimic their environment to such a degree.
If you brought together the bowls of two male Bettas, each would viciously attack the glass to get at the other fish. I suppose there were actually people who set up cockfight-like contests, and bet on which fish would survive the fights.
I think I had one of these at some point. They are ornamental, in bright colors and long, flowing fins all over the place. They probably don't live long, no matter what.
Also I don't recall normal goldfish ever being popular - by that point it was only the telescoped eyed ones, usually in black.
Um, what?