Stick Insect Crazy
Is it a branch? No ... is it twig? No ...then it must be a stick
No its not... look again, CLOSELY. It's a Stick Insect! When these insects are in their natural habitat they camouflage themselves into their surroundings.
So what, tell me something interesting about these stick-like creatures
There are currently over 2,500 known species of Stick Insects, many are found in tropical areas. Most are skinny, wingless, and about six inches long.
They have claws and suckers on their feet, that help them cling to plants (which is what they eat) their favorites include ivy, bramble, privet and rose.. They are nocturnal, staying very still during the day to hide from predators.
Stick Insects shed their skins many times, five or six times during their first six weeks of life, changing from a tiny hatchling to a full grown adult. Females are much larger than the males. In fact the females can self-reproduce and can lay a great number of eggs. Some tropical stick insects can live more than two years. The Indian Stick Insect (carausius morosus) lives about one year.
How to care for your Stick Insect
Keeping Stick Insects is not only incredibly rewarding, it's incredibly easy. Just follow our Top-Tips to Stick Insect Success.
-
House them...
I love to keep Stick Insects... but I don't want them roaming around my kitchen, so your going to need some kind of housing. It's best to put them in a tall container so they have room to grow. Something with mesh on the top and/or sides is ideal as their feet have tiny claws that hook onto rough surfaces to climb (the mesh also lets in plenty of air). Don't worry about heated tanks, they will be quite happy at room temperature.
-
Feed them...
Our Indian Stick Insects will eat bramble leaves or privet, but if you really want to make them happy feed them Ivy - they love it. Don't forget to mist the leaves with water to keep them nice and fresh.
-
Handle them...
Stick Insects are great to handle, but remember to be gentle - although their legs grow back after they shed their skin, it's best not to break them off. Fully grown insects can easily be lifted by the middle of their bodies, lift nymphs by their tails.
-
Breed them...
Everyone loves babies, and Stick Insect babies are cuter than kittens. Females can breed without the help of a male. They simply lay their eggs onto the ground and about 4 months later... you'll notice the lots of little nymphs crawling around. You can harvest the eggs before they hatch, put them into a container with a mixture of soil and sand on the bottom. Keep the container in a warm place and keep it moist, with a gentle water misting every couple of days. We currently have Stick Insect Eggs for sale.
|
|
