Indian Stick Insect Caresheet

[Natonstan]

Indian stick Insect Care

Housing
Indian stick insects can be housed in just about anything, from small plastic tanks, to large Vivariums. The tank should be bare apart from the food plant ( see below ) and if you choose, substrate. A substrate should not be used if your planning to breed, as it is hard to spot the ova
(eggs), a good substrate would be paper towels.

Feeding/Spraying
Indian stick insects mainly feed on Bramble, but if you cannot find any you may use privet, make sure the leaves are not discoloured, and are looking healthy. A large amount should be placed in the enclosure, so the sticks can climb, they shed there skin ( known as moulting ) whilst hanging upside down, so make sure they are able to do this. The enclosure should be sprayed with water daily, or whenever needed, this can be done using a typical garden sprayer found in all garden stores.

Breeding
Female stick insects lay eggs without the help of a male, and they will lay a large ammount of eggs weekly, if you want these to hatch, you must take them out, and get a small tub filled with tissue paper, the eggs should be placed in here and kept warm, they should be lightly sprayed when needed also, but not too much, just enough for them not to dry out.

I hope I have given enough information about these great pets, they are easy to handle, as these phasmids do not bite, and they make great pets for younger keepers!
Any questions, just comment below

[repkid]

Is relatively the same care needed for black stick insects?

[Natonstan]

Most stick insects have the same care, but I'd double check the feeding as some eat differant leaves to others

[Slurm]

thx its been nearly 30 yrs since i kept these as a young kid so its been a good read.

[funky1]

We used to have shed loads of these when I was a kid (somewhat unintentionally I might add!) all kept in those big sweet jars you used to get from the grocer. All ours used to be fed on privets and they absolutely flourished.

Am I right in remembering that the females are green and the males are brown? and that the egg pods look like those things out of the alien films with a little dent and whitish blob on top?! Don`t forge to mention that they can breed like wildfire!!!

[puffs-dad]

Originally Posted by Slurm

thx its been nearly 30 yrs since i kept these as a young kid so its been a good read.

Nearer 40+ for me, had mine in a Fox's Glasier mint glass jar!
Got 2 tonight off our local Freecycle, must be the oddest thing we've got from them, I wont disturb the substrate as is cocoanut husk, so will be difficult to see any eggs!
Might change it tomorrow, we'll see.

[dragonbeardo]

Looking for eggs can any one send me any please. these are for the kids, thanx

[trogdorable]

just rescued some of these from a terrible pet shop. all the leaves they had to eat were dead and dried out , as were some inhabitants.
and they had the cheek to try and tell me how to look after them !?

iv read a lot they can eat ivy , anyone feed theirs this with any problems?