Stick Insects

[pinkdolphin_113]

well i have just aquired 2 baby stick insects and i know this much...
they're indian
they eat privet and bramble (their favourite food anyway)
and they like other sticks to hide on

thats pretty much it.

has anyone kept these before?
i know quite a while ago they were a craze but they've been replaced with lizards and snakes nowadays.

i feel i need more information but i dont know what lol

are there plants that can be kept with these creatures?
ive put compost in the bottom of a plastic tank and was gonna get some small sticks and twigs and some little branches of privet for them.
also, i little bowl of water at the bottom for them. oh! and a rock...for display lol

can ivy be kept with stick insects?? i think it would look really good in the tank/vivarium but dont wanna kill the poor little things.

thanks

 

[guineapigqueen]

I used to keep the Indian varierty sticks and I fed them privet and brambles, I never put any other plant life in with them.
I used to trim the sticks to fit into the tank and put the trimmed end in a water bottle, help the plant stay alive a bit longer. If you are gonna put the plants in water make sure its tight at the top so the insects cant get in, because one of mine drown!

Emma x

 

[catxx]

when i was a kid i had stick insects. we had no privet or bramble near by, so they ate ivy, and a lot of it! i eventually had to get rid of them because they laid eggs, and eggs hatched, and i was over run with baby sticks that liked to escape and turn up in random places around the house...oops

 

[Miss Wiggle]

god we had millions of them as a kid, can't think what we fed them though, just know they lived in critter keepers with loads of sticks and branches

 

[pinkdolphin_113]

thanks. i think ill try the ivy. i mean, they hopefully want eat it until the privets gone right? because they prefer privet? oh well its cheap anyway and now i know they CAN eat it without it harming them, im fine with it lol. i just want it to look really nice.

did anyone manage to keep them until they were really long. if so, how big did they get?

i like to go through old crazes that have gone out of fashion lol dunno why, its just fun to know what people years ago used to do.

the water is for them to drink. they dont breath through their mouths do they. so they can stick their heads under the water lol oh its gonna be gurd!

if i put the privet ends in bottle caps of water, that would keep them alive for abit longer right? or i could just put them in the water bowl. oh im well excited! thanks again

 

[Erised]

the water is for them to drink. they dont breath through their mouths do they. so they can stick their heads under the water lol oh its gonna be gurd!

if i put the privet ends in bottle caps of water, that would keep them alive for abit longer right? or i could just put them in the water bowl. oh im well excited! thanks again

You do not use a waterbowl to give them something to drink. They don't go up to lakes and drink from that either. Like said before, an uncovered water bowl will cause them to drown. They get their water from misted leaves and stuff.

Stick insects need a moderate level of humidity, but the vivarium should be well ventilated to prevent mold growth. Misting the leaves of the plant will provide water for the insects to drink and help maintain humidity levels.

source: Care of Indian Stick Insects


--Edit--
I think I just found one of the sites you've been reading, which quotes:

Some stick insects such as Haaniella sp. need open water in a low bowl to drink. Don't be concerned if they leave their heads under water while drinking, remember that insects breathe through their thoracic and abdominal spiracles not through their mouth or nose like us. Note also that in some places tap water can harm some species so it doesn't hurt to use either rain water or to let the tap water stand for a day or two.

So I guess that it depends on the type of stick insect you have?

 

[pinkdolphin_113]

yea but how do you mist leaves?

 

[grahamsokel]

yea but how do you mist leaves?

You spray them with a small plant spray bottle.

 

[pinkdolphin_113]

thanks. they're shedding their exoskeletons now. they're well fasinating lol