Stick Insect Care

SPINY LEAF/STICK INSECT CARE SHEET

FAST FACTS:

How long will my Stick Insect live? They can live for 12-18 months

How big will my Stick Insect grow? They will grow 15-20cm in length

What size of enclosure is recommended for my Stick Insect? They require a glass or mesh enclosure with good ventilation

What does a Stick Insect eat? - Eucalyptus leaves

How easy is it to look after Stick Insects? They are a low maintenance pet

A LITTLE ABOUT US

Stick Insects are clean animals, and require minimal maintenance. Collection of shed skins, poo and wiping down of the sides of the enclosure weekly will ensure good hygiene for your Stick Insect. Never use detergents or insecticides when cleaning.

Female Stick Insects are unable to fly as they only have tiny wings that can’t lift their body weight. Females live longer than males. Males are long, straight and slender and have fully developed wings with which they are able fly.

Females can lay anywhere from 100-1,300 eggs in their life time. Females don’t need a male to produce fertile eggs, but eggs produced without a male result in all babies being females. The female flicks her eggs from the end of her tail. These eggs resemble small, round, cream seeds and will generally hatch within a few months.

If you happen to have a female lay eggs, mist the eggs every 2–3 days with a fine water sprayer, and keep your eyes out for tiny spiny leaf insects which will uncurl their bodies as they emerge from the egg.

The newly emerged stick insect babies, or nymphs as they’re called, can uncurl themselves up to four times the size of their egg.

ENCLOSURE

The enclosure needs to be large enough to allow your stick insect to shed its exoskeleton properly. An enclosure should be higher than it is wide, as stick insects like to climb upwards. Minimum size requirements are 35cm high x 30cm wide x 30cm deep. Place the enclosure in a spot where it gets a bit of daylight each day, but be careful it doesn’t over heat in direct sunlight. Make sure there is plenty of ventilation in your enclosure.

FEEDING

Stick insects will feed mainly on eucalyptus (gum) leaves. Generally they prefer broad leaf varieties but you may have to try out a few different varieties to find one that they like to eat.

Fresh leaves should be provided every 3-5 days. Store the leaves in a jar of water; this will keep them fresh for longer.

Care should be taken that the stick insects can’t fall into the water container and drown.

Stick insects get all their food and water requirements from the leaves that they eat. It is important to maintain humidity in their enclosure, so a fine mist of water should be sprayed in their enclosure once a day. They will also drink this water off of the leaves.

Care should be taken with feeding the hatchlings as they haven’t yet developed the strong, cutting mandibles of an adult stick insect, so the babies are quite dependent on a supply of soft, newly sprouted leaves. Over the next few months the young leaf insect will go through several moults, known as instars, shedding and leaving their old skin behind as they grow too big for it.

COMMON HEALTH ISSUES

Difficulty Moulting: If humidity levels are too low, or the enclosure is not tall enough, stick insects may have trouble shedding their skin.

Loss of Limbs: If over handled or not handled with adequate care, stick insects can have their delicate legs broken off.

RED FLAGS

Is your Stick Insect showing any of the signs of disease or illness? If yes, please consult your reptile vet.

• Loss of appetite
• Lethargy

DID YOU KNOW?

Phasmid comes from the Greek word meaning “phantom”, which describes how these stick insects blend into their surroundings. If they are disturbed, they will sway from side to side like a leaf being blown by the wind and sometimes they will even fall to the ground and remain motionless, blending in with leaf litter.

SHOPPING LIST

• Enclosure; 35 x 30 x 30cm minimum
• Substrate (coco peat)
• Water sprayer
• Jar to hold leaves
• Supply of fresh eucalyptus leaves