Stick insects are very interesting pets to keep. They are amazing to look at and quite easy to care for, but it should be remembered that their lifespan is only around twelve months. So, care needs to be taken when purchasing from pet shops, or breeders. You don’t want one that is already old.
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What Does a Stick Insect Need?
The most important thing for a stick insect is other stick insects. They don’t like to be alone. So, you need to get your pet a companion but don’t put it in a tank with other kinds of insect.
The bottom of the tank you keep them in should be lines with paper. Old newspapers will do the job nicely but they do need to be changed on a weekly basis. Care needs to be taken when you clean out the tank because there will be old brown sticks and bits of old plants on the bottom which are left over from feeding, and it has often happened that the stick insect has been thrown away with the rubbish.
Keep the tank inside away from direct sunlight so that the stick insects don’t get too hot and make sure that there is plenty of ventilation by using a screen on top of the tank rather that a solid plastic, or wooden lid. Make sure that the insects have enough room to climb out of their skins which they will do about once a month if they are healthy and not stressed in their environment.
Feeding Stick Insects
Stick insects live on a diet of fresh leaves. The Indian variety will eat rose, privet and hawthorn leaves but most other types eat bramble leaves which are fairly easy to find. Make sure that you know what type your pet is and what it has been used to feeding on.
The best way to serve up the leaves is to take a pot of water and put a cover over it to guard against the danger of drowning. Stick twigs with leaves attached into the water through the cover. Make sure that the leaves you are feeding your pets have not been sprayed with pesticides, or polluted by fumes from traffic. This is very likely if you pick them from the roadside. Always select leaves from a traffic free area and wash them under a cold tap before putting them into the tank. Spray the leaves everyday with cold water and replace them once a week.
Stick Insects Need Exercise and Privacy
If your stick insect has wings it needs to be allowed to fly. Make sure that the room is safe with all windows closed, and ensure that other pets, especially marauding cats, are kept out.
Remember that a stick insect is very vulnerable for a few days around the time it sheds its skin, so ensure that it is not disturbed at this time. The whole experience of watching this amazing creature shed its entire skin and literally step out of it is a fascinating one, but don’t interfere or you will put the creature under stress and it may even die.
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User Comments
Jenny Heart
On August 21, 2009 at 5:46 am
What a unique type of pet to consider. Like it!
raman13
On August 21, 2009 at 6:39 am
good article
CaSundara
On August 21, 2009 at 7:42 am
I used to own stick insects as a youngster but I’m not so sure I could touch one now – I used to let them climb all over me!
Nice article!
Alexa Gates
On August 21, 2009 at 10:41 am
that is a pet that i never thought youd beable to keep
StrPureUdy
On August 21, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Wow I thought my frog and turtle were cool.You’ve really opened my eyes about unique pets.Thanks I think I may get one.
CA Johnson
On August 21, 2009 at 9:04 pm
I’ve never actually seen one like that before. Very interesting!
Daisy Peasblossom
On August 22, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Interesting. What do you do about food in the winter? (A tank of these guys would drive my cats nuts!)
Dee Huff
On August 23, 2009 at 5:00 am
I remember stick insects from school, where we had a tank full of them in the classroom. I would never have thought of them as pets. They are quite fascinating to watch, though.
djpunkybell
On September 10, 2009 at 3:28 pm
hi i really want a stick instect
Bob
On September 10, 2009 at 9:26 pm
We usually get a stick insect near the back door at my workplace around this time of year. It usually dies when caught in a spider web or trampled on. If one shows up this year I think I’d like to rescue it, but how do you feed it when it is winter and there are no leaves to be had?
Miss Lisa
On October 6, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Can I feed my stick insect citrus leaves?
Dan
On November 19, 2009 at 10:27 am
I have a pet stick insect… But honestly not sure if it is eating or not… It is a South African long antennae species (Quite possibly Bactrododema tiaratum) and the food group which it should be used to is Acacia. I feed it sugar water and water droplets daily. The eggs hatched 2 years after they were deposited in a snake tank which contained no plant matter. The insect somehow survived and Im now trying to determine what to feed it. I’v tried acacia, rose, raspberry and grass as possible food sources. I just cant say whether it’s been eating or not…
Do you have any suggestion on this matter?
(g07s0375@gmail.com)
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