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Here is an example of a care sheet you might find in an Invert newsletter . In each newsletter there are care sheets for exotic creatures of every kind , including tarantulas , insects and lizards . There are also letters from members , information on exotic pets and animals for sale on the back page , but see the membership page for more details about joining Invert . A stick insect has to be one of the easiest Insects to care for , and even though they appear to do nothing , they are lively once they get used to be handled .
The General care of Stick Insects There are nearly 3000 species of stick insect (Phasmida) in the world all of which feed exclusively on vegetation , they are one of the most popular forms of insect life to be kept as pets . Keeping Your Stick Insect In General the more common species of Stick Insect can be kept together , though if you are breeding more difficult species then it pays to use separate cages to create individual requirements . Temperature Most stick insects come from tropical or semi - tropical environments and are happiest between 75C and 80C , though the common Indian Stick - Insect , carausius morosus , and some of it's relatives are happy at normal house temperatures of between 60C and 75C . Heating is best achieved by maintaining a whole room at the desired temperature , if this is not possible , an electric light bulb can be used over small cages . It is important to make sure they won't burn themselves on it . A red light bulb should be used during the hours of darkness as it disturbs the insects far less . Cage construction Because most stick insects are long , thin animals which hang down from their food plants to shed their skin it is important that the cage has sufficient height , as a general rule it should be three times as high as the adult length of the Stick - Insect to be kept in . It is also useful to have it designed that you can easily replace the plant material whenever it is required , taking into consideration that this will be mostly brambles . Humidity Not all Stick - Insects share a common need for humidity , some species such as carausius morosus will be happy to live in a fairly open cage whereas others such as epidares nolimetangere will require an almost , if not totally enclosed cage with around 80% relative humidity . Regardless of this , all Stick - Insects need water and it is a good policy to thoroughly mist the inside of the cage including all the plant material each evening . Some Stick - Insects need a low bowl to drink . Don't be too concerned if they leave their heads underwater , remember that insects breathe through their thoracic and abdominal spiracles and not through their mouths . 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 tap water stand for a day or two . Food Almost all Stick - Insects eat the leaves of bramble / blackberry and their relatives of the genus rubus and many such as the Indian Stick - Insect , carausius morosus , the Australian or Giant Spiny Stick - Insect , extatosoma tiaratum , the Thorn Legged Stick - Insect , eurcantha calcarata , the Small Spiny Stick - Insect , araeton assperrimus and the Jungle Nymph , heteropteyx dilata will also enjoy plants such as Oak and Hawthorn . It is important to make sure that your Stick - Insects always have plenty of fresh food , and it is often wise to take from sites not too close to major roads to avoid the poisoning effects of various pollutants . If this is unavoidable then the plant material should be washed before being offered to the insects . Handling Great care should be taken in handling Stick - Insects at all times , remember they are living creatures just like you . Some species such as the Indian Stick - Insect and the Australian or Giant Spiny Stick - Insect are relatively sturdy and these should be used when allowing young children or people who could be frightened to handle the insects . Note that some species such as Pink Wings , sipyloidea sipylus , tend to to lose their legs very easily . Also it should be noted that some species such as the Australian or Giant Spiny Stick - Insect , the Jungle Nymph and especially the Thorn Legged Stick - Insect can and will pinch ( with their thorny limbs ) and bite if not used to being handled , whilst other species such as the American Walking Stick - Insect , anisomorpha bupestroides , and to a lesser extent Pink Wings have a defensive chemical spray which in the case of the American Walking Stick - Insect can cause temporary blindness and considerable pain to an adult . Breeding A number of species of Stick - Insect are parthenogenic (i.e. the females lay unfertilized eggs which hatch into females which will also lay unfertilized eggs etc.) such as the Indian Stick - Insect while the majority of Stick - Insects go in for a more normal Male/Female system . All Stick - Insects lay eggs , some just drop them onto the ground , some stick them under tree bark or in crevices while some bury them into the ground . If you keep the burying species such as the Australian or Giant Spiny Stick - Insect and Thorn Legged Stick - Insect you will need to ensure a container of damp peat , about two inches deep is placed in the cage once the females are adult . Stick - Insect eggs can take from two months and a year to hatch depending on species , in general the larger species take the longest , but not always .You can either not bother cleaning out the cage floor and let the insects hatch as they want , in this case it is useful to keep common woodlice in the cage to help keep down the fungus . Or you can collect the eggs each time you clean the cage and keep them in separate containers until they hatch . In this case the eggs of the burying species will need to be gently re - buried about one centimetre deep , and the rest will need to be kept on some absorbent material such as sand . All will need to be kept in a warm place and spraying with moisture occasionally will help . A careful/daily watch should be kept for moulds and attacked eggs should be cleaned and kept separate .
*Taken from the Invert Newsletter - Volume three , Issue three - October 1999 .Back issues available to members
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