So I picked up a dozen stickbugs in jan.to start a little colney. I plan on useing them as a treat bug.Well they seem to be thriving on blackberry vine and daily mistings, a couple are 5"plus.Does anybody on here keep them? Im wondering about how long before I stat seeing babies and what else can i feed them. thanks for looking.
stickbugs
- Thread starter imcurt
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Texas Ranger
Avid Member
You can feed them any bramble leaves. And once they are adults and laying eggs they should hatch with in 30 days.
SSimsswiSS
Avid Member
If these are Indian sticks. The eggs once laid, take 3 to 4 months before you'll see miniature sticks walking around. And can hatch out up to a year later, depending on how the eggs are kept.
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Trillian
New Member
I kept stick insects for a couple of years before i moved to the US and had to give them away. Your 5" ones may well be laying eggs already, they usually have 6 moults (I think) before being fully grown and starting to lay eggs. Their eggs are tiny, so be warned, they look like small brown seeds with a lighter coloured 'cap' at one end, which is where the baby will emerge. They look different enough to their poop that you can see the eggs when you look for them, but similar enough that if you weren't looking for eggs, you'd probably throw them out with the poop. I had 2 adults and ended up with a few hundred eggs, they seemed to lay around 20 per week, some of which wouldn't hatch because they'd been in a damp patch or similar.
An interesting thing to note is that 99% of Indian stick insects are female and require no fertilisation of their eggs, so will produce clones of themselves. The 1% of stick insects that are male are almost always infertile.
If you've kept them well this long, you're doing a good job! Mine thrived on privet, which I used to pinch from a neighbour's hedge on my way home from dropping my children off at school!
An interesting thing to note is that 99% of Indian stick insects are female and require no fertilisation of their eggs, so will produce clones of themselves. The 1% of stick insects that are male are almost always infertile.
If you've kept them well this long, you're doing a good job! Mine thrived on privet, which I used to pinch from a neighbour's hedge on my way home from dropping my children off at school!
SSimsswiSS
Avid Member
How can you tell when a stick bug lays eggs? In the bramble I can't tell if I have eggs, and how do you care for the eggs? I would like the eggs to hatch sooner that a year.
Need to round up eggs and place in deli cup with cloth lid. Add layer of paper towel on bottom of cup. Place eggs on top of paper towel. Mist daily, or keep paper towel moist. Add heat to speed things up, or keep at roomtemp.
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SSimsswiSS
Avid Member
These guys are quite prolific. But only feed off the males, and only if raise on rose, or bramble. Females are too spikey.
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coldbloodedAL
Avid Member
So if most, if not all of them end up female, wouldnt they be much more trouble than their worth?
I ask because i would like to give these a try but not sure if its worth it???
SSimsswiSS
Avid Member
It depends on the species. I was referring to the Extatosoma tiaratum or Australian stick pictures posted. They have male and females. If only raising females, you will only get egg that produce more sisters. So important to have both sexes to produce more males. There are many types of stick insect. My favorite is the Madagascan pink winged.
Jbujarski
New Member
Where did you get yours from?
Chopper562
New Member
i want some eggs or stick bugs hook it up guys send me a PM and we can talk a price
i want stick bugs, and mantids, eggs preferred
I need cham food to raise cant find current egg sources
hook it up guys send me a PM and we can talk a pricei want stick bugs, and mantids, eggs preferred
I need cham food to raise
cant find current egg sources
SSimsswiSS
Avid Member
No, but I did have a discussion about Chytrid Fungus disease that is killing off amphibians worldwide last night, on the UC Irvine campus. So Axolotls were talked about.SSimsswiSS lol I knew before even posting my pics you would have them also, or have had them.
Are you into Axolotls also?
Thanks for all the good info looks like i could make a few change's.At this point I have them started in a small exo with a little coconut substrain.(it stays fairly dry) theres a cup of water in the center to put the vine in to keep them alive and i mist every other day. Im assuming theres eggs mixed in the substrain in the bottom,and i cant see them. that room stays 68-74deg due to the dart frogs.
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coldbloodedAL
Avid Member
I'm trying to find them online with little luck
Ive been looking as well. Most the sites are UK sites
Jbujarski
New Member
Ive been looking as well. Most the sites are UK sites
I'll let you know if I find anything
