Sticks

[Nosybe]

What kinds of phasmids are good feeder options?
Obviously the Indian stick insect, but what about other ones such as leaf insects Phyllium, or giant spiny stick insects? They seem to be the most prolific feeders, so why don't more people use them? Aside from being illegal in Canada and the US.http://sticklist.com/pics/m1795_ken_AC-02.gif

 

[chameleon97]

They seem to be the most prolific feeders, so why don't more people use them? Aside from being illegal in Canada and the US

They're illegal up here? Phasmid couldn't go 2 days in winter! Its -40ºC!
Dumb Laws...

-Steve

 

[Nosybe]

They're illegal up here? Phasmid couldn't go 2 days in winter! Its -40ºC!
Dumb Laws...

-Steve

Tell me about it. Took me forever to find Dubia for the same reason.

 

[chameleon97]

LOL whenever i need to freeze Ice cubes fast, I pop 'em outside on the deck.

To answer your question, Indian Sticks are used, since they are easier to get. (Its not legal though. But people do it.)

giant spiny stick insects and leaf insects are harder to Obtain.

-Steve

 

[Nosybe]

But would they be suitable as a staple/regular feeder?

 

[drewtt]

Most canadians are hush-hush on this sort of thing, but if you check some quebec forums where you'd look for feeders, you're guaranteed to find walking sticks, dubia, hissers, etc... Actually, if you want anything considered contraband, quebec is a good place to start looking

 

[nick barta]

Phyllium are fairly expensive, and harder to raise.

All the spiny versions pose a possible injury to the chameleons mouth, or digestive system, so I would avoid them for that reason.

As an alternative feeder, a Chinese Mantis ooth (eggcase) holds 200-400 babies. The ooths will keep in the refrigerator until about August, when you want to hatch them, put the ooth at 80 degrees. If you use about a 10 gallon tank with LOTS of perching places, cannibalism is greatly reduced. Have a fruit fly culture ready, mist occasionally, and you have a feeder that starts at 3/16 of an inch, and will end up 6 inches or so. As they get bigger, Blue Bottle flies are the best feeder to buy.

Be careful, it is easy to get attached to this feeder.....

Nick

 

[Nosybe]

Praying mantids just don't seem efficient to me because you have to feed all the babies throughout their life other feeders. Any other sticks that would be good feeders?

 

[ColorCham427]

Pink Winged phasmids are native to Maddy? If Im wrong please correct me. Althought, Pink Winged Sticks smell bad once they're adults! they give off a nasty spray when threatened. So, maybe just their baby nymphs is safe?

 

[Nosybe]

I don't know.... I've thought about pink wings but I thought they sprayed as nymphs too? Anyone know where to get Phyllium and other phasmids in Canada?

 

[Lizardlover]

Phyllium are fairly expensive, and harder to raise.

All the spiny versions pose a possible injury to the chameleons mouth, or digestive system, so I would avoid them for that reason.

As an alternative feeder, a Chinese Mantis ooth (eggcase) holds 200-400 babies. The ooths will keep in the refrigerator until about August, when you want to hatch them, put the ooth at 80 degrees. If you use about a 10 gallon tank with LOTS of perching places, cannibalism is greatly reduced. Have a fruit fly culture ready, mist occasionally, and you have a feeder that starts at 3/16 of an inch, and will end up 6 inches or so. As they get bigger, Blue Bottle flies are the best feeder to buy.

Be careful, it is easy to get attached to this feeder.....

Nick

Actually phyllium are pretty easy, just give them humidity and they mature quickly, they are big as nymphs too, I'd feed them bramble or oak, phyllium phillipines are the easiest to rear IMO, not that I keep them or anything....... because I dont.

 

[Nosybe]

I was thinking because I can't get banana roaches in Canada Phyllium might be another green alternative?

 

[Nosybe]

What about katydids? Anyone got these in Canada or that will ship to Canada?

 

[Digby Rigby]

Australian prickly sticks

Australian prickly sticks are good they get very beefy and adult females can pop out 2-6 eggs a day when they reach maturity. For higher fertility rates use bisexual stock. You will have a higher hatch rate and they hatch in about 5 months as opposed to 9 months or so for parthenogenic birth. All Australian prickly sticks aka Extatasoma tiaratum females can lay parthenogenically in the abscence of males. Newly hatched mimic ants.

Digby Rigby

 

[Nosybe]

Australian prickly sticks are good they get very beefy and adult females can pop out 2-6 eggs a day when they reach maturity. For higher fertility rates use bisexual stock. You will have a higher hatch rate and they hatch in about 5 months as opposed to 9 months or so for parthenogenic birth. All Australian prickly sticks aka Extatasoma tiaratum females can lay parthenogenically in the abscence of males. Newly hatched mimic ants.

Digby Rigby

They are good as feeders? Their spines won't harm chams?

 

[Digby Rigby]

Spines are fine

I have not heard of anyone having problems with the spines on the Australian stick insects. Chameleons like tree monitors in nature are used to dealing with spiny stuff. Its not like feeding them Eurycantha calcarata. Eurycantha calcarata males have a half inch spine on each hind leg. Natives in papua use their spines as fish hooks! In fact orthopterans and phasmids usually comprise a large portion of wild diet

Digby Rigby

 

[Nosybe]

I have not heard of anyone having problems with the spines on the Australian stick insects. Chameleons like tree monitors in nature are used to dealing with spiny stuff. Its not like feeding them Eurycantha calcarata. Eurycantha calcarata males have a half inch spine on each hind leg. Natives in papua use their spines as fish hooks! In fact orthopterans and phasmids usually comprise a large portion of wild diet

Digby Rigby

Thanks for the info. I bet a lot of people on this forum would be appalled at feeding chams something like an E. Tiaratum. I personally never remove grasshoppers spiny legs because the chams can't get too pampered...

 

[Nosybe]

I've decided I'm going to give mantids a try.

 

[HairyScaryMark]

Pink Winged phasmids are native to Maddy? If Im wrong please correct me. Althought, Pink Winged Sticks smell bad once they're adults! they give off a nasty spray when threatened. So, maybe just their baby nymphs is safe?

Their spray isn't harmful to humans and I don't know about chameleons but I'd be a bit doubtful it is terribly powerful.

I had some of these which I bought as pets rather than feeder but they died fairly quickly. I blame the recent weather combined with where about I kept them for their deaths. I also considered they are a bit too 'complex' for me to use as a feeder. Many people would not have this issue but I did and they are comparatively expensive if you consider the price of other stick insects.

I must have fed my chameleon the best part of 100 Indian stick insects. I've never had any success breeding them, probably due to the temperature at this time of year and also because I feed them off fairly quickly after getting them. My chameleon usually shot at them within seconds of being put in the cage.

 

[dodolah]

They're illegal up here? Phasmid couldn't go 2 days in winter! Its -40ºC!
Dumb Laws...

-Steve

they are illegal because their voracious appetite and the fact that they can reproduce asexually. The eggs can also live in a dormant state for almost a year.