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Indian Stick Insects - carausius morosus
Appearance/General information
Nymph/Adult Care
Feeding
Breeding
Egg Care
Appearance/General information
- From the Palma hills of Tamil Nadu, south India
- Possibly the most common species of stick insect in captivity and one of the easiest to look after.
- Also called Common Stick insect and laboratory stick insect
- This species will grow up to 5 inches long being brown on hatching and turning olive green in colour as they grow.
- Most found in captivity will be female as males are very rare but the females will produce fertile eggs on their own (Parthenogenesis)
- They are very easy to handle and perfect for kids.
- When startled they can fall to the ground with all their legs tucked in looking like a twig.
Nymph/Adult Care
- Nymphs will moult 6-7 times from hatching to becoming an adult .
- Moulting is usually done hanging from the top of the enclosure or a high up leaf and nymphs should not be disturbed while moulting as they can fall or even get stuck.
- Nymphs and adults should be kept in an enclosure at least 3 times their size to allow for moulting, the more you have the larger the cage needed.
- They should be well ventilated and live happily when kept at room temperature.
- They should be misted lightly with water every 2/3 days for drinking and keeping up humidity.
Feeding
- They feed well on bramble which can be found in gardens all year round, and will also eat ivy, oak, privet (Hedge) and rose.
- Food should be changed regularly to stay fresh. Keeping the cuttings in a jar of water will keep the food fresh for longer.
- Cut leaves or leaves already nibbled on by adults are better as newly hatched nymphs can have trouble feeding on the hardened edges.
- You can do this by cutting the edges of leaves with scissors.
Breeding
- Once matured, females can lay 200-300 hundred eggs each which if kept in the correct condition will hatch with a very high success rate.
- This species uses parthenogenesis to breed, meaning females will lay fertile eggs without mating with a male.
- Eggs will be dropped to the bottom of the cage and look like black seeds with a small cap on the end for the nymphs to hatch out of.
Egg Care
- Place eggs on vermiculite (can be bought at some pet shops), damp tissue or similar and keep at room temperature.
- Mist lightly every 3-4 days to keep the surroundings moist but not wet.
- Check regularly for mould as if left to grow it will kill the nymphs inside.
- Eggs take 4-6 months to hatch from being laid depending on temperature. Warmer temperatures will cause them to hatch sooner and cooler temperatures will take longer.