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Raising
Phasmids
Introduction:
Stick-insects are fun and very simple insects
to raise. They make great pets for kids, and are showing up in more and more
classrooms and zoos. Phasmids eat a variety of leaves, but most love
blackberry leaves (bramble). Some species prefer others including oak, hawthorn, and raspberry. A daily misting of the cage with a spray bottle allows phasmids to drink
from small water-droplets. They seem to find this easiest. It is
best to avoid spraying the insect directly, because there is the small chance
that it can lead to infections. Also, nymphs can drown in a small drop of
water, so be careful that your spray-bottle produces a fine mist. Aside from this, a
clean cage is about all the typical phasmid requires. Some tropical species do
require controlled heat and humidity though. Many of our species on this
site are non-native, and it is important to
remember not to release them or their eggs into the environment.
Care tips:
If you do not already have an aquarium (terrarium) of some sort, I recommend
just a standard 10-gallon glass one. We pick them up for about 5 dollars at garage
sales. Keeping the ova in this one
aquarium for incubation purposes will make your daily chores a little easier
though, as I will explain. As they
grow, you will need to separate them into the appropriate number of aquariums.
Overcrowding can result in damage to one another.
Once you have selected an aquarium, you will want to get
some peat moss or vermiculite from a nursery/garden store. This is a good
substrate to use, as it will encourage some humidity.
Ideally, you will want to regulate the temperature of the cage to mimic that
particular stick-insects natural habitat. For the most part, room
temperature (70-80F/21-29C) is recommended.
If you want to regulate the temperature of the cages, two good options are
suggested.
First option: provide heat from below the cage with the use of a heat
pad. You will want to work out the safety concerns for yourself regarding all
heating methods. We have used top heat (2nd option), with the aid of heat lamps placed
directly on top of the metal screen lids, which cover our cages. It is important
that your hatchlings are not able to contact the heat-source as this can fatally
burn them. Make sure to put a thermometer in the cage, at least temporarily.
Again, the
cage should be kept between 70 and 80 degrees F (21-29 degrees C) during the
day, and allowed to get only a little cooler at night, maybe 65 degrees F or
about 25C.
Aside from this, all you need to do for the ova (eggs) is to keep the substrate
(bottom-peat moss for example) moist, but not wet. With our current system, we
spray once each morning. You will have to
fine tune your own set-up as different types of screened-lids, etc. will allow
greater evaporation. If
your ova are having hatching problems (with Phylliums for example), you may want
to invest in a hygrometer to measure the humidity.
Our goal was a constant 70%. Once we learned how to balance
temperature, ventilation, and misting frequency, we were able to discard the
hygrometer.
I think the best incubation method is to put the ova on a bed of peat moss, within a small
pint-sized or smaller, plastic container with small holes in it (like an alfalfa
sprouts container or deli-type container).
This helps regulate the humidity even
more, but always be careful that the ova do not get too dry or to wet as they
will dry out or worse yet, mold! It is best to check them every day if
you are going to use this preferred method.
Now comes the hardest part...waiting. Some of my E.t. ova have hatched in 7
months, while other people have reported having to wait a year (8 mos. seems to
be the average for this species). Little is known for sure in this hobby, and
small differences in temp/humidity could potentially have big affects on the
hatching rates, although it may have more to do genetics.
Phasmids have many natural predators. So, they lay many eggs. Not
all them hatch, and not all of them will hatch perfectly. If they are
having trouble getting out of the egg, or it gets stuck to their leg(s), then
chances are the cage is being kept too dry on a regular basis. Sometimes a
pair of tweezers, or even a pin can be used to carefully help them out of the
egg.
When they do hatch, or you think they are about to, you will want to begin
placing their food plant(s) in the cage to be ready for them. It is not uncommon
for them to eat little if nothing in the first several days. You can help them
get a start, by cutting the edges of the food plant (see my Photos
page for specific info.). This
will help them to get at the juices, and also allows a good start for their
small mouths. It is especially important to give them fresh leaves (even daily)
in this stage, as they will have difficulty chewing through dried leaves. Mist
daily, but do not spray them directly. The container and leaves are
acceptable. You must be careful
that the droplets are not too big, or a young phasmid could drown.
Remember, phasmids breathe through spiracles; small holes lining either
side of the abdomen. So try to prevent them from having any access to a deep
water source (note: some species such as Eurycantha calcarata will drink from a
small lid, on occasion). A screened or covered bowl of water may be used within
the cage to keep the plants fresh, and also helps to maintain the humidity.
Just cut a small hole in the lid to place the plants through.
As they grow they will molt (shed their skin). They will usually stop eating a
day or 2 before this, and sometimes even lay on the bottom of the cage, looking sick or as
if they are dying. Do
not attempt to move them. There are delicate processes going on below their old
skin. What comes out of the old, is often 2X as large, and sometimes
unrecognizable. Again, let them rest and dry their new skin for a few days
before handling them again. It is OK to handle most
species, except during these times (refer to the notes section of my Photos
pages for dangerous species). The female E.t.'s can be prickly (hence the
nickname-Giant Prickly), but not really dangerous, just intimidating. We had one
female also that was particularly moody.
Maturity is marked by the
appearance of wings in some species (but usually just in the males).
Wing buds may appear in the last few instars (between molts). No assistance is necessary to promote mating.
Some speciesSipyloidea
sipylus and B. extradentatum for example, can reproduce
parthenogenetically (w/o mating). Hatchlings from this
process will all be female. And it should be noted that ova produced
sexually hatch in greater percentages than ova produced parthenogenetically.
Whatever you do, please do not release any into the wild. These are
potential plant pests, and might cause a disaster if care is not taken.
Every time someone new gets them, there is an increased risk of endangering the
hobby for everyone else. Fortunately, no disaster has yet occurred.
Extra ova can be disposed of in many ways including burning, microwaving,
freezing (in most species), squishing (possibly disturbing, but very effective), etc.
Remember,
part of the excitement of this hobby is that so little is known, anyone can make a
discovery and contribute to the science! I
would appreciate any information you might learn, and will gladly post it on
this website for all to enjoy and learn from.
Please
email me for further information- peter@bugsincyberspace.com
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