The Indian Stick Insect (Carausius morosus) has been subject to the most study by zoologists, and is the easiest to obtain. One of the reasons that they don’t make the best pets is that they are nocturnal, but on the other hand they are easy to care for and get by on a 100% bramble diet. When it comes to breeding this is a parthenogenetic species, so you may find yourself with a breeding colony even if you only buy one stick insect!

Even though the females do not mate in order to produce young there are occasional male Indian Stick Insects. The male is distinguished by being smaller than the female, as is common with all stick insects, and it also has a red underside to its thorax. You pet will grow to four inches in length so you should purchase housing at least double that in height to enable it to hang upside down as it molts. If your pets do lay eggs then they will hatch around four months to five months later. Please check our other articles on stick insects for more information about breeding.

Alternatives to the Indian Stick Insect
The Jungle Nymph (Heteropteryx dilatata) is sometimes mistaken for being a Leaf Insect because of the way its wings and back resemble a leaf. From the jungles of Malaysia these stunning bright green creatures can grow up to seven inches. They have a longer life cycle than the Indian Stick Insect, with the eggs taking 17 months to hatch, and breeding couple taking a year together before they start mating. The size of this stick insect can make it harder to keep than smaller species, but it doesn’t require too much extra effort and they are happy with a basic diet.

Confusingly, the Giant Prickly Stick Insect (Extatosoma tiaratum) is known as the Giant Spiny, and the Giant Spiny Stick Insect (Eurycantha calarata) is also known as the Giant Spiny. And if that wasn’t enough The Giant Spiny is also known as Mackay’s Spectre! If you get your hands on Extatosoma tiaratum then expect it to grow to eight inches if it is female, and seven inches if it is male. You will note that this species has wings, but these are only functional in the male. Eurycantha calarata, on the other hand has some distinctive characteristics, such as it preference to remain on the ground rather than in branches. They also require drinking water, but you must be careful that dishes are not at a depth that risks drowning.

The Javanese Stick Insect (Orxines Macklotti) is comparable to the Indian Insect in terms of ease of care. Some special requirements are that they should be kept in humid conditions that mimic their native Java jungle, sand or peat substrate/nesting containers should be provided for females to deposit their eggs, and rather than bramble you should feed them rhododendron.

The Easy Indian
There are plenty of other species to explore, but the fact that the Indian is so easy to care for makes it a compelling choice. With the female growing to just four inches you only need housing of two or three times this size. Adapting a fish aquarium with a mesh top provides adequate ventilation. If you do decide to adapt an aquarium never use the existing cover as it is unlikely to provide the ventilation that your pet needs.

If you have a warm room then you don’t have to worry about artificial temperature control. The room should be between 70 and 75 degrees, and if it drops below that then you should use eat mats or lamps to maintain the temperature (although ensure there is a cover so that your insect can’t burn itself on the lamp).

You don’t need to provide a separate water dish for your stick insects, and in fact it would be a drowning risk, but you should mist the vivarium regularly. Newspaper is all you need for flooring, and a straight bramble diet will keep your pets healthy. To ensure that the food is free of pollutants and pesticides the best thing to do is grow your own, if this isn’t possible collect it from areas away from the roadside and wash them thoroughly.

If you have children then they will surely want to handle the Indian stick insect, and this is OK as long as it is done very delicately. You should hold the insect gently by its body and ensure that you are not wearing clothing that they may get tangled in. The best thing is to just let them sit on your palm, rather than having their delicate legs walking into danger.

One very interesting resource on stick insects is John Locke’s page: Walking Stick Insects – The perfect insect pet. Along with some solid advice on how to care for stick insects he points out that if they escape they can become serious pests. It is not such a big risk in colder climates, but in places like Southern California there is already plenty of evidence of the damage the stick insect can cause as a feral population. In addition to making sure that your pets don’t escape you must burn or boil any eggs that you are not planning to hatch and rear – just disposing of them in the trash is not sufficient.

When you are dealing with a species that requires mating you will need to sex your stick insects. Females are usually both longer and wider than the males, and she will have a more pointed tip at the end of her abdomen. This tip is known as the ovipositor and is where the eggs are laid.

The actual act of mating is rather unexciting, with the male mounting the female, locking abdomens, and staying put for a number of hours. It is a process free of the courtship rituals and aggression that you find in other parts of the animal kingdom.

If you provide plenty of fresh food and housing at a suitable temperature then one stick insect will produce hundreds of eggs, maybe even more than a thousand. The eggs will be spread over a wide area, and are usually just deposited or squirted out. With so many species there are of course exceptions, such as the Javanese Stick Insect, Florida Stick and Giant Spiny which bury their eggs, and there is even one species (Cyphocrania gigas) which shoots its eggs across a range of some twenty feet! When you have stick insects that prefer to bury their eggs then you need to prepare nesting areas – these are just small pots of sand or earth around two inches in height. The base of a pet bottle can make a good nesting area. As well as insects that bury their eggs, there are some, like the Pink Winged Stick Insect, that stick their eggs on all surfaces including leaves. If you have a Pink Winged be careful when replacing the food and look out for eggs on the leaves.

Different stick insects have different eggs, and some of them look just like droppings so if you are novice be vigilante when replacing the substrate. One of the most common pets is the Indian Stick Insect, and the eggs are difficult to identify because they are so small. To identify an egg look out for a lid-like shape from which a nymph could emerge.

Once an egg is laid the time taken for a nymph to emerge will depend on the species and the temperature of the housing. It can take up to a year for nymphs to hatch, but the cycle can be sped up by increasing the temperature of the vivarium. As long as the housing is not too dry and has good ventilation you should get a reasonable yield from the eggs, although this will vary depending on whether they are fertilized or parthenogenetic (parthenogenetic eggs can have very low yields in some species).

Once your nymphs emerge they need to have immediate access to fresh food. Stick insects have delicate bodies at the best of times, but when nymphs it is certainly advisable to avoid handling. Overcrowding when breeding stick insects can also lead to damaged limbs so you need to be prepared to provide separate housing as the nymphs grow. The next thing you know they will be molting and mating!

Your stick insects will molt regularly from nymph through to adulthood. It varies from species to species, but the Indian Stick Insect molts six times before reaching the adult stage. In order to facilitate this process you should ensure that you provide an environment of the right humidity, and ensure a healthy diet. You will recognize the process because your stick insects will lose their appetite and become lethargic in the days prior to a molt.

Your pets will hang upside down, and split in a straight line down the thorax. A head will emerge, and then after a much-deserved pause the abdomen is pulled out of the old skin. The process is pretty tiring for a stick insect and they will be slow for the first few hours afterwards as they allow their skin to harden. Unlike lizards, and other exotic pets, stick insects to not generally eat their old skin.

You definitely want to purchase a stick insect in the early stages of molting, since after the final molt they can live as little as a month. If you have a female specimen then it may live for as long as six months post molt. The signs of imminent death are inactivity.

Keeping stick insects in good conditions greatly reduces their susceptibility to diseases related to overcrowding and dirty conditions, such as fungal infections. If you have pets with broken legs, or other body parts, then you will find that they are more likely to develop an infection. If you have a number of insects and find that many are falling ill then you should switch food supply – remember that bramble with pesticides or exhaust fumes does not agree with the stick insect.

Insects are often indigenous to tropical climates, and one of the main sources of illness can be the vivarium’s inability to replicate this. Don’t put your pets on a window ledge in the hope the local sun will mimic that of their home country, instead put them out of the way of the local climate and use heat mats and bulbs to recreate a natural climate.

With such delicate legs one of the biggest threats to pet stick insects is being handled by humans. Make sure that you are prepared for their rapid movement, and in the case of some species their defensive spikes. Also, some species do have wings so don’t let them escape and then cause damage as they are recaptured. The best way to handle a stick insect without damage is to pick them up from the sides of the thorax without getting close to their legs. Make sure that the fabric of your clothes will not ensnare the insect’s legs, and if the legs do get trapped then rather than pull them free try to dislodge them with a small object such as a straw. There are two occasions when handling should be avoided for the safety of your pet: post-molting, and in the nymph stage.

Finally, it is unfortunate, but taking your pet to a vet is unlikely to be a useful part of stick insect care. With such short life cycles, and relatively little known about these insects, one of the best insect care tips is to concentrate on prevention.

Other risks related to wild bramble include leaves where spiders have laid their eggs, as spiders introduced into a stick insect vivarium can soon reek havoc, especially if there are nymphs. Another leaf pollutant is bird droppings which are not appreciated by stick insects.

If you don’t have ready access to bramble then it is easily grown. Even if you do have ready access then it is best to grow some of your own supplies so that you aren’t reduced to trawling through the snow to feed your stick insects in the winter months! All you need is a few plant pots, manure/compost, gardening gloves and pruning shears. Get some bramble with its root attached, pot it, water it, and hey presto you have a source of stick insect food. As the bramble grows trimming it regularly will encourage side shoots to grow and maximize your yield.

Beyond bramble there are plenty of other products that you can consider. The Javanese Stick Insect and Reunion Green Stick Insect enjoy eating rhododendron leaves, the Indian Stick Insect will eat ivy, and most stick insects will get by on pyracantha if they have to.

Whatever the diet, the most important thing is to have the food available throughout the day and night. Place the bramble in the housing area, and put the base of the stem in some water which is not deep enough to pose a drowning risk to the stick insects, furthermore, if you cut the stem of the bramble then it will usually remain fresh for a few days as it draws the water in through the point at which it was cut. If you are worried about using water in your vivarium then damp peat can provide the same effect.

Some species of stick insect, such as Eurycantha stick insects, require water and you should provide a small dish that does not pose a risk of drowning. This is quite a challenge, especially when you are breeding and young nymphs are prone to take a drink at the depths of the water dish.

In addition to stick insect food and water a good keeper takes into account their pets’ humidity requirements. A tropical climate, but not one that gives rise to mold is the delicate balance that needs to be achieved.

Stick insects have the natural camouflage of looking like the branches that make up their natural habitat: green and brown varieties have evolved, and there are also some that can change their color. They are creatures of stealth and some come out only at night to avoid detection. Another trick to avoid being identified is the ability to move back and forth in a motion that mimics foliage blowing in the breeze, and the Indian Stick Insect even has the ability to fake death by falling with its legs folded in (a practice known as catalepsy).

In addition to camouflage these insect have other defenses against predators. Some are winged and able to fly away. In some species these wings are brightly colored and this gives off a flash of color as they launch their escape which predators take as a sign that they are poisonous and not a suitable snack. Some species ward off predators by mimicking scorpions when they are nymphs (baby stick insects) – this is something that is most common in the larger species which have a broad body suited to curling the abdomen over the torso in a scorpion-like fashion. These larger stick insects also often have spikes protruding from their bodies and legs. There are species that can use their legs, with protruding spikes, as pincers to stab predators. The Florida Stick Insect (Anisomorpha buprestoides) is a good example of chemical defense, something which is quite rare in this species, but which can be quite effective. Whilst the Florida Stick Insect can temporarily blind its predators (including humans), most chemical defenses are limited to unpleasant odors.

There are over 2,500 species of Phasmatodea, but only a fraction of these have been kept and studied by zoologists. If you start off by keeping stick insects, and the hobby grabs you, then you can move on to breed and keep rarer species, and make a genuine contribution to scientific study. What we know about these insects is based on the study of just a few hundred.

Zoologists have looked at stick insect anatomy  in some detail, and its body can be divided into three basic parts. The head has two distinctive antennae which provide sensory information, the thorax (which itself is made up of three parts) is the middle of the body, and the abdomen is the final part of the body and leads to genitalia (a genital opening to be precise). The thorax sections are:

• prothorax which has the first pair of legs attached to it
• mesothoracic segment, which has a pair of legs and sometimes wings
• metathorax, which has a pair of legs and sometimes wings

Sticks insects come in all shapes and sizes depending on the habitat they are imitating, so the study of insect anatomy is a broad one.

A lot of first time insect keepers leap to the conclusion that an aquarium is the best option, but in fact an aquarium will require some adapting. Stick insects require adequate ventilation, and a typical fish aquarium hood does not provide this. Without this ventilation molds that harm the insect are more likely to develop, thus a special ventilated hood that has been designed for insect keeping should be placed on the top of the aquarium. You will soon see that the vertical walls of a terrarium present no challenge for the stick insect, as it gets around through a combination of sucker pads and claws. They can even walk upside down, so when keeping stick insects a secure living environment is critical!

Glass or acrylic aquariums are equally suitable, and a further option is a small animal carrier designed for transporting hamsters and the like. These usually have adequate ventilation, and can make a permanent home for the smaller species of stick insect, such as the Indian Stick Insect. If the acrylic small animal carrier is the cheap and easy option, then it is the handmade insect house that can be the hardest. A combination of plywood, hardwood, netting and glass are used to make a home, which can be scaled to house as many stick insects as you have. But be warned they are usually a lot harder to clean and maintain than a factory-produced product!

When you are breeding stick insects you don’t want to invest in a massive amounts of unnecessary housing, and jam jars can be a suitable home for the early days of egg to nymph. For those that are more serious about breeding you can invest in purpose-built breeding housing.

The temperature at which you keep the terrarium/housing will depend on the species in question. Where additional artificial heating is required the best equipment to use is a heating pad that slides below the housing and can be regulated to the temperatures of 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit that is suitable for most stick insects. These heating pads are also very good for breeding as the hatching process can be sped up. Some owners opt for heating with a regular tungsten bulb, but this can be problematic as it dries the atmosphere causing dehydration amongst your pets, and without a good screen the insects may climb onto the bulb and burn themselves.

When it comes to the flooring of the housing, or substrate to use the technical term, newspaper is a perfectly reasonable option. It doesn’t look very pretty, but it can be replaced easily for quick cleaning, and stick insects don’t really spend that much time on the floor anyway. There are exceptions though, such as the Giant Spiny, so you should ensure that the flooring meets the need of the species being housed. For keepers wanting a more aesthetically pleasing substrate, bark, peat and moss can all be used.

Stick insects are pretty delicate animals and you should avoid overcrowding otherwise them may break one another’s legs. Putting larger species with smaller ones holds the same risk of damage to their bodies. Theese are just some of the things to consider when keeping stick insects – do check out the other articles on this site for more information on our phasmidic friends!

Introduction
The Indian stick insect (Carausius morosus) is an ideal entry-point to the world of keeping invertebrates. Relatively easy to care for, and fascinating to watch they have been kept in captivity for decades and are one of the most studied insects. They are also known as the Laboratory Stick Insect amongst zoologists. The only slight negative when keeping them as pets is that they have a tendency towards being nocturnal, although you will also see them active during the day.

They vary in shades of color from dull green to brown, and are distinguished by red marks on the inside of their forelegs. These red markings are flashed at potential predators to keep them at bay. This is not the only means of stick insect defense though, as they also imitate twigs and drop to the ground when disturbed. Once the threat has passed the Indian stick insect will stand up and sway like a twig being blown in the breeze. They are a manageable size with adults growing to around four inches in length.

Housing
The Indian appreciates a tall vivarium with plenty of room for climbing. Minimum dimensions would be 12×18x12 inches, with 18 inches the height. Without enough space stick insects have difficulty molting. A molt requires enough space for the insect to hang upside down and shed the existing skin, thus a vivrium should be at least twice the length of a fully grown adult. However, a fully grown adult Indian of four inches will thrive with a height of 18 inches, and feel somewhat cramped if it has just eight inches of plant to climb.

If you decide to convert an aquarium rather than have a purpose built insect vivarium then that is perfectly acceptable, but you should ensure that the hood is changed, as standard aquarium hoods do not provide sufficient ventilation. A netted/mesh hood, that is well fitted for security, is ideal. Both glass and acrylic are equally suitable. Some owners choose to make their own hardwood housing, but this can be a lot harder to clean and maintain than factory-made housing.

The Indian Stick Insect is usually pretty happy, and there should be no need for heat mats or bulbs. To maintain a suitable humidity you should miss the leaves provided for feeding, but not to the point that they become soggy. If you are unable to maintain a room temperature of 70 to 80 degrees, and determine that artificial heating is required, then head mats (commonly used with lizards) are the best option. If you go for a regular tungsten bulb, but this causes issues as it dries the atmosphere causing dehydration amongst, and unless there is a good screen then there is always the risk that your pet will burn itself by climbing onto the bulb.

Newspaper makes a convenient flooring to the housing as it can easily be removed for cleaning. More visually appealing substrate options include damp peat, bark, moss, and leaves.

Photos (of Indians and More!)

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Feeding
Although a stick insect’s diet in the wild is pretty varied, it is not necessary to replicate this variety in captivity. The Indian stick insect’s preferred food is privet, but they can manage equally well on a diet of bramble, which is often more readily available.

Growing your own supply of ideal of bramble is ideal. To grow your own bramble take a plant with its roots attached, and pot it in some compost. As it grows you can then trim it as needed for feeding. You should not use toxic fertilizer.

As an alternative to growing bramble, you can collect it in the wild. Toxins such as exhaust are common by the roadside so the bramble should be thoroughly washed of all toxins before giving it to your pet. Other things to watch out for are spider eggs and bird droppings. Also, avoid giving young shoots as these are not as appealing to the stick insect, and may even cause some problems.

With the nocturnal tendencies of the Indian Stick Insect it is important to have food available 24 hours a day. Fresh food is important to your pet’s health, and you should replace the bramble every few days. While it is in the vivarium it should be able to draw on water, but it is important that the water supply has a narrow neck to avoid the risk of your insect falling in and drowning. Some owners prefer to have their bramble rooted in moist peat to mitigate the risk of drowning.

A Great Video of a Stick Insect Feeding on Bramble

Handle with Care!
Sticks insects are easy animals to tame and handle, but it must be done with care as they are so delicate. The best thing to do is put your hand out and gently nudge them to walk on it. The legs of the Indian Stick Insect are prone to break off so do not let them climb onto woolen surfaces or areas where they can get tangled.

It should be mentioned that depending on the species the dangers of handling are not all on the side of the stick insect. The American Walking Stick (Anisomorpha bupestroides) has a chemical substance which sprayed in defense can cause temporary blindness in humans, and the thorn Legged stick insect (Eurycantha calcarata) will pinch and bite if not tamed. Really these are not the ideal pets for handling, and they are best observed in the comfortable environment that you build for them. It’s another reason with the Indian Stick Insect makes such a great choice for those starting out in the hobby.

Breeding
Once keepers have enjoyed these pets for a time they often become keen breeders, and it’s easier than with some animals because some stick insects are capable of reproducing without mating!

With the Indian Stick Insect the female lays hundreds of eggs during her life, and you will likely see them in the vivarium. Don’t get too excited though, because they can take a year to hatch. The best thing to do is keep them on warm sand, spray them occasionally, and wait. After hatching the Indian Stick Insects will spend the first few months of their lives shedding their skins six times as they grow to become adults. Of course, all adults will be female as that is the nature of the species.

But the parthenogenic characteristics of the Indian Stick Insect is not typical of the Phasmatodea order of insects, that is to say that most stick insects need a male and female to reproduce.

One thing to watch out for is stick insects that will keep their eggs buried. The Thorn Legged stick insect is a burrier, thus when breeding this species make sure you have a layer of compost on the ground, for the eggs to be deposited in. Once laid these eggs can be left there, or taken out and kept in a separate layer of soil – don’t bury the eggs deeper than a centimeter though.

Health
There are some key things to watch out for when caring for the health of your walking sticks insect, one of which is fungus. You can help prevent fungus by adding some woodlice to your vivarium, and keeping the housing cleaned regularly. If you identify any adults with fungus separate them from your other pets, and if you notice any eggs with fungus they are best discarded.

Remember to avoid treated food, or any that has been picked from a roadside where it is subject to car fumes. We have already mentioned this point, but there is nothing worse than watching your collection dying soon after a feed and knowing you got it wrong.

Be mindful of delicate legs of the indian stick insect when handling as they will not grow back if your pet is an adult. Also make sure your pet’s home is not overcrowded.

Appearance
These invertebrates are likely to be brown or green, and often also have some warning markings. The Indian Stick Insect, for example, has some dashes of red to warn off predators. These red colorings are on their forelegs so that they can be easily flashed. Most walking sticks insects are not winged, but take handling those that are – make sure all the windows are shut first!

Movement
Their movement is twig-like when they sense attack. If they are on a tree when a predator approaches, they often drop to the ground and sit motionless until they feel safe. You’ll never tire of seeing your pet’s stick impersonations – when the Indian stick insect gets up from a period of being motionless they will sway like a twig. This camouflage technique is an effective defense mechanism.

Habitat
These delightful creatures live to be around a year old, and are very easy to care for.  One thing to mention is that they need a tall vivarium with plants such as brambles for them to climb on and eat. They need these plants to hang down from when they shed their skins, so an ideal vivarium is at least three and a half times the full length of the insect.

Many owners report success keeping them at room temperature of around 17 degrees centigrade, however, this works best for a hardy species such as the Indian Stick Insect (Carausius morosus), and others are better suited to a warmer temperature of 25 degrees Centigrade. A good way to raise the vivarium temperature in a small room is the use of an overhanging light bulb that is placed beyond the reach of the stick insects – you want them to be warm rather than burnt.

In terms of humidity the vivarium should be misted each night as all walking sticks insects require water, but there is a big difference in required humidity levels depending on the species that you select. The Touch Me Not Stick Insect (epidares nolimetangere) requires at least 80% humidity whereas the Indian just needs a daily misting. A good tip for maintaining humidity levels is to have damp peat as the substrate (flooring).

There are some species, such as the Haaniella grayii, that require a water bowl so make sure you know your pet’s requirements. One funny thing abou the Haaniella is that it may actually leave it’s head in the water, which is no problem since they breath through their abs not their noses (well to be scientifically precise through their thoracic and abdominal spiracles). That said do not have deep water bowls as drowning is a risk.

Feeding
Sticks insects are herbivores, and many get on just fine with a diet of blackberry/bramble and privet, but it is important that these are untreated plants, and not polluted by car fumes. One way to go is to grow your own so that you always have a fresh supply to hand that you know hasn’t been treated with pesticides. There are some species of insect, such as the Thorn Legged stick insect (Eurycantha calcarata), that will also enjoy eating oak plants so it is important to check the dietary requirements of the species you choose.

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