Attack of the Stickbugs!

Indian Stick Insects
also known as Stickbugs or Walking Sticks

Stickbugs are far and wide one of the most unique pets I've ever owned. I say with great affection that no bug could ever take the place of my beloved stick insects -- even my adoration for the ladybug and butterfly is lacking compared to the stick insect! They are a very versatile, easily maintained creature with a short-but-sweet lifespan and a fast reproduction rate. They are every would-be bug hobbyist's dream because they are so very simple.

Indian Stick Insects are in general a very gentle, easy-going group. They don't bite, pinch, fly, or secrete anything nasty. They keep to themselves, are easy to feed and water, and have no smell. And best yet, they don't mind being ignored, so if you're squeamish about handling them - they don't care!

All of my insects are raised indoors, in a controlled environment, and fed fresh lettuce, carrots, nastursiums, hibiscus and geraniums. They live quite happily with three adolescent two-striped grasshoppers, and my grasshoppers also laid eggs this year! Most of my insects are between 1/4 of an inch and 1/2 inch long at the moment. I will be sending them to new homes when they reach one (1) inch long. Every bug I send home is female, and given that they produce parthenogenetically, your bug will still lay eggs that will hatch. At a year old, your original bug will die, having laid many eggs; and those eggs will hatch in the continuing 12 weeks. You may end up with as many as 190+ bugs. This is why I recommend frequent tank cleaning!

Care Requirements:

A small plate of lettuce/veggies will last your bug about two to three days. When food begins to wilt, remove the old and feed them fresh. Take care to count your bugs to avoid accidentally throwing them out with their meal! When planning on feeding fresh foods from your garden, take care to wash them thoroughly with water and avoid using pesticides. If in doubt of if pesticides were used in that area, don't feed that particular plant.

Misting every day with chlorine-free water is necessary; enough to damp the soil but not enough to drown your bugs.

Depending on what substrate you use, you may choose to clean the tank once a week, once a month, or once every few months. I personally use potting soil, and I clean my tank very seldom. If you are keeping them in small containers and wish to only have a few bugs, you may want to keep them on papertowel and change that paper when it becomes messy looking. This may be one a week or even a few weeks depending on the size of the tank and the amount of bugs you keep. Put disposed-of bedding in a freezer bag and freeze it for approximately 8 to 10 hours, then dispose of the bag in the trash.

I do not ask an adoption fee for these creatures because I am not selling them. I ask a donation so that I may continue to house the bugs I have; and that is all. Preferred donation is $2.50 a bug; which is about what it costs in groceries and time to care for them for the approximate 5 months I keep them (from hatching to 1"). You may choose not to donate for the bugs, and that is perfectly all right.

A Word of Warning! Stick Insects, particularly Indian Stick Insects, are considered a pest/nuisance in the state of California. Great care has to be taken when cleaning their cages that you do not dispose of bedding before freezing or baking it to ensure all eggs are destroyed. If released into your garden, they can reproduce very rapidly and your plants will be left in pieces!