Small-Life Supplies for stick insects and cages

Small-Life Supplies for stick insects (Phasmids), insect cages and mantids

ask
Professor Phasmid
...here to help!

updated 4th February 2012

Hi, my name is Professor Phasmid and I will be answering your questions about pet bugs on this page.

To ask a question, please click on this link:
prof@small-life.co.uk

Some useful tips...

1) The Stick Insect Care Sheet tells you the basics.

2) House baby stick insects in the QBOX and bigger stick insects in the BSP cage.

3) Line the floor of the cage with a disposable Liner - do not use soil, peat, vermiculite or sand because the granules can clog up the sticky pads on the stick insects' feet.

4) Remove plug-in air-fresheners and do not use aerosol air-fresheners because these release chemicals that will kill your stick insects.

I have three Indian stick insects living in one of your BSP cages, they are very healthy and eat bramble, privet and ivy which we pick locally. Yesterday, when I was doing some gardening, I found another three large (4 inches) and very lively stick insects living in our back garden. These ones seem to be the stick insects which are apparently naturalised in some parts of Cornwall. I live in Falmouth. Can we put these stick insects that we have found in the garden in the BSP cage with our Indian stick insects?
Yes, both species like airy surroundings and can live happily together. There is room in the BSP cage for seven adult insects. The ones you have found are probably the New Zealand stick insects, Acanthoxyla prasina. These stick insects eat bramble leaves and conifer leaves. New Zealand stick insects are parthenogenetic (all female) and will lay eggs which will hatch into more females. At 4 inches long, yours are probably fully grown and so you need to look out for the eggs which are dropped onto the Liner of the BSP. If you save the eggs in a QBOX they should start hatching in about five months.

What are the biggest stick insects for sale that you have in stock now?
The Malaysian stick insect (Heteropteryx dilatata) and the New Guinea stick insect (Eurycantha calcarata). Both species eat bramble leaves and bury their eggs in sand. The Malaysian stick insects are bright green and the New Guinea stick insects are brown. Both types have wide bodies and need to be handled frequently because they need lots of exercise.

I have a Australian Titan stick insect, what exactly does it eat?
Australian Titan stick insects (Acrophylla wuelfingi) are very long stick insects, with adult females growing to 32cm. They eat bramble (blackberry) leaves and eucalyptus leaves. The Eucalyptus gunnii species is the best type of eucalyptus plant to feed them.

I wish to buy an Indian stick insect pack for my son but am not sure what to do if they produce eggs and ultimately new baby stick insects. Will the stick insects only produce to the size of their environment or is there a way in which one can prevent over population?
It's really important not to overcrowd stick insects in a cage and so you need to control the population. The easiest way to do this is to only save a few eggs. To stop the rest of the eggs from developing, you can feed them to birds or fish or pour hot water over them. Do not put stick insect eggs in the freezer because cold can just arrest development. Each adult Indian stick insect will lay hundreds of eggs regardless of the size of their cage. In Nature, so many eggs are laid because most of them would be eaten by predators or destroyed by water. So it is important to realise that you need to mimic Nature and it is not cruel to do so.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "A plastic jar about 29cm tall is OK to house stick insects"
WRONG! That container is too small for stick insects. In order to look after stick insects properly, they need a cage at least 45cm high so they have room to grow (they do this by sliding downwards out of their old skins). Stick insects also need cages with mesh sides so they can get good air-flow and also a good grip with their claws; a smooth sided plastic jar is not suitable.

Several of my stick insects have hatched and the egg remains attached to them, do I leave this to fall off by itself?
If stick insects are hatching with the eggshell still attached, it means that the surroundings the eggs are being kept in are too dry. For best result, the eggs should be incubated in an unventilated box, such as the QBOX. If the eggs are in the QBOX and the babies are still hatching with the eggshell attached, you need to lightly mist the eggs with a very light spray of water. It is best to leave the eggshell attached to any baby stick insects (called first instar nymphs) because trying to pull it off may result in the insect throwing its whole leg off. Sometimes the stick insect can get rid of the eggshell by itself; this is achieved by the stick insect wedging the eggshell in a tight place and pulling its leg free. Some stick insects are unable to get rid of the eggshell and so have to wait until their first skin change when it is discarded along with the rest of the outer skin.

I would like to know as much information on Thailand Marbled stick insects but cant find much info anywhere.
Thailand Marbled stick insects have the Latin species name Parapachymorpha zomproi. There are males and females and these are easy to keep stick insects. They do well in an airy cage such as the BSP insect cage. They have nice patterns on their bodies and they often sit on the floor of the cage. They are slow moving stick insects. They eat bramble (blackberry) leaves. Small-Life Supplies breeds Thailand Marbled stick insects and we have them available now.

I'm just wondering, when you say that spiny leaf insects mate and produce babies they occur in equal numbers. Well I've had a couple mate which produced three males and the rest female. Does this sometimes happen?
Yes. Stick insects which reproduce by mating have males and females in equal numbers, on average. But occasionally, a mated pair will produce offspring which are mostly females or mostly males. An even rarer occurrence is when the entire offspring are all male. This is what happened to our stocks of Javanese stick insects (Orxines macklottii) many years ago, which of course stopped us from continuing to breed these beautiful insects.

I heard that the Jungle Nymph bites and nips. Can you confirm if this is true?
Jungle nymphs are also called Malaysian stick insects (Heteropteryx dilatata). Stick insects are named after the country in which they naturally occur. Like other species of stick insect, Malaysian stick insects have mouthparts designed for cutting and eating leaves, not for biting people. Malaysian stick insects grow to be big and strong and can be a challenge to handle if they are not used to being handled. If they are frightened, they can try and impale the spines on their back legs into your hand and so it important not to mistreat a Malaysian stick insect. However, if you are sensible and kind and handle them frequently there should be no problems and many people really enjoy seeing their Malaysian stick insects walk across their floor. It also helps to talk to them calmly (their ears are by their knees) and some people have observed that these stick insects like melodic music.

We're in New Zealand and my son had a stick insect (Acanthoxyla prasina) for a few weeks and it laid 26 eggs. He would like to know how to care and hatch them. He keeps them in a container with a mesh roof.
For best results, your son needs to transfer the eggs to a container without airholes. The QBOX is an ideal container to store stick insect eggs. In about five months time you need to lightly mist the eggs with water (this should be done very lightly). The eggs should start to hatch soon after. These New Zealand stick insects are parthenogenetic which means that they are all female and the eggs you have will hatch into more females. When the eggs have hatched, you need to keep the baby stick insects (called first instar nymphs) in a large airy cage because these stick insects like lots of space, even when babies. This species of New Zealand stick insect is being found living wild in the UK, in parts of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset. They eat bramble (blackberry) leaves and also conifer leaves.

I'd like to send a BSP cage to my son in Canada. What's the best way to do this?
We are now sending out flat-packed BSP cages worldwide at just 15 pounds delivery. They are delivered by Royal Mail airmail post. The clear step by step instructions (with photographs) for assembling the cages are emailed separately. You can order on-line using the Miscellaneous Items order form.

I have a tiny mantid. What can I feed it? I live in Gloucester, UK.
Tiny mantids can eat aphids. There are still aphids around outside at this time of year on bramble patches. When you find some, you can bring in sprigs of bramble and the aphids will continue to live on the leaves if they are standing in a Sprig Pot of water to keep fresh.

Trachyarenarton breuckneri - I was wondering if you have any care information on this species.
The correct spelling is Trachyaretaon brueckneri and the common name of this species is the Giant Sabah stick insect. As the name suggests, they are a larger version of the Sabah stick insect (Aretaon asperrimus). Giant Sabah stick insects eat bramble leaves and do best in cages with reduced air-flow, so keep them in a BSP with the Ventilation Control Panel attached. There are males and females and the adult females bury their eggs in a pot of sand. They need a Water Dish. We don't promote this variety because the whole cage of insects can suddenly die for no apparent reason.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "According to Wikipedia, the genus name of the Sexton beetle is spelt Necrophorus in older texts and this is not valid. It should be spelt Nicrophorus. "
WRONG! Wikipedia is wrong about this. Sexton beetles bury small dead animals and belong to the genus Necrophorus which is derived from the Greek word Nekros (meaning dead). The older texts are correct - these people knew their Greek and Latin! The current misspelling of the word seems to have originated in Canada and has been blindly copied by others.

Could I please ask if Indian stick insects will feed off ivy? I have privet in with them at the moment, just wondered whether you can change their food supply, or if it is best to keep with the one thing.
You can switch the type of food; Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) eat privet, bramble (blackberry), rose and eucalyptus leaves. However, Indian stick insects do really well on privet and so I'd be inclined to keep feeding them on privet, providing the leaves are still nice and green. At this time of year (winter), some privet leaves turn yellow and it is important not to feed the stick insects with these because these yellow leaves are dying and are not nutritious. There are different types of ivy and some types are eaten by Indian stick insects. Their favourite type of ivy is the dark green type that grows wild up old walls. Avoid the variegated ivy. And do not be tempted to buy a potted ivy plant because potted plants are often grown in soil infused with pesticides - these are taken up by the plant and poison the stick insects when they eat the leaves.

I am ten years old and have just received four nymph Indian stick insects. When I go away in the summer I am worried that I will have nobody to look after them. Do you have any suggestions about what I could do?
Small-Life Supplies offer a "Stick Sitting Service" whereby we look after your stick insects when you are holiday. People who use this service need to drop off their cages of stick insects with us and then collect them again at the end of the holiday. Or, if you are only going away for a short time, you can put lots of food in the cage (it keeps fresh in Sprig Pots of water) and the stick insects will be fine for up to one week.

We have a ladybird dilemma. My girlfriend found the cute ladybird under a suitcase in the spare room. We've noticed she doesn't seem that well as in she doesn't walk properly and flips herself over. We've given her damp cotton buds as a source for water and left out some chopped up raisins which she appeared to stick her face in for a bit, but we are still very worried to just let her outside.
British ladybirds hibernate in the winter (usually under bramble leaves or huddled in groups around wooden window frames). If there is a mild sunny day the ladybirds can awake from hibernation and fly around. They usually seek out water and food before hibernating again. You have done well in giving it water and sugar to eat. You could put the ladybird outside now on a sheltered bramble patch. Or, if you wanted to look after it for a couple more days to see if it improves, you could keep it in a QBOX and give it wet cotton wool soaked in 10% sugar solution. (To make this, place one teaspoon of granulated sugar in a mug, add nine teaspoons of warm water and stir well).

MYTH EXPLODED

MYTH: "Scatter Indian stick insect eggs on a dish and place in the bottom of a large net enclosure. "

WRONG! This environment is too airy for Indian stick insect eggs to hatch properly. So there is a strong risk that the newly hatched nymphs will have difficulty in hatching and not be able to free themselves from their eggshells. For best results, keep Indian stick insect eggs (and newly hatched nymphs) in a QBOX; this box is clear and non-ventilated, and provides the optimum conditions for incubating the eggs and housing the newly hatched stick insect nymphs.

How long do Guadeloupe stick insects babies take to lay eggs and how long do the eggs take to hatch?
Like most stick insects, Guadeloupe stick insects (Lamponius guerini) are fully grown after about five months and that is when they are ready to start laying eggs. Guadeloupe stick insects are unusual because their hatching can be spread over a very long time - some may start to hatch after about eight months but some others can take over sixteen months to hatch.

Seen some plastic bottles on ebay that someone is selling as stick insect housing with a heat mat - not suitable surely?
No, a plastic bottle with a few holes at the top does not provide enough air-flow for stick insects. Also, the plastic bottle is far too small for most stick insects. And the heat mat is a waste of money - stick insects do not need heat mats because room temperature is fine for them.

I have found a small green caterpillar on my shop bought Basil plant. It is happily munching and pooing but I do not know what to do next. I have had it around a month now.
The caterpillar will carry on eating the Basil plant until it is ready to enter the next stage of its development which is called pupation. When your caterpillar is ready to pupate (transform into a pupa) it will go down to the soil, shed its skin for the last time and transform into a brown pupa either on the surface of the soil or just underneath. Let the pupa harden (this can take up to one week) and then you can carefully pick it up and place it on some soil in a large clear bowl with twigs inside, slanting upwards. The pupa does not eat or drink and so do not put any food in there. Put a tea towel over the top and check the bowl over the next few weeks. When the winged adult moth emerges, it will climb up the twigs and rest for a few hours to allow its wings to harden and become strong enough for flying.

I don't understand why the Peruvian Proscopid has been re-named as Pseudoproscopia latirostris. What's pseudo about it?
I agree. It seems more logical to keep with the original classification in 1890 when Brunner assigned this species the Latin species name of Proscopia scabra. I think the problem is that sometimes non-scientists with no knowledge of Latin are getting species names re-assigned.

I want to buy a stick insect for Christmas. I see your site says next day delivery, so I was wondering how long I should leave it before ordering?
We start dispatching the Christmas orders the week beginning the 12th December 2011. The weather determines when we can send the livestock; the overnight temperature must be above freezing for the creatures to travel safely. In recent weeks we have not had any cold weather delays but obviously we don't know yet what the overnight temperatures will be over the next few weeks. So it's best to be as flexible as possible regarding delivery, so we can ensure that the stick insects are dispatched during a mild night. It's best to order now and say you'd like delivery after 12th December - we shall let you know in advance what day delivery will be. Delivery is before 1pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and the parcel needs to be signed for.

I am eleven years old. Last year I bought some Indian stick insects from Small-Life Supplies. I REALLY enjoy looking after them, but would like to care for another type of stick insect as well. I have nine Indian stick insects, two BSP cages and two QBOXES. I particularly like the New Thailand stick insects (Baculum sp), the Pink Winged stick insects (Sipyloidea sipylus), and the Thailand Marbled stick insects (Parapachymorpha zomproi). I just wondered which, out of all these types of stick insects, you would recommend to me the most? As I am not sure which ones to choose. Also, if you can't get BSP cage liners, is it OK to just line the cage with paper?
The Pink Winged stick insects are nice because they get wings and can fly short distances and also they glue their eggs around the cage and you can watch them doing this. More details are in the book "Keeping Stick Insects". To see the prices of just the stick insects, please email emma@small-life.co.uk and ask for the "stick insects refills" list. This is emailed to anyone who, like you, already have the proper BSP cage and are looking for some more stick insects. We can send BSP Liners to you (there is free delivery on this item); they are available in blue and pink. You can cut up paper to line the floor of the BSP cage, but you need to make sure that it's a type of paper that the stick insects won't want to eat, so avoid newspaper and bleached white paper.

I'm unemployed and want a pet. I figured stick insects would be nice and I know I can feed them because I live (in Cheshire) near some woods which are full of bramble. My problem is the price - do you have any cages going cheap? I know it's a bit cheeky but I really like the look of your cages and would want to look after my stick insects properly.
We sell ex-demonstration BSP cages on ebay, under the username of snailpresident. Just search for "BSP insect cage" on ebay and you'll see them, starting price £4.99. Payment is via PayPal. These ex-demonstration BSP cages are only available through ebay and can only be sent to people living in the UK.

I've got a BSP cage and I'd love to buy a BSP cage to send to my daughter who lives in Spain and another one to my other daughter who lives in the USA. I was wondering if this would be possible?
Yes, we will soon be exporting BSP cages worldwide. They are to be dispatched flat-packed to keep the carriage charge to a minimum. So the airmail delivery charge to anywhere in the world will be about £15. More details and secure order forms will be on the Small-Life Supplies website very soon.

I am planning to buy an Indian stick insect kit with the four nymphs, but notice that a QBOX isn't included. Wouldn't I need a QBOX to house the nymphs?
The QBOX is for housing the baby stick insects which are less than one month old. The stick insects we send as part of the Indian stick insect kit are about three months old and so are approximately 5cm long and so need to be kept in the tall, airy BSP cage. Adult Indian stick insects are five months old and are 11cm long on average. Adult stick insects lay eggs and these should be stored in the QBOX. You can add a QBOX (price £3.90) to your order - it would be included in the same parcel and so would not increase the delivery charge.

MYTH EXPLODED

MYTH: "Stick insects go through five ‘instars’ or moults whilst growing."

WRONG! Moult does not mean instar. Stick insects shed their skins six times, so they undergo six moults. A newly hatched stick insect is called a first instar nymph; after shedding its skin or undergoing its first moult, the stick insect is called a second instar nymph. So after six moults, the stick insect is at the seventh instar stage and is called an adult. Adult stick insects are fully grown and so do not moult or shed their skins.

I'd like to buy my boyfriend some stick insects and a BSP cage for Christmas. Are they easy to hide in a wardrobe? I'd need them sending to my university house before 16th December.
When you buy a stick insect kit from Small-Life Supplies, the living stick insects are sent together with the fully assembled cage and the accessories needed. It is quite easy to hide this set-up in a wardrobe - obviously you need to give the stick insects fresh bramble leaves to eat and the wardrobe door needs to be left partially open so that the stick insects are not kept in the dark. We are already taking Christmas orders and plan to start dispatching these 12th December 2011 onwards, using a next day express delivery service.

I was thinking about getting one of those spring up habitats for stick insects but, having read your advice I am concerned that it may not be tall enough for Indian stick insects? If not, then do you ever sell your BSP cages cut-price (my funds are limited!).
I don't recommend those spring-up/pop-up habitats because they are difficult to see into and, as you have observed, are too squat, typically being only 30cm (12 inches) high instead of the 46cm (18 inches) high which is the recommended minimum height for a stick insect cage. BSP cages can be bought at bargain prices from snailpresident on eBay. Just search for "BSP insect cage" and you'll find the ex-demo BSP cages starting at just £4.99.

You supplied us with two Giant African Land Snails this time last year. They have just laid their first batch of eggs. Problem is, I am not sure what species the snails are so can't find out how long they take to hatch. How should I keep the eggs?
The snails we breed and supply are the Giant East African Land Snail, Achatina fulica. The best way to store the eggs is to scoop them out of the silver compost dish and place them in a QBOX. Leave them in a warm room (no extra heat is needed) and they usually start to hatch after about three weeks. The baby snails can be kept in the QBOX (put in potato and carrot peelings for them to eat). Larger snails should be kept in the Professional Snail Centre.

I live in New Zealand and just found an adorable baby stick bug in my house. I used to keep tarantulas in the states, but since they are not allowed here I figured stick bugs are a great pet too. I am not sure if you guys ship to NZ, so I went and bought a container about the size of your QBOX. It makes sense to keep warmth and then when you open the box for feeding the air is replenished. How long should I keep the baby in here until switching to a bigger enclosure? Also do you guys ship to NZ?
You can keep the baby stick insect in the QBOX (or equivalent) until it has shed its skin (this will be really obvious because the stick insect will almost double in size). The stick insect can then be transferred to a larger, airy cage, such as the BSP cage. We will be sending flat-packed BSP cages worldwide very soon - this will be announced soon on our website. Whilst in the QBOX, it is important to give the stick insect a leaf which is slightly wet so that it can drink from the water droplets on the leaf.

I bought some British Garden Tiger caterpillars from Small-Life Supplies earlier this year and they did fantastically well, becoming adults and laid eggs which hatched. I was keeping the caterpillars, which are still small, in plastic sandwich boxes but noticed a bit of mould and so I bought a pop-up black netting enclosure, sold on ebay as being suitable for larvae. What a disaster! Already my caterpillars look lighter in colour, are shrinking and some have died. Some have even drowned in the jamjar of water holding the buddleia stems even though I plugged the hole in the jamjar lid as best I could. What should I do?
The problem with those black netting pop-ups (originally designed as laundry baskets) is that apart from being very difficult to see into, they can be too draughty for insects, with the surroundings becoming too dry. This is what has happened here - your caterpillars are too dry and are shrinking and dying. So you need to throw that pop-up away and transfer your caterpillars into a more suitable enclosure. A good home for lots of small British Garden Tiger caterpillars are shoeboxes, with windows cut out of the sides and cellophane taped over the cutouts to let light in. Place fresh buddleia leaves in there every few days.

I ordered a BSP for our Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus). Could you help - I have three, is this number OK or should I have an even amount? I have been feeding them all different ivies from the green to the green with white and am now considering privet. How often should I mist the stick insects as I normally do it every other day? I am disabled and use a powered wheelchair and I can sit and watch them for hours, they are really quite fast when handled. Is there anything else I should be doing to enhance their lives in the BSP when I get it?
Keeping an odd number of Indian stick insects is fine because these stick insects are all females and do not pair up like the types which have males and females. Privet is a favourite food for Indian stick insects but it is best gathered from established evergreen privet hedges; don't be tempted to buy a potted privet plant because it is likely to have been grown in soil containing pesticides. These chemicals cannot be washed off; they are taken up by the plant stems and will poison the stick insects when they eat the leaves. If it's difficult to access a privet hedge, you can continue to feed your Indian stick insects on ivy; again using ivy that is growing wild up walls is far safer than buying potted plants which may have pesticides added. Indian stick insects do well in the BSP insect cage; this cage provides ideal surroundings for them and you are doing the right thing by misting the leaves on alternate days. Indian stick insects benefit from being handled and they can hear so you can talk to them as you handle them.

Recently my Thailand stick insect got a dent in it's tail and I'm not sure what to do. Shall I leave it or will it grow back?
If the abdomen (tail) of a stick insect gets briefly trapped in a door or sliding roof of the cage, it can get a fold in it. If you act quickly and gently squeeze either side of the area, the fold disappears and the insect is left unmarked. However, if you don't do this, the abdomen will look dented. Stick insects can cope with a minor dent but a major dent (these go black) is much more serious because the insects's body has been damaged inside. So there's nothing you can do now apart from wait and hope that the dent is minor.

MYTH EXPLODED

MYTH: "New Guinea stick insects live on the floor when they are adults."

WRONG! All ages of New Guinea stick insects (Eurycantha calcarata) likes to cram together during the daytime in cardboard tubes and it is convenient to rest these tubes on the floor of the cage. However, there are periods during the day and night when they emerge from the tubes to eat, mate, drink and lay eggs and they get a lot of exercise by climbing around the cage. New Guinea stick insects are large and heavy and so need to be kept in a large cage with sides suitable for climbing (smooth tanks are unsuitable because the large stick insects cannot grip their claws around smooth plastic or glass).

My daughter has some Indian stick insect eggs and they've just started to hatch. I will buy a BSP cage for when they are bigger but should I buy a small fish tank for these stick insects now, whilst they are still small?
A small fish tank can be too large (and too ventilated) for baby Indian stick insects. They do best in a small unventilated container such as the QBOX (this is about 7cm or 3 inches square). You can keep up to twelve newly hatched (called first instar nymphs) Indian stick insects in a QBOX. When the stick insects have completed their first skin change (after about three weeks) they will have doubled in size and can be transferred to more airy surroundings such as the BSP cage. The QBOX comes in handy again when the stick insects are fully grown because it is ideal to store their eggs. So don't waste your money on buying a fish tank!

I was handling my stick insect (Ramulus thai) and its leg got caught on the mesh of its cage as I got it out and its leg came off. I'm devastated. It's one of her front legs. Will she survive with only one front leg? How will she move around without it and how can I prevent this happening to any of my other stickies?
The correct Latin species name for Thailand stick insects is Baculum thaii, not Ramulus thai. These stick insects are thin and twig like and so the original Latin name of Baculum (from the Latin translation of Baculum for a stick) is correct - it is more accurate than calling these stick insects branch-like (the Latin translation of Ramulus is little branch). Anyway, Thailand stick insects are very adaptable and if they lose a leg, they just alter the order in which they move their other legs so they can maintain their balance and walk normally. Front legs are the most valuable and so losing a front leg is not great but Thailand stick insects show amazing resilience - I have even seen Thailand stick insects with no front legs managing to shed their skins successfully - a feat that other species of stick insect would find a struggle. It is a concern that you say she caught her leg on the mesh - is this a fine netting cage? If so, the netting may be too small. Correct hole size is a key feature in all our cages - including the BSP, the UBC, the AFC and the PCC cages.

Our Indian stick Insects have always eaten ivy. I am thinking of introducing blackberry brambles as an easier food source. What about all the prickles? Do I really just cut off a 'twig' or should I just give them the leaves? Even the leaves have prickles on them.
Stick insects eat the leaves and so it's easiest to cut a 30cm sprig (this is a stem or twig with leaves attached) and push it into the Sprig Pot of water to keep fresh. You can leave the prickles on both the stem and the leaves. The stick insects are not harmed by the prickles unless they fall and impale themselves but that is unlikely to happen. A really good food source for Indian stick insects is green privet - these leaves are found on evergreen privet hedges which can be found in suburban gardens. When introducing a new foodplant, be sure to provide some of the existing food (in your case ivy) as well, just in case your stick insects refuse to change their diet. Most Indian stick insects will try bramble and privet but there is always the possibility that some individuals may be very fussy and refuse to change.

Is an Indian stick insect OK to go with a Thailand stick insect in the same BSP cage?
Yes, Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) and Thailand stick insects (Baculum thaii) both like airy surroundings and can be mixed together safely in the same BSP cage. Both these stick insects like company of their own type and so it's best to have several Indian stick insects and several Thailand stick insects in the same BSP cage, rather than just one of each.

My son is hoping to keep Indian stick insects but I'm concerned that during winter we may not be able to feed them as we don't have privet hedge or bramble - do they eat anything else?
There are lots of different types of bramble. Some types die off during the winter but there are other types of bramble that still have juicy green leaves throughout the year. The best place to look for bramble is in sheltered areas such as woods or overgrown railway embankments, or by canals. If you get stuck, you can buy Fresh Cut Bramble from Small-Life Supplies by post. Privet hedges are evergreen but the quality of the leaves can be poor in very cold winters. Last winter, we switched all our Indian stick insects over to bramble because the severe cold weather had caused the quality of the privet leaves to deteriorate to an unacceptably poor level.

For the second time in a few weeks I have seen one of our Indian stick insect nymphs shedding its skin while hanging from the back of another nymph. Is this quite common? I never imagined that stick insects would co-operate in this way!
Yes, it is common for Indian stick insects to co-operate. Sometimes one will stand guard over another one whilst it is shedding its skin. And sometimes if a stick insect falls, one below it will stretch out a leg and catch the falling stick insect before it hits the floor.

How long do proscopids live?
There are different species of proscopid, but the type we breed, the Peruvian proscopid, lives for about one year. They bury their eggs and these hatch after about four months.

My local aquarium centre has started selling black netting "cages" for stick insects - they're horrible! You can't see into them and I can't see the point of keeping stick insects if you can't even see them! Would you like me to pass on Small-Life Supplies details so they can stock the BSP cages?
I agree that those netting cages are very difficult to see into and because of that fact could even be deemed to be "not fit for purpose" when it comes to keeping stick insects. Obviously one of the main attractions of keeping stick insects is to be able to observe them and watch them grow and lay eggs etc. The reason why some places sell the black netting cages is that they are low cost. Unfortunately, as with most things, the proper equipment, in this case the see-through BSP cage, is more expensive because it is a more complex design, is made from superior raw materials and so costs more to produce. By all means pass on the Small-Life contact details and try to explain to the shop owner that most customers do want to actually look at their stick insects and what he/she is currently offering does not fit the bill.

I have two Trachyaretaon brueckneri stick insects that have now laid eggs. Do I leave them in the tank or remove them? I have heard that if I leave them in the tank, I should add some woodlice to keep it clean?
Trachyaretaon brueckneri is the Latin species name for the Giant Sabah stick insect. This is a large brown stick insect that does well in less-ventilated conditions and so does best in the BSP cage with the Ventilation Control Panel attached. The adult females bury their eggs in sand and so you should put a Sand Pit in the cage. Every week, pour the contents of the Sand Pit through a sieve and put the sieved eggs into a QBOX. You have a responsibility to look after your stick insects properly and part of this includes keeping them in clean conditions. So you should be replacing your cage Liner once a week anyway. The idea of letting debris accumulate and adding woodlice is an option I would definitely not recommend because your stick insects will be in dirty conditions and you will have no way of controlling how many eggs you are saving.

MYTH EXPLODED

MYTH: "When a stick insect lays eggs this means it is at the end of its life. "

WRONG! Adult stick insects usually live for seven months or so, and they lay eggs all through this time. The number of eggs laid varies with the species of stick insect, but many adult stick insects lay a few eggs every day throughout their seven month adult life-span. It is very important not to save all the eggs because you will get too many stick insects. In Nature, so many eggs are produced because most are destroyed, either by being soaked by water or by being eaten by predators.

Please can you tell me if QBOXES are suitable for newly hatched Acrophylla wuelfingi?
Newly hatched (first instar) Australian Titan stick insect (Acrophylla wuelfingi) are relatively large and do best on Eucalyptus gunnii leaves. These stick insects seem to like to have lots of space from an early age and so we keep them in the large airy cages from birth. Other stick insects that like to be kept in large airy cages from birth include the Australian Macleays Spectre (Extatosoma tiaratum), the New Zealand stick insect (Acanthoxyla prasina) and the Pink Winged stick insect (Sipyloidea sipylus). Suitable cages include the BSP, UBC and AFC; all these cages have been designed by Small-Life Supplies and are manufactured in the UK.

I have several leaf and stick insects growing well in Northeastern Pennsylvania of the USA. I had thought they would eat brambles, but they chose oak instead. But, winter approaches and my food source will drop its leaves in less than six weeks. I want them to live a full life, but fear starvation may take them first. Any advice on a food source? Is there a possible supermarket produce? These are absolutely incredible creatures and I would be interested in purchasing a BSP cage. Do you ship to the US?
You could try deep freezing oak leaves; this technique is used in Sweden which has very cold winters. Some stick insects can be fed on soya plants; these are easy and fast to grow from seed. In Norway, people use lemon balm to feed their stick insects; this plant can be bought from supermarkets there. In the USA, some people buy romaine lettuce from supermarkets to feed their Indian stick insects, but I doubt it would be suitable for other species. To find the shipping rates of cages, please email les@small-life.co.uk.

My praying mantis has just shed skin into adulthood and the middle leg has been bent; do I try to fix this or leave this and see what happens?
It is a strange fact that mantids can get a bendy leg following a skin-change. Unfortunately, the bendy leg does not straighten itself and is little use to the mantid. Usually the mantid discards the bendy leg completely at the next skin-change. As your mantid is fully grown, it will not shed its skin again and so will probably just put up with this bendy leg.

I purchased Indian stick insect eggs a few weeks ago which I have in a plastic vivarium. They are on kitchen towel which I spray with a mist of water daily. Have I housed the eggs appropriately? Also, my daughter put her hand in accidently crushing one of the eggs. It took no effort at all and was filled with a small amount of brown liquid.
No. Indian stick insect eggs (Carausius morosus) do best in a small unventilated container and kept dry. The QBOX is ideal housing. During the early stages of development, Indian stick insect eggs are filled with fluid, but the eggshell is hard and should not break easily. I suspect you have got the eggs too wet, weakening the outer shell and so you need to stop misting the eggs and move them to a smaller unventilated container such as the QBOX.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "Only boys are interested in bugs and science; girls prefer art and crafts."
WRONG! Utterly wrong! Unfortunately some firms aim sales of science/nature gifts solely at boys and art/craft gifts at girls. It is depressing that such gender stereotyping is still so common in the UK. In reality bugs and science can appeal to both boys and girls, just as arts and crafts can appeal to both genders.

Does Small-Life Supplies still offer to look after people's stick insects whilst they're on holiday? I can't see it on your website but you may remember you looked after my three cages of stick insects two years ago and I'm off on a short break the week after next. I've got six BSP cages and one UBC cage now and so I'm hoping you can still help.
Yes, the "stick sitting" service provided by Small-Life Supplies is still popular. The rates are per cage per day and the cages need to be dropped off and collected. Please phone Small-Life Supplies on 01949 842446 with the dates you need the stick insects to be cared for.

I'm considering getting some Proscopids. Are they easy to keep? And when you say they are classified as Orthoptera, is this right because I thought a characteristic of Orthopterans was massive thighs?
The order Orthoptera includes four families. The Family Acrididae includes grasshoppers with short antennae and locusts and proscopids. The Family Tetrigidae includes grouse locusts. The Family Gryllotalpidae includes mole crickets. The Family Tettigoniidae includes grasshoppers with long antennae. Massive thighs are seen in many of these insects, but not all.

My female Thailand stick insect died recently and I wish to preserve her. What is the best method? Should I keep her in alcohol and if so, how should I prepare the alcohol? Or will she be okay and not decompose if she is just stored in a box?
Different species of stick insect decompose at different rates. The Australian Titan stick insect (Acrophylla wuelfingi) and the Peruvian Fern stick insect (Oreophoetes peruana) become dry and hard and so are easy to preserve (by placing on blotting paper in a warm dry place). Unfortunately Thailand stick insects (Baculum thaii) decompose very quickly, becoming soft within 24 hours. Similarly, Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) and Guadeloupe (Lamponius guerini) decompose quickly. So the only option for these species is to put them in alcohol. The best type to use is 70 - 75% ethanol.

I'm from the US and had never seen or heard of a stick bug until my husband found one a few weeks ago. The stick bug has been feeding on bramble leaves that I bring in from outside and I mist her home in the evenings. However, when my husband set up her habitat he put dirt in the bottom as well as plants all over the place. The habitat really needs to be cleaned but I can't find the eggs in the dirt.
It's best to line the floor of the cage with paper so you can easily spot the eggs. So you need to carefully empty the contents of the cage and then put in some paper on the bottom. The stems of bramble leaves can be kept fresh if stood in a small narrow-necked vase of water. In the UK many people use the Sprig Pot because this has the added advantage in that it is designed to not tip over easily. Every evening you need to lightly mist the bramble leaves with water but try to avoid getting the stick insects and the sides of the cage wet.

I have some Indian stick insect eggs and I have a pop up cage. In the "twig" insect kit I have got, they say I can keep the eggs in the pop up cage. Three have hatched and in some of your other questions you have answered that you shouldn't keep the nymphs in a pop up cage?
I do not recommend keeping Indian stick insect eggs (Carausius morosus) or young nymphs in a pop-up cage. This is because the surroundings are too airy, leading to a low hatch rate and those babies (first instar nymphs) that do hatch often have the eggshell still attached which is a hindrance to the stick insect. Indian stick insect eggs and young nymphs do best in the QBOX, which provides the ideal environment for them at that stage of development. When the Indian stick insects are larger they do best in more airy conditions and so that is when they should be transferred to the BSP cage. The BSP cage is much better than a pop-up cage because you can see the stick insects more clearly and it is more robust and easier to clean out.

Please could you advise which cage is best for Extatosoma tiaratum. I have both your BSP, which they are currently in, and the old style Bug Cage. Can I leave them where they are or is this cage too airy for them?
Australian Macleays Spectre (Extatosoma tiaratum) stick insects do best in a large airy cage. So both your cages are suitable. You can keep about six Australian Macleays Spectre stick insects in one BSP. And six in a Bug-Cage or eight in a Bug-XL-Cage or ten in a Bug Display Cage. Or, you could keep about ten in a UBC cage or twelve in a PCC cage. Do not use Ventilation Control Panels because these restrict the air-flow and Australian Macleays Spectre need lots of air-flow. Another tip is they like some direct sunshine and do best on Eucalyptus gunnii when hatchlings (first instar). They can be transferred over to eating bramble (blackberry) leaves when they have completed one, or preferably two, skin changes.

I've read that stick insects need 2-5 sprays of water each day. And I've read in a different place every 2-4 days. How many times do you need to spray each week? I'm talking about stick insects like Macleays Spectre, Thaii, and New Guinea.
You need to spray the bramble leaves every few days, preferably in the evening. During very hot weather, the stick insects may become thirstier - this becomes really obvious because the stick insects become more active and walk around the cage, frequently pausing to press their mouthparts to surfaces. So in these situations a daily misting of the leaves is required. Try to avoid getting the stick insects wet, so aim the mist of water at the leaves rather than the actual stick insects. New Guinea stick insects (Eurycantha calcarata) are unusual because they need much more water than other species of stick insect. So, provide a Water Dish full of clean cold tap water in the cage for them. Full details on Australian Macleays Spectre, Thailand and New Guineas stick insects are in the book "Keeping Stick Insects" by Dorothy Floyd.

I have stick insects and they have laid eggs. One egg has hatched, do I treat it the same as the adults or does it need special care ?
You do not say what species of stick insect you have, but in general, baby stick insects (called first instar nymphs) do best housed in a QBOX and given a slightly wet bramble leaf to eat. When the stick insects have completed one or two skin-changes, they are large nebulous to be transferred to the BSP insect cage.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "Stick insects cannot hear."
WRONG! Stick insects can hear and so many people talk to their stick insects. Some stick insects have also been observed to rock their bodies in response to certain music - including Robbie Williams and Daft Punk.

Are Proscopids a type of stick insect?
No, stick insects are classified as belonging to the order Phasmida. Proscopids are classified as belonging to the order Orthoptera.

We live in Australia and have hundreds of Australian Macleays Spectre stick insect eggs. Some have started to hatch but the babies don't seem to live past 4-5 days, we are using young eucalyptus leaves as the adult stick insects were fed on these, but the babies don't seem to eat them.
Newly hatched Australian Macleays Spectre stick insects (Extatosoma tiaratum) have lots of energy and need to run around. So, for best results, they need to be kept in a large airy cage and given large sprigs of Eucalyptus gunnii to eat. It is important that these leaves are not too wet, so only mist the leaves lightly every few days. Also, newly hatched Australian Macleays Spectre stick insects like to be in a sunny place, but obviously take care that they do not get too hot as too much strong sunshine can cause them to overheat and die.

My friend said I should buy a praying mantis orth - have I got the right word and do you sell these? Also, what do I feed the young praying mantis on?
The correct word is ootheca. This means an egg sac. It's generally not a good idea to buy oothecae because all the eggs hatch at once and so you can get tens of baby mantids! And because mantids are carnivorous, they need to be housed in separate containers. So I'd recommend buying a mantid nymph. The best size of mantid to buy is not a hatchling but one that has completed a few skin-changes (they are far more robust when medium grown). A good live food source are our Mantid Food Blatta packs; these Blatta insects are really easy to feed because they do well on sweet potato.

I've seen that the Annam stick insect has two names, Baculum extradentatum and Medauroidea extradentata. Is this true?
The correct Latin species name of the Annam stick insect is Baculum extradentatum, identified after Brunner in 1907. I have reared this species for several generations, and males and females occur in roughly equal numbers. The adult males have white knees and the females lay small eggs with black operculums. The Annam stick insect clearly belongs in the "Baculum" genus, as it has obvious similarities to the Thailand stick insect Baculum thaii. Unfortunately, certain people, some not even qualified, keep trying to meddle with the species names - this is causing confusion and cannot be justified. So the attempt to rename Baculum extradentatum as Medauroidea extradentata should be ignored, as should the attempt to rename the Thailand stick insect Baculum thaii to Ramulus thaii.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "Don't wash snail tanks with detergent."
WRONG! Of course you can wash snail tanks with detergent - warm water and detergent is the most effective way of cleaning the tank. The important point is to rinse the tank thoroughly afterwards with cold water. It's just like using washing up liquid to wash your cups; most people rinse the cups afterwards to remove traces of detergent.

My beautiful British Garden Tiger moth laid some eggs in neat rows on the side of the shoebox. The eggs were green but now they've gone dark, have they died?
British Garden Tiger Moth eggs hatch very quickly, usually after a few days. When laid, these round eggs are white or green. But after a few days they change to a dark silvery grey colour and the next day they hatch. So your eggs will probably hatch tomorrow. Usually 100% of the eggs hatch and the baby caterpillars stay by the eggshells for a few hours before dispersing. So, to make it easy for yourself, you need to carefully cut around the cardboard that the eggs are glued on, and place the card with eggs attached into a QBOX. You can then add a buddleia leaf tomorrow when they hatch.

My son has a giant Australian spiny stick insect which has just moulted and developed very large wings. I understand this means it is a male. Whilst he is extremely excited about it I am concerned about how best to care for it. We have a cage bought from you but it isn't really large enough for him to fly around in so do we need to let him out to fly or will he be content as he is? Also, is it rare to have a male?
Your son has an adult male Australian Macleays Spectre stick insect (Extatosoma tiaratum). These stick insects are usually keen flyers and should be taken out of the cage once a week so they can fly across a room. But as yours has just moulted, you need to wait a week or two to allow enough time for his wings to harden and for the insect to recover its strength after its final skin-change (ecdysis). Tips on flying techniques and more details on this species are in the book "Keeping Stick Insects" by Dorothy Floyd. It's not rare to have a male of this species; male and female Australian Macleays Spectre stick insects occur in approximately equal numbers.

I like the look of your Proscopids! How do they lay their eggs? And how quickly do they grow?
Adult Proscopids mate and then the female climbs into a big tub of compost where she buries her pod of eggs. This tub needs to be about 15cm deep. It's best not to disturb the eggs. Proscopids mature after about four months. Like other insects, they grow by shedding their skins but, unlike stick insects which often eat their skins after shedding, Proscopids leave their shed skins intact on the floor of the cage.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "Cockroaches are indestructible."
WRONG! Cockroaches are no more indestructible than any other sort of insect. So claims that they have super powers of survival are false.

I want some big chunky stick insects and can't decide between the Giant Sabah stick insects and the New Guinea. Which type would you recommend?
The problem with the Giant Sabah stick insects (Trachyaretaon brueckneri) is that the adults can appear fine one day and then all die the next day for no apparent reason. So that is why we no longer breed that species. There are no such problems with New Guinea stick insects (Eurycantha calcarata) and these stick insects are very attractive, being mottled green as large nymphs and then glossy brown as adults. New Guinea stick insects are available at the moment.

We got two Pink Winged stick insects from you last December. Yesterday I got one out and felt that it's feet were not as sticky as usual. It repeatedly fell as it slipped from my hand as it walked. This evening we have found it almost lifeless in the bottom of the cage.
When Pink Winged stick insects (Sipyloidea sipylus) are dying from old age, they quickly lose the grip from their feet. Also, their feet appear black. Death is relatively quick, usually the next day or so. The kindest thing to do is to place the head of the stick insect on a wet bramble leaf because dying insects like to drink water. You need to have a look around the BSP because you should see some eggs which will be hatching soon (Pink Winged stick insects glue their eggs around the cage).

Do you know of any famous non-scientists who have said they liked keeping insects when they were younger?
Yes, the TV journalist Michael Buerk, singer George Michael and of course Winston Churchill.

Can we handle the baby stick insects?
Baby stick insects (also called first instar nymphs) are delicate and so try not to handle them directly. If you need to move them, this is best done by using the tip of a small artist's paintbrush.

Why weren't you allowed to sell insects at the York insect show? We'd been looking forward to getting some butterflies.
Unfortunately the organisers (the Royal Entomological Society) prohibited all stallholders from selling both living and dead insects at the July 2011 York insect show. That was a real shame because visitors to the show were denied the option of going home with a caterpillar kit or a stick insect kit. A very important part of entomology is the enjoyment gained by observing, keeping and handling insects, so it is odd that the organisers appear not to share this view. Fortunately, living insects will be for sale at the next Small-Life Open Day (in August), and in the meantime, you can have them delivered to your door (we guarantee live and safe arrival).

My first Garden Tiger moth emerged today but instead of flying away, she is just sitting on the lawn. She is beautiful. What should I do?
You need to pick her up, so if you gently blow on her, she can be encouraged to walk onto your fingers. Then you need to carefully place her on the brown bark of a bush, or a brown fence post. It's best to find a spot that is about your head height and slightly sheltered (so if it rains she won't get her wings damaged by the rain droplets). If you check back there tomorrow you might find she is still there, beside lots of small eggs which she has neatly glued onto the surface.

I saw your Malaysian stick insects at the Cambridge event and have now decided I'll definitely be getting some for my daughter's graduation. Would you recommend the UBC cage or the AFC cage? And could she keep Malaysian stick insects with her Pink Winged stick insects?
The UBC cage and the AFC cage are the same price but the UBC cage has a bigger volume and so I'd recommend the UBC to house Malaysian stick insects (Heteropteryx dilatata). Malaysian stick insects have stripey antennae which are readily eaten by other species of stick insect, and so it's best for the Malaysians if they are housed in a cage devoid of other species. So I wouldn't advise mixing them with Pink Winged stick insects. Also, Malaysian stick insects need the Ventilation Control Panels attaching to the cage to reduce the air-flow, whereas Pink Winged stick insects prefer an airy environment.

I have seven Annam Stick Insects and had them for about seven months and the biggest one doesn't give eggs! When should she give eggs? And what do they look like? And how long do they live?
Like many stick insects, Annam stick insects (Baculum extradentatum) live for about one year. The adults mate and then the female starts laying eggs. Have you got both males and females (the males are thinner)? If there are no males, the female can delay egg production. The eggs of Annam stick insect are small, mottled grey, and can be tricky to spot. They are dropped onto the floor of the cage. You can flick them off the cage Liner with a paintbrush and store them in a QBOX until they hatch.

How long should it take for a Garden Tiger moth to emerge? My caterpillars pupated nearly 3 or 4 weeks ago and since then nothing has happened - do you think they may have died?
No, they are probably still OK. Many customers are reporting that their Garden Tiger Moths are emerging at different times. We are still waiting for ours to emerge.

My stick bug has lost all of it's legs, except for two. I discovered this after he shed his skin. What might have caused this? What do I do from this point on?
A stick insect can lose legs at a skin-change (ecdysis) if the surroundings are not correct - either too humid or too dry. You don't say what species of stick insect you have and so I am unable to advise on what conditions they need. A stick insect with only two legs can survive; the front legs are the most important and so I hope it still has those. If it manages to complete its next skin-change successfully, new legs will appear after this skin-change. However, you will probably need to adjust the ventilation in the cage first to maximise its chances of successfully completing the skin-change.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "Locusts eat any type of vegetation"
WRONG! In captivity, locusts are quite fussy about the vegetation they eat. Locusts like to eat broad leaved grass and also mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris).

How can you tell how old an East African Land Snail is?
You need to measure the length of the shell. My East African land snails (Achatina fulica) which have a shell length of approx 6cm are about eight months old. But East African land snails grow faster if they are kept in heated cages or if it's hot outside (during the summer) so it's possible to have snails with a 6cm shell length that are only six months old. However, it's best to let them grow slowly, because snails that grow quickly (because they're in hot surroundings) tend to have more cracks on their shells. Adult snails with a shell length of 8cm or more can live for another two or three years and so it's difficult to assess their age just by looking at them. Providing a snail is being well cared for, it's shell should look shiny, regardless of age and not be dull, cracked or have large white areas (this indicates a shortage of calcium).

I am interested in the breeding habits of the Sabah stick insects (Aretaon asperrimus). I procured eleven eggs from someone who claimed he had all females and they did not need males to breed. However I have had only one hatch, and she is now adult and rather lonely. I read on a blog that the female lays eggs after mating. If this is indeed the case, do you happen to have a male I could procure from you?
Sabah stick insects have males and females occurring in roughly equal numbers and it's best to have both genders. They mate and then the female buries her eggs in a pot of sand. If no males are present, the female delays egg production for as long as possible, in the hope that a male will appear. If no male does, she can still lay eggs by parthenogenesis, but the hatching rate of these eggs is much lower than those produced from mated females. So your female would benefit from a male and she also needs a pot of sand in which to bury her eggs. Both items are available from Small-Life Supplies, please phone 01949 842446 during office hours for details. Also, as you have been mis-informed by the seller, it would also be worth checking that you have actually got the Sabah species and not the larger Giant Sabah species (this is the type some ebayers sell).

I also have two pet magpies, now over ten years old and really part of the family. Their favourite treats are fresh insects. Could I feed them with my surplus Indian stick insects or would any toxins from the digested privet hurt them?
Magpies are clever and learn quickly so if an Indian stick gives it a tummy ache, it would either not eat another one, or perhaps it would expel the body contents like some other birds do. Thrushes have been observed eating Indian stick insects by moving their beak quickly along the body, flattening it and expelling the contents and then just consuming the exoskeleton. I think this is a way of removing the toxins from the digested privet. It would be interesting to see if magpies did the same. There are toxins in privet and this is why reptiles and praying mantises shun Indian stick insects that have been reared on privet and choose to eat other species of stick insect that have been reared solely on bramble leaves.

MYTH: "There have been sightings of the dreaded Asian Tiger Mosquito in the UK".
WRONG! There have been no confirmed sightings of this mosquito. All of the suspected sightings of this distinctive striped black and white mosquito have been the much larger British mosquito Culiseta annulata. It's twice the size of the Asian one!"

We have three baby stick insects in your QBOXES. After how many weeks should the baby insects be transferred to our large cage? Do we need to open the QBOX lid every day to spray the bramble leaf? How many baby stick insects can live in a QBOX?
Stick insect nymphs can be transferred from the QBOX into the BSP cage when they are much larger, so around five to eight weeks old. A fresh bramble leaf should be put into the QBOX every few days. You can very lightly mist the bramble leaf in there every day or so; it does not have to be daily. Up to twelve first instar (babies) Indian stick insects can live in a QBOX or up to six second instar (these have completed one skin change) Indian stick insect nymphs.

Do thorn back stick insects grow their legs back after losing one?
Stick insects are named after their native country and so by "thorn back" I think you mean Sabah stick insects (Sabah is a state in Borneo). The answer is yes; all stick insect nymphs can regrow or regenerate missing legs; the new leg appears after the next skin change. Adult stick insects cannot regenerate legs because adult stick insects do not shed their skins.

I'm interested in keeping some leaf insects as pets. I live in the UK so I don't know what the UK laws or views are on this?
It is legal to keep leaf insects and stick insects as pets in the UK. They need to be kept indoors in a comfortably warm room because it is too cold for them to survive outdoors. Stick insects and leaf insects are both classified as being phasmids, belonging to the order Phasmida. Small-Life Supplies is a British business and we breed lots of species of stick insect. We don't breed leaf insects because they have shorter lifespans and can be more fussy in what they eat (some do best on guava leaves).

I have got two Australian Macleays Spectre stick insects which are females and they are laying eggs right now. I am keeping the eggs on some newspaper in an enclosure with some fresh Eucalyptus leaves and I am having trouble hatching them so what do I do?
Australian Macleays Spectre stick insects (Extatosoma tiaratum) take six months to hatch so you need to store the eggs in a QBOX on some damp kitchen roll/towel and be patient. Only add the Eucalyptus leaves when the eggs start to hatch and the hatchlings (called first instar nymphs) start running around. More details are in the book "Keeping Stick Insects" which has a whole section on this species.

EUCALYPTUS ALERT! In central England, lots of Eucalyptus gunnii trees that are growing in people's gardens or in pots, appear to have died in the last few weeks. The stems are brown and dry and snap easily. The leaves are dry and brittle. However, do NOT be too hasty in discarding these "dead" trees because now some are starting to sprout new leaves! So they are not dead after all.

We have quite a few Indian stick insects, of varying ages (babies - adults), who all live together in the same terrarium and eat the same food (brambles). However, I've noticed that one of the sticks is a dark brown in colour. In all other ways she is the same as the others and seems quite healthy. Can you tell me if it is usual to find stick insects with different colour pigmentations?
Yes, there is natural colour variation between Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus). Also, their surroundings can influence their colour, for example Indian stick insects kept in humid conditions tend to be brown, whereas as Indian stick insects kept in an airy cage such as the BSP tend to be green. As all your Indian stick insects are living together, what you are seeing is some natural colour variation rather than that being caused by the environment. More details are in the "Keeping Stick Insects" book by Dorothy Floyd.

We have some quite large adult Thailand stick insect females (Baculum thaii). Their mouthparts remind me of the Ood from Doctor Who. What we have noticed is that if you approach them with a finger, they appear to open their mouths. Are they able to nip skin? I'm reluctant to let my children handle them - and am quite nervous of them myself.
Stick insects have mouthparts designed for cutting leaves, not for biting skin. If you see their mouthparts moving, it indicates the stick insects are thirsty. So you need to mist the bramble leaves with water so the stick insects can drink from the water droplets on the leaves. Instead of approaching the stick insect with your finger, you need to place an outstretched palm in front of the stick insect. This will be less threatening to the stick insect and, by gently blowing on the stick insect, you can encourage it to walk onto your palm. There is no need for you or your children to be frightened about handling Thailand stick insects.

I have had a stick insect now for almost eight months. This afternoon I noticed it has gone to the bottom of its tank and its back end is opening up. Silly question do they have live births?
No, stick insects lay eggs, they do not have live births. Stick insects are usually adults after seven months and so I suspect that your stick insect is fully grown. It could be opening up the back end of its abdomen because it wants to mate, or it may be preparing to lay an egg. It is difficult for me to advise further without knowing what species of stick insect you have.

I have some Black Beauty stick insect nymphs that hatched well over a month ago. I'm concerned that the conditions I am keeping them in are not right as they don't seem to be growing very big/fast and two of them have lost legs. I have them in a large plastic shoe box with bramble sprigs pushed into some dry florist oasis.
The full name for Black Beauty stick insects is Peruvian Black stick insects (Peruphasma schultei). They are unusual because they do not thrive on bramble leaves. Instead, it is very important that they eat privet leaves. The privet leaves need to be fresh and so instead of pushing them into dry oasis, you should push the stems into a Sprig Pot of water. Peruvian Black stick insects stick insects scuttle about and hide in crevices and so you need to use the cotton wool plug (supplied as part of the Sprig Pot) to plug the hole, to prevent any insects dropping into the water and drowning.

I was recently given two Australian Macleays Spectre stick insects. They are still quite small (around 5cm) but are in quite a big cage. I was just wondering whether I could leave the tank on a windowsill which gets sunlight for around 8-9 hours. I am concerned it may get too hot for them.
Never put a cage of stick insects on a windowsill. This is because the sunshine will rapidly raise the temperature inside the cage and potentially kill all your stick insects from overheating. This happens with both airy cages and tanks. So you are right to be concerned; you should put the cage on a table or shelf further in the room, away from the window. Australian Macleays Spectre stick insects (Extatosoma tiaratum) do like some direct sunshine but it must not be too strong so that is why it is so important not to put the cage on the windowsill.

I know that feeding young shoots of bramble leaves to stick insects can harm them but what size are the leaves when they are safe for the stick insects to eat?
A bramble leaf is made up of three or more parts and each of these parts needs to be at least 3cm long. You need to avoid the smaller leaves because these can contain toxins which will harm your stick insects.

I have been finding tiny green stick insects in my garden after having just recently moved to the South West of Cornwall, UK. I first discovered them whilst foraging in some pruned fir. The one I found this morning was on my rose bush leaf. How do I care for them?
The best way is to put the babies the BSP insect cage and give them rose leaves to eat. Stems of rose leaves can be kept fresh in the Sprig Pot . New Zealand stick insects are thirsty and so you need to mist the leaves every evening with water.

I have some New Guinea eggs, Sabah eggs and Borneo eggs from stick insects I bought from Small Life Supplies. Please can you give me advice on how best to keep them? Also, I have a Thai stick insect and there seem to be two massive black eggs in the cage, but they look far too big. Could they be eggs?
Large round black eggs are produced by Thailand Straight stick insects (Phaenopharos herwaardeni). Thailand stick insects (Baculum thaii) lay flattish long irregular shaped eggs - see the photo in the "Keeping Stick Insects" book by Dorothy Floyd. New Guinea (Eurycantha calcarata) and Sabah (Aretaon asperrimus) eggs do best if stored on damp kitchen roll in a QBOX. Borneo (Phenacephorus cornucervi) eggs are best mixed up with the droppings and stored in a QBOX. We now have some easy peel labels for QBOXES which are really useful because they don't leave sticky residue on the QBOX lids. It's important to label your QBOXES with the species, month and year the eggs were laid so you know when they're due to hatch.

MYTH EXPLODED

MYTH: "Locusts can be tricky to keep alive "

WRONG! Decades ago, it was commonplace for secondary schools to keep a cage of breeding locusts in the science lab and the pupils enjoyed throwing in handfuls of grass for them to eat. Locust care is very straightforward - locusts need a heated cage, space to jump around and a beaker of damp sand in which to bury their eggs. Locusts are really easy to feed - they eat grass, so just drop a handful of fresh grass into the cage every day or so.

I've got a BSP cage and will be getting some New Guinea stick insects soon. How many adult New Guinea stick insects could I keep in a BSP?
The BSP can comfortably house four adult New Guinea stick insects (Eurycantha calcarata). Remember to put Water Dish on the BSP Liner and also a dish of sand for the females to bury their eggs. New Guinea adult stick insects like a lot of exercise and so it is a good idea to take them out of the cage and let them walk across a table or floor every few days.

I live in Bandon, Oregon, USA. My son brought home stick bugs from school for pets. The teacher said to line the bottom of the tank with sand because this is where they lay their eggs. Is that correct?
No, it is not a good idea to put sand at the bottom of the tank. This is because the sand granules clog up the sticky pads on the feet of the stick insects, also the sand traps eggs and dirt. So place paper on the floor of the tank and provide a dish of sand for the stick insects to bury their eggs in. More details on stick insect care and their biology are in the "Keeping Stick Insects" book by Dorothy Floyd.

I've just received two of your British Garden Tiger caterpillars and they have been eating the buddleia leaf they came with. I thought caterpillars needed to stick with one diet but your advice sheet suggests otherwise. Can you explain more please.
Many caterpillars do just have one type of leaf that they need to eat during their lives. But British Garden Tiger caterpillars (Arctia caja) are not fussy and do well on a mixture of leaves. We feed ours with buddleia leaves, dock leaves and leaves from assorted green weeds. It's important that the leaves are not wet and that they are fresh daily (because they can wilt quickly). Always ensure there is a good supply of fresh food for the caterpillars and remove any wilted leaves.

I want to get more stick insects - I have been buying them from Small-Life Supplies for many years - but you only seem to have a few species listed on your website. Will you be getting more species in soon?
At Small-Life Supplies we breed different species of stick insect but only list the types on the website that are currently available in large numbers. So we have other species that are not large enough to send but will be available within the next few weeks. So keep checking back on the website to see what's available now. Or you may prefer to go on one of our waiting-lists if there is a particular species of stick insect that you want to buy.

SPRING TIME WARNING!
At this time of year the bramble (blackberry) is producing new shoots of small pale green leaves. Although these young leaves may look tempting because they are soft and new, do NOT give them to your stick insects. This is because the tender shoots contain toxins which can harm your stick insects. So choose the older, dark green leaves instead, and cut off and discard the young leaves. The bramble leaf is made up of three to five parts and when each part is about 3cm long, that is the size the leaf is safe to give to your stick insects.

I've just ordered two British Vapourer Caterpillars from your site and wanted to know if I can feed them with anything else other than bramble leaves?
Many species of caterpillar do best if they stay eating the same type of leaf that they have eaten from birth. Small-Life Supplies rear our British Vapourer Caterpillars on bramble (blackberry) leaves and so this is what you need to feed them. There is still time to add a small bag of loose bramble leaves (price 70 pence) to your order if you wish.

I have four baby stick insects (Thai) in a QBOX, I wondered at what point do I move them to a more airy container?
Unlike many species of stick insect that do well in less-ventilated conditions during their first few weeks of life, the Thailand stick insects (Baculum thaii) do well in an airy cage from birth. We rear all our Thailand stick insects in large airy cages; the young nymphs like to rest on the edges of the bramble leaves and stems. So you can transfer yours now. It's important to mist the leaves lightly with water every day so the young stick insects can drink.

I have six Indian stick insects who are about six months old. In the last month they have begun laying copious amounts of eggs. What can I do with all the eggs? I am not really OK with feeding them to birds etc or disposing of them.
Adult Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) lay eggs throughout their adult lives and produce may hundreds of eggs during that time. This is Nature's way; so many eggs are produced because in the wild the vast majority of these eggs would not survive. Some eggs would get crushed and would not develop and other eggs would be eaten by birds, ants and reptiles. When you keep stick insects as pets you need to control the number of eggs you save otherwise you will have far too many stick insect nymphs to cope with. It is not cruel disposing of stick insect eggs; you are simply mimicking Nature. Many people just pour a cup of boiling water over the eggs they don't want to develop.

I live in New Zealand & have a native mantid as a pet but would like to know at what time of year do the mantids lay eggs? I have two egg cases which have small holes along the top, have these hatched already?
A praying mantis (also called a mantid) protects its egg in a hard frothy surrounding case, called an ootheca. When the eggs hatch the newly hatched mantid nymphs make their way out of the ootheca, leaving tiny holes behind. So yes, I think your oothecae have hatched. Wild mantises usually lay their eggs in the summer.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "Keep stick insects in a 15cm high cage"
WRONG! A 15cm high cage is only 6 inches high and is far too small an enclosure to rear stick insects. Stick insects need lots of height to develop properly- they need the height to slide downwards out of their old skins - and so the stick insect cage needs to be at least 46cm high which is 18 inches high - in other words, three times the size!

Why do stick insects dance? I'm new to keeping them, I have five Indian stick insects, and occasionally they sway. If they are doing this as a reaction to something they don't like, I would rather know so I can prevent it happening.
Some stick insects including the Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus), Thailand stick insects (Baculum thaii) and Australian Macleays Spectre stick insects (Extatosoma tiaratum) can rock from side to side, as though they are dancing. This is normal behaviour and there is no cause for concern. The stick insects behave like this because they are trying to look like a twig swaying in the wind. This helps make their camouflage more effective in the wild and helps protect them from predators such as wasps and birds. More information on stick insect behaviour is in the book "Keeping Stick Insects" by Dorothy Floyd.

I have three Indian stick insects. One adult, Vic Firth, another called Rick, and one on it's way to adulthood, Sir Brambles. Anyway, I have always fed them brambles and the shop I got them from always fed them brambles, but I'm considering changing to ivy or oak. I've heard a sudden change can be bad for them and they won't eat. How do you recommend doing this?
Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) do very well on bramble leaves and so it is not necessary to vary their diet. However, if you wanted to give them ivy or oak leaves you could do, although I'd advise also keeping a supply of bramble in the cage for them in case they are fussy eaters. What type of leaf an Indian stick insect prefers to eat depends on the individual stick insect. However, in general, Indian stick insects usually prefer to eat privet and bramble leaves to oak and ivy leaves. Also, there are lots of different types of ivy leaves; they prefer the dark green ivy leaves to the variegated ones. It's really important to gather the leaves from outdoors and not buy a potted plant because potted plants can contain pesticides which will kill your stick insects.

I have my stick insects eggs in a container but it is not a QBOX, it is just an old pumpkin soup container which is about 9.5cm high and across the container 10cm wide does it matter that my container is 9.5cm high and not 7cm? Does it also matter if I let a little bit of air in the eggs container every now and then?
It's important to keep stick insect eggs in a small container but yours should be OK as it is only slightly bigger than the QBOX (7cm cubed). It's also important that the container does not have air-holes. This is because containers with air-holes let in too much air and this can cause problems when the eggs hatch; the stick insect is unable to hatch properly and its eggshell remains stuck to one or more of its legs. So don't be tempted to let air into your container; there's plenty of air in there already for the eggs to develop properly.

MYTH EXPLODED

MYTH: "It's not safe to use detergents to clean snail tanks"

WRONG! It's important to keep snails in clean surroundings and so a weekly wash of the snail tank or snail centre is recommended. Snail slime can take a very long time to remove with just water and so it makes sense to use a detergent to loosen the slime. At Small-Life Supplies we always use the Snail Centre Cleaner because this removes the slime in record time. A rinse in warm water afterwards removes the residue of the detergent. So it is perfectly safe to use detergents to clean snail tanks and snail centres, providing you rinse them afterwards, just like you would your household washing-up.

I am 8 years old and want to get a stick insect as my first pet. I'm not sure if I should buy eggs or the live adults. I live near Telford - would they be OK if delivered or should I collect in person?
It's best to start with the actual live stick insects rather than having to wait for the eggs to hatch. I'd recommend starting with the Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) because these are easy to handle and easy to feed, eating privet leaves, also bramble leaves. It's really important that they are kept in the correct conditions and so I'd recommend getting the Small-Life Supplies stick insect kit which includes the proper BSP cage, the Sprig Pot, ten cage Liners and four live stick insects. Stick insects travel well and live delivery is guaranteed. The stick insect kits that Small-Life Supplies dispatch are sent by guaranteed next day delivery.

We recently acquired ten Indian stick insect eggs and we have had four of them hatch so far. However all four of the insects have died within a month of them hatching. They seem active and lively at first but then gradually seemed to move around the enclosure less and less until they ended up on the floor of the enclosure and died. They are in a pop up net cage.
Unfortunately a net pop-up is far too airy an enclosure for baby Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) and so this is why they have died. As I say in the second of my "useful tips" box at the top of this page, baby stick insects should be kept in the QBOX. This is a small enclosed box and it provides the correct environment for baby stick insects. It is very important to give the baby stick insects slightly wet leaves so they can drink. When they get larger, Indian stick insects need more airy surroundings and so that is the time to transfer them to a large airy cage. The QBOX also provides an ideal environment for hatching Indian stick insect eggs - usually 80% or more hatch.

How can I tell that the stick insects egg are alive or dead ? Do the eggs get bigger before hatching?
Unfortunately there is no way to tell when a stick insect egg will hatch, or even if it is still developing inside, just by looking at it. The size of the egg does not alter before hatching. It is a good idea to label the eggs with the month and year they were laid and from that you can estimate when they are likely to hatch. Thailand stick insect eggs (Baculum thaii) usually hatch after two months, Indian stick insect eggs (Carausius morosus) after four months, Australian Macleays Spectre stick insect eggs (Extatosoma tiaratum) after six months and Malaysian stick insect eggs (Heteropteryx dilatata) after one and a half years.

MYTH EXPLODED

MYTH: "Young stick insects are called larvae."

WRONG! Larva is a term applied to the young of insects that undergo complete metamorphosis, such as butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps and ants. Nymph is the word that is used when referring to the young of insects that undergo incomplete metamorphosis, such as stick insects, grasshoppers and bugs. Insects that undergo incomplete metamorphosis have no pupal stage and the nymphs have similarities to the adults, unlike insects that undergo complete metamorphosis where the larvae bear no resemblance to the adults.

What size of enclosure do stick insects need? I thought they needed height but I've seen people selling tanks and small hand-built cages for stick insects.
You are correct - stick insects need to be kept in a tall cage so they have room to slide downwards out of their skins (this is how stick insects grow). The minimum height is 46cm or 18 inches. Anything less than this is not suitable, so this rules out most tanks, also the 30cm pop-up net cages and also any hand-built cage that is less than 46cm tall. The cages Small-Life Supplies are all at least 46cm tall. Our cheapest cage is the BSP stick insect cage; this is 46cm high and 25cm wide and 25cm deep.

My daughter has two spiny leaf stick insects. One male and one female. The female stick insect moulted only a day ago. She has a piece of poo stuck to her bottom. I'm not sure if she is constipated or not. She has not been eating much the past couple of days. I have also tried spraying water on her tail to soften it and pull if off but I didn't want to pull too hard in case I hurt her.
Stick insects can be weak after a skin-change and so it's best not to disturb them at this time. You need to give your stick insect extra water and hope this encourages her to eat more and regain her strength. The final skin changes appear to be the most traumatic and it is sad when a stick insect completes a skin-change successfully but then dies from exhaustion. However, the fact that yours has eaten something is an encouraging sign. You should continue to mist the blocked area with warm water because this will help dislodge it.

I have recently purchased the BSP cage and I am very happy with it, but I do have one question. I understand that I am supposed to spray the leaves every day or so to allow the stick insects to have a drink, but with the BSP being the shape it is I cannot fit the whole sprayer in it to reach just the leaves. Will it cause any problems if the insects are being sprayed with a fine mist of water when I'm trying to just get the leaves wet?
The easiest way is to hold the sprayer outside the cage and spray horizontally into the BSP cage. It is important not to overspray and so one or two squirts of water is enough. If your stick insects start to walk continuously around the cage, pausing to press their mouthparts to surfaces, this indicates they are thirsty and so need more water.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "You don't get caterpillars in February"
WRONG! Whilst most caterpillars are active during the summer months, there are caterpillars in the wild in February. Some caterpillars are still in the hibernation phase, and will start feeding again in the Spring. A few caterpillars are just hatching out from eggs and so are feeding now. Caterpillars are also called larvae and are the immature form of butterflies and moths.

I already have two BSP cages and they are fantastic. For the school spring fair I thought about selling some of my spare stick insects in your BSP cages. Would it be possible for me to buy six BSP cages at a reduced price so I could do this? The profit would go to the school "go green" club.
Yes, we often supply fund-raising events for school nature clubs and enterprise teams with several of our ex-demo BSP cages. These cages are sold cheaper than normal and so you are able to make a good profit for your group. We can also supply the QBOXES and the "Keeping Stick Insects" books in discounted packs too. For more details, please phone 01949 842446 to discuss this further.

I have five Indian stick insects that are fed a mixture of privet and bramble (they seem to prefer the privet). I was thinking of adding a couple of Pink Winged stick insects to my BSP cage as well. Can I continue putting privet in the cage for the Indian stick insects as long as I also provide bramble for the Pink Winged stick insects?
Yes, put both types of food into the Sprig Pot in the BSP cage. Your Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) will eat the privet leaves and the Pink Winged stick insects (Sipyloidea sipylus) will eat the bramble (blackberry) leaves.

I have had three Giant African land snails for nearly ten years now. Sadly two died recently. Should I be buying a couple more to keep the last one company or as it is so elderly, leave it in peace. I don't want it to be lonely but I don't want it annoyed by new snails.
Ten years is a very good age for a Giant African snail. Your remaining snail is now very old and so is unlikely to live for much longer. Adding some more snails would probably cheer it up, because snails are social animals. Occasionally snails can gang up and "bully" another snail by rasping on its shell, but this does not happen very often. So I would advise adding two more snails. We have some nicely patterned medium-sized Giant East African Land Snails for sale at the moment.

How do I look after my stick insects eggs? There are about fifteen at the bottom of my tank. Do I take them out and put them in a different tank?
Yes. Stick insect eggs take several months to incubate and so it's best to store the eggs in a separate clean container. The QBOX is ideal for storing stick insect eggs; it is the correct size and is see-through so you will be able to see when the eggs hatch. You can keep baby stick insects in the QBOX too.

I have six healthy Indian stick insects, who have just recently started laying eggs. We're up to 47 at the moment, and I wanted to ask how soon can you sell them on?
Indian stick insect eggs take four months to hatch, so if you're selling the eggs it's helpful to let people know when they were laid so they can work out when they will start to hatch. It's not a good idea to sell baby stick insect nymphs because they are delicate and not all survive. Medium-sized stick insect nymphs are more robust so that is the best stage to sell the actual insects.

The pet shop told me a plastic tank with a slatted lid would be OK for housing Indian stick insects. But when I phoned Small-Life Supplies I was told more ventilation was needed - how is this possible?
People who keep stick insects in tanks often comment that the stick insects crowd together, hanging under the slatted lid; this is because they are trying to get to the air. Indian stick insects do much better if they are kept in a cage with mesh sides; this allows more ventilation because there is a constant through-draught of air. The BSP is an ideal cage for housing stick insects because all four sides are full of specially made holes, allowing lots of air flow. Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) kept in the BSP can spread themselves around the cage; they have four ventilated sides on which to rest.

I recently obtained two stick insects from my school. I got home today and found one of them hanging from a branch with his abdomen completely folded towards his head and the abdomen was also extremely soft and moist. What has happened?
Your stick insect has just shed its skin which is why its body is soft and moist. Unfortunately, before the new skin has hardened, your stick insect has fallen awkwardly and bent its body in half. A stick insect body is basically a tube and so by gently squeezing either side of where the body is creased you should be able to reinflate the crushed area. You need to do this quickly and then let the stick insect rest so its body can harden properly.

Someone offered me a stick insect that was L2 size. What size is this?
Stick insects grow in stages, called instars. A baby stick insect is a first instar nymph, when it is one month old and has shed its skin for the first time it is called a second instar nymph and so on. An adult stick insect is equivalent to a seventh instar nymph. Some non-scientists get confused and think that stick insects pass through larval stages, which of course they do not; they pass through instars. So by L2 they think they mean the second larval stage; but what they really mean is the second instar. Small-Life Supplies does not sell second instar stick insect nymphs because they are small and delicate at that size. So you'd do better to source some older, larger, more robust stick insects.

MYTH EXPLODED

MYTH: "Give cuttlefish bone to snails."

WRONG! Snails need extra calcium to help their shells grow, but rinsed out hen eggshells are a much better source of calcium than cuttlefish bone. Small-Life Supplies stopped using cuttlefish bone for our snails years ago - the snails really do much better getting their calcium from rinsed out hen eggshells. Many bird breeders have also switched from using cuttlefish bone to using rinsed out hen eggshells because they get better results.

I heard that Indian stick insects can eat cucumber and lettuce is this true?
If you live in the UK, the best foodplants to feed Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) with are privet leaves (Ligustrum vulgare) or bramble leaves (Rubus discolor). Cucumber and lettuce have too a high water content and will make your Indian stick insects become waterlogged and die.

My sons Indian stick insect has had what looks like a small drop of water hanging from it's mouth. There has not been water in the tank at the time. Is this normal? This we have noticed this two times now.
Just before eating, Indian stick insects like to moisten their mouthparts and so regurgitate some clear liquid from their mouths to do this. This behaviour is most commonly observed in the early evening because that is the time when Indian stick insects usually start to feed.

I would like to purchase two Indian, two Pink Winged and two Macleays Spectre stick insects from you. However after some serious consideration I do not feel I have enough bramble or privet close by. I thought about purchasing a couple of plants from the local garden centre but I realised that would be a bad idea due to the fact that insecticides might harm the stick insects. So my question is do you sell bramble or privet plants?
You are right to not purchase potted plants from the garden centre because these are most likely to have been grown in soil containing pesticides. These poisons are taken up by the plant into its leaves. Insects cannot detect the poisons in the leaves and so carry on eating them, resulting in certain death. All the stick insects you mention eat eucalyptus leaves and we do have potted eucalyptus plants plants grown for us specially without the use of chemicals so they are safe for stick insects to eat. The next potted eucalyptus plants will be ready in a couple of months time. They are fast growing plants. Until then we can supply you with fresh cut bramble by post; one wallet of fresh cut bramble would easily feed your six stick insects for a week. We don't supply privet.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "Keeping stick insects is for oddballs. "
WRONG! Lots of people of all ages keep stick insects as pets. They are a low maintenance pet, fascinating to observe and easy to handle. Every year more people start keeping stick insects and so now there is absolutely no justification for the oddball label.

Would your BSP cage be suitable for leaf insects?
Yes, many people keep leaf insects successfully in the BSP (Bug Studio Professional). A lot of leaf insects like airy conditions and so the through draught of air in the BSP cage suits them well. And for those species that prefer more humid surroundings, just attach the detachable clear Ventilation Control Panel to the outside of the BSP to reduce the air-flow.

I've just gathered some bramble leaves in Reading, UK and found three ladybirds under one leaf. They're moving around now - how can I get them to go back to sleep?
British ladybirds are hibernating now and often they do this in groups, which is why you found three hibernating together under one bramble leaf. When you brought the bramble inside the increase in temperature woke the ladybirds up. They'll go back into hibernation in cooler conditions, so you should put them back outside on a sheltered bramble patch and they'll soon huddle up together again under a leaf and go back to sleep.

I'm concerned about my adult Indian stick insects because they seem to developing dark blotches on their abdomens. I've reared this species for years but not seen this before - what could be causing it?
This does happen sometimes and the link seems to be when the quality of the privet is not good. At the moment, after the spell of exceptionally cold weather, the privet is poorer quality than usual and so people like you are observing the appearance of these blotches on the abdomens of their Indian stick insect adults (Carausius morosus). The blotches do not go away. To prevent the blotches occurring, the solution seems to be to switch Indian stick insects over to bramble (blackberry) leaves because this is an acceptable alternative and the bramble has fared better than the privet during the big freeze. In a few months time, when the new privet has grown back, the Indian stick insects can be switched back to privet leaves.

MYTH EXPLODED

MYTH: "Stick insects eat privet leaves."

WRONG! A few species of stick insect eat privet leaves (Ligustrum vulgare) but the majority of stick insects do not, with most preferring a diet of bramble/blackberry leaves (Rubus discolor). The privet eating stick insect species are: the popular Indian stick insect (Carausius morosus), the scuttling Peruvian Black stick insect (Peruphasma schultei) and the dangerous Jamaican stick insect (Alleophasma cyllarus/Anisomorpha cyllarus/ Malacomorpha cyllarus). Do not be tempted to buy the Jamaican stick insect because it can cause severe breathing difficulties in people.

How long can stick insects survive without food? The bramble in my garden has died off and my stick insects haven't eaten for a few days. They are getting very weak - I thought stick insects could hibernate?
No, stick insects do not hibernate. Like us, they need to eat every day. So you need to give your stick insects some bramble (blackberry) leaves quickly, to stop them from starving to death. There are still plenty of green bramble leaves to be found on disused railway lines, and in sheltered wooded areas. Or you can buy Fresh Cut Bramble from Small-Life Supplies.

My pet phasmid, Rosetta, lost two of her legs last night while she was shedding her skin. I was really worried because my first phasmid, Rose, shed her skin once, but never lost any legs. Is there an explanation to why she lost her legs? Is she in any kind of pain?
If a stick insect loses legs in a skin-change, it can mean that the surrounding conditions are not correct. You don't say what species of stick insect Rosetta is - but species of stick insect can be divided into two groups; those that like a lot of air-flow and those that do not. Stick insects which need airy conditions do well in the BSP cage; those that need less air-flow should be kept in the BSP with the Ventilation Control Panel. Rosetta won't be in pain and she should be able to regrow her legs at her next skin-change.

My cousin got a BSP cage for Christmas and I want one too but I've only got 20 pounds so do you sell any cut-price ones?
Yes, we sell cut-price BSP cages through eBay. These cages have slight marks on them but are still fine for keeping stick insects in. You just need to search on eBay for "BSP insect cage" and you'll see the ones listed by our trading name on eBay which is snailpresident.

MYTH: "Giant African Land Snails need coir substrate."

WRONG! Whilst some people use coir blocks, peat, soil or potting compost as a substrate for their snail tanks, there is no real benefit to doing this. Moist substrate gets messy and the snails smear it up the sides of the tank. A cleaner, mess-free alternative is to use Soft Liners - these can be cut to size with scissors. The Soft Liners are very absorbent and are soft, so they cushion the impact of a snail should it fall, thereby protecting its shell.

My Painted Lady chrysalises are due to emerge soon. Will stick insects and butterflies be fine together in a butterfly netted enclosure?
It's not a good idea to mix butterflies and stick insects in the same cage. Butterflies can damage their wings easily when they fly into the sides of the cage and this is why butterfly enclosures have very soft fine netting sides. The holes in the netting are very small - too small for stick insects to grip their claws around. Also, it is difficult to see the stick insects through the dense netting sides and the bramble thorns snag the netting. Stick insects do much better if housed in a proper stick insect cage such as the Bug Studio Professional (BSP).

I'm getting a Bug Studio Professional cage for Christmas and I'll be buying the stick insects in January. I can't decide which stick insects to buy - should I get Peruvian Black or Indian stick insects? I have a privet hedge but it seems to be losing leaves with the cold weather.
I'd definitely recommend the Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus). As well as eating privet leaves, Indian stick insects also eat bramble (blackberry) leaves, Eucalyptus gunnii leaves and dark green ivy leaves. Indian stick insects are harmless, slow moving and easy to handle. Peruvian Black stick insects (Peruphasma schultei) are much more fussy and need to eat privet leaves. Peruvian Black stick insects are difficult to handle because they move fast, scuttling around and pressing their bodies to the ground. They readily emit an odour which can irritate the nasal passages of sensitive people and cats.

In what countries do stick insects live in?
Many species of stick insects are found in the tropical rain forests of Borneo, Sabah, Sarawak, Thailand, Java, Malaysia, Jamaica, Trinidad, Thailand, India, Madagascar, Reunion, Australia and Papua New Guinea. A few are found in the warmer parts of the USA, notably Florida and Texas. In Europe, there is the Bacillus rossius species which occurs in Corsica. And in the UK, we have the naturalised Acanthoxyla species which is resident in Cornwall, having arrived there on cargo ships from New Zealand a century ago.

I have just hatched three Indian stick insects and I was wondering how quickly they grow. I want to know how quickly they grow in about a week.
Like other stick insects, Indian stick insects grow in spurts, and these different stages of growth are called instars. A new instar is entered when a skin-change is completed. The first skin-change occurs when an Indian stick insect is about three weeks old. So in length terms, there is no obvious difference between a stick insect which is one day old and one that is one week old. However the older stick insect will look slightly fatter.

MYTH EXPLODED

MYTH: "It is illegal to release British caterpillars that you have reared yourself in the UK".

WRONG! It is perfectly legal and a very good idea to breed your own British caterpillars and release them outdoors in the UK. Some people who record butterfly sightings are trying to stop this practice without appreciating that these release schemes are proven to be effective in boosting butterfly numbers in the wild. Without such releases there would be fewer butterflies to record! So schools and individuals should continue to enjoy breeding and releasing caterpillars, butterflies and moths in the spring and summer. Please be aware there are restrictions on protected species and the Forestry Commission request no butterfly releases on their land.

I can currently gather bramble but if the weather worsens, what else can I feed my Macleays and New Guinea stick insects on? I can get eucalyptus from my garden for the Macleays, but will they take other green leaves?
New Guinea stick insects (Eurycantha calcarata) need to eat bramble leaves and Macleays Spectre stick insects (Extatosoma tiaratum) need to eat either bramble or eucalyptus leaves. We are sending out lots of Fresh Cut Bramble at the moment but our specially grown pesticide-free potted Eucalyptus plants have now sold out. For future reference, you can preserve your bramble stocks for the winter by occasionally feeding New Guinea stick insects with oak leaves during the summer, and by feeding Macleays Spectre stick insects with wild dog rose leaves in the summer.

I need some advice on Madagascan Hissing Cockroaches - would they be OK in a tank with 2 inches of bark chippings as a substrate?
Not really. Madagascan Hissing Cockroaches have claws and suction pads on their feet and like to climb; they do best in a tall airy cage like the BSP. During the day, you see them resting on the sides of the BSP. Madagascan Hissing Cockroaches eat slices of orange, also dead leaves (oak and sycamore leaves), and need to drink from a dish of water. It's easiest to keep the cage clean by using a BSP Liner - using bark chippings offers no benefit.

I am a PhD candidate in Entomology and have recently developed an interest in the Australian stick insect Extatosoma tiaratum, Macleays Spectre. I am seeking scientific literature on this insect, especially related to its survival at various temperature extremes. I have read that it likes 'room temperature' and 'dry warm' temperatures, but would like to have some evidence of temperatures that would result in mortality.
Having bred Macleays Spectre stick insects over the last twenty years, I can confirm that these stick insects do not survive sub-zero temperatures which is why we cannot post them during freezing nights. However, as with all animals, there is a natural distribution of tolerance to temperature; some individuals are more susceptible to the cold than others. Our observations concur with those of Professor Wigglesworth who performed laboratory experiments on cockroaches and found that as he subjected them to colder and colder temperatures they became less active; at 7 degrees Celsius they stopped moving and at minus 5 degrees Celsius they died.

My stick insect has lost all of its legs in 2 months! The others are beginning to lose their legs too! What can I do?
This is not normal; stick insects which are losing so many legs are very stressed. So you need to check the leaves; are they fresh, of the right type, and are there enough of them in the cage? You need to mist these leaves every day or so because the stick insects need to drink water from the leaves. And check the cage is big enough for all the stick insects you have - if they are overcrowded they will fight and lose legs.

Do male stick insects die shortly after mating as we had two male Australian stick insects (Extatosoma tiaratum) that have both mated and then died, the female seems perfectly healthy?
No, there's something wrong if both your males died after mating just once. Male Extatosoma tiaratum live as long as the females and mate regularly over the seven months or so that these stick insects are adults. Every time the male mates, he produces a bag of sperm which he attaches to the outside of the female. You can see these sacs, which are called spermatophores, they can be white or pink, and there is an illustration of one in the "Keeping Stick Insects" book. Adult Extatosoma tiaratum do need extra water and so you need to either put a shallow Water Dish in the cage or spray the leaves more often.

I have just got some "Madagascan Blue" stick insects, sorry I haven't got the Latin name. I'm worried because they're not eating the bramble leaves - they put their mouths on the leaf as if to eat but then pull away.
The Latin name is Achrioptera fallax. In Madagascar they eat leaves from the Uapaca tree. In captivity, these stick insects do best on oak leaves, although some will also do well on Eucalyptus leaves. We don't breed these stick insects because of the difficulties in finding oak leaves.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "You can't mix different types of stick insect together."
WRONG! You can mix stick insects that like ventilated conditions together, and you can mix stick insects that like humid conditions together, but you can't mix a stick insect that likes airy surroundings with a stick insect that doesn't. So you need to decide if you want a cage that is airy (like the BSP) or one that is not (like the BSP with the Ventilation Control Panel attached).

I've just got some Giant African Land Snails and wondered if you sell cuttlefish because I couldn't find it on your site?
We stopped giving cuttlefish bone to our snails years ago when we became aware that the salt content was too high. We switched over to eggshells from hens (use the contents for baking and then rinse under a running tap) and soon noticed that the snails were doing much better getting their calcium from the eggshells. The snails put their heads inside the eggshell and eat it from the inside out. Just scatter the rinsed-out eggshells on the soft Liner and replace them weekly.

I've read that Guadeloupe stick insects like to be in sunlight. Our flat does not get much direct sunlight, particularly in the winter months. Will this be a problem for our nymphs? We could move their cage to a windowsill where they would get a bit more light, but I'm concerned it might be too chilly for them!
Don't put the cage on a windowsill because, as you suspect, it will be too cold for the stick insects. Your nymphs will be fine with limited natural light. It's the adult Guadeloupe stick insects (Lamponius guerini) that seem to thrive when exposed to direct sunshine; particularly the adult females, whose bodies really seem to swell up with eggs when they are kept in a sunny place.

I want to buy a stick insect cage for Christmas and have decided on the AFC cage. My question is how do I keep this cage clean?
On a weekly basis, you keep the stick insects in clean conditions by lining the floor of the cage with a disposable AFC Liner. Every few months, the panels of the AFC cage can be wiped down with a dollop of Snail Centre Cleaner dissolved in a bowl of warm water. Use a soft sponge so as not to scratch the panels and rinse well with cold water. Dry with a soft cotton tea towel.

Do mantids need any extra heat? I have an empty Bug-Cage at the moment - would this be suitable for one of your European mantids?
No, mantids don't need extra heat. Mantids do well in a room that is comfortably warm in the day and colder and night. Our European Mantid Kit comes with a BSP insect cage, but our Bug-Cage would also be suitable. As you have a suitable cage already, just contact us to buy the actual mantid.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "Cockroaches can survive a nuclear attack."
WRONG! This is a particularly silly myth for which there is absolutely no scientific evidence. Cockroaches and their eggs are no more equipped to survive nuclear radiation than any other insect. So cockroaches would certainly perish in a nuclear attack.

I have one male Sabah stick insect and one female Borneo stick insect. I have had them since September 2009. They are both still alive and are acting healthily. Since they are supposed to live a year I was wondering whether sometimes they live longer and why this could be.
Sabah stick insects (Aretaon asperrimus) and Borneo stick insects (Phenacephorus cornucervi) do live one year on average, but because this figure is an average, it means that some will live longer and some will have shorter lifespans. I have noticed that female Borneo stick insects do seem to live longer than the male Borneo stick insects. This is unusual because in many species of stick insect, the males and females have similar life expectancies.

I signed up for The Bug File volume 5 and am curious to know when it's coming out?
Good news! The Bug File volume 5 is being dispatched next week.

We have been keeping Macleays Spectre and New Guinea stick insects together for a few months. One of our Macleays Spectre males has shed his skin and emerged with wings. Our male New Guinea stick insect appears to be following him. Is he likely to be aggressive to the Macleays?
No, there shouldn't be a problem. Male New Guinea stick insects (Eurycantha calcarata) are usually only aggressive if they are short of water or food, so providing you have a dish of water in the cage and put in lots of bramble, there shouldn't be any issues.

Now the weather is turning colder at night I'm wondering about the most economical way to keep my stick insects warm? Money is tight and my room is quite small.
Oil filled radiators are a great cost-effective way to provide extra warmth in a room. We use them at events and in our showroom. The best one for stick insects is the small 500W one because this gives off the right amount of heat; ones emitting kilowatts give off too much heat. The 500W oil-filled radiators will be on the Small-Life Supplies website soon; they come with a flex and plug and you so just plug them into a wall socket.

Where's the best place to buy stick insects for Christmas? How could I cope with looking after them before the big day? Could I hide them in the wardrobe?
You can buy stick insects and the proper cage set-ups from Small-Life Supplies. Just click on the page "living insects in stock now". There are different types of stick insect to choose from and if you order now you can request delivery nearer to Christmas. The BSP cage is already assembled and so all you'd need to do is to add the stick insects and food. They'd be fine in the wardrobe for a few days, although it would be a good idea to leave the wardrobe door slightly open so that some light would enter the cage. And obviously you'd need to check there weren't any cedar blocks or other insect repellants in the wardrobe.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "Indian stick insects breed like crazy and you get overrun."
WRONG! Whilst it is true that Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) lay lots of eggs, they do not lay their eggs all at once; instead they lay a few eggs a day spread out over seven months. As the eggs take four months to hatch, you have plenty of time to decide how many you want to keep and to dispose of the ones you don't want.

I want to buy stick insects for my grandson for Christmas. When should I order and which stick insect kit would be best?
The Starting Out Stick Insect Kit would make a great Christmas present for your grandson. This kit includes the cage, the "Keeping Stick Insects" book and all the accessories as well as four of the Indian stick insects which are a nice easy type to start with. We are taking Christmas orders now and these will be dispatched the week before Christmas.

Recently we have started to collect Diapherodes gigantea eggs. I was wondering what is the best way to store them until they hatch?
The Diapherodes gigantea is also known as the Grenadan stick insect and is a large green type that does well on Eucalyptus gunnii leaves. It's not a species I have reared and so I can't give any tips from personal experience. However, the QBOX works well for storing many other species of stick insect egg and so I am confident it would be suitable for Grenadan eggs too.

I have a lot of different species of stick insects (Guadeloupe, Indian, Sabah, Spiny, Peruvian Black, Peruvian Fern, Asceles sp, Oxyartes honestus) and was wondering if you could tell me the best substrate to use?
The Sabah (Aretaon asperrimus) and the Spiny (Eurycantha calcarata) bury their eggs in sand and so you need to put a Cup of Sand in the cage so they can do this. The other species you list all drop their eggs onto the ground and so you should put a Liner on the cage floor so you can sort the eggs easily.

When are the next Open Days at Small-Life Supplies? I really enjoyed the last one and want to bring my friend to the next one.
There will be three Open Days in December; the dates are Friday 3rd December (afternoon), Saturday 4th December (morning) and all day Sunday 19th December 2010. Please phone 01949 842446 if you'd like to reserve anything for collection.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "Don't give Giant African Land Snails potato to eat."
WRONG! Potato is a useful and popular food for Giant African Land Snails and a valuable source of carbohydrate. Instead of whole potatoes, it is best to give the snails either potato peelings or slices of potato because these are easier for the snails to eat. Giant African Land Snails like to eat sweet potato too.

Are there any large stick insects that eat ivy? Also, can Macleays Spectre eat different types of eucalyptus or just gunnii?
There are different types of ivy; some people have reported success with feeding Eurycantha calcarata with the large dark green plain ivy leaves but I find these stick insects do better on bramble leaves. Regarding Australian Macleays Spectre stick insects, their preferred choice is Eucalyptus gunnii, but they will nibble at some of the other eucalypts as well, but tend to avoid eucalypts that are very fragrant and also those that have tough leaves.

We have thorny Sabah stick insects, the largest female has been persistently trying to bury her bum into the bark covering on the floor of the tank for the past couple of days. I don't think she is finding this very easy - I presume she is trying to bury eggs? Is there anything I can do to help?
Adult female Sabah stick insects (Aretaon asperrimus) bury their eggs every few days and so you should put a dish of sterilised dry sand in the cage so she can do this easily. I would remove the bark covering and line the floor of the cage with paper so that it is easier to keep clean. Sabah stick insects need to drink more water than other stick insects and so a shallow dish of water should also be provided.

I want to buy stick insects for Christmas for my brother. He's 16 and likes giant insects. What would you recommend? The total cost needs to be about £100.
We have some really nice New Guinea stick insects (Eurycantha calcarata) that are just becoming fully grown. These are giant stick insects that are good to handle and are long-lived and so would make an excellent Christmas present for your brother. The price for the kit which includes two adult stick insects and cage etc is £59.99 plus delivery; so you could add another pair of these stick insects and the total price would be less than £90. For details click on New Guinea stick insects kit.

I have one of your wonderful extra large snail centres and would like to buy one for the school pet club, together with some African snails. I see that you have medium-sized African snails for sale; do you have any larger ones for sale?
Yes, we have various sizes of Giant African Land Snails for sale at the moment. So we are happy to supply large Giant African Land Snails with the Professional Snail Centre XL.

Available very soon!
Volume 5 of The Bug File will be available soon. You can sign up now and you will receive twelve issues (one per month) for 12 months. This makes an ideal Christmas gift! For details, click The Bug File Volume 5.

Are there any smelly stick insects?
Stick insects are clean creatures and do not smell if kept properly in a clean cage. However, there are some species that can emit a defensive odour, which a person can smell for a few seconds. The Vietnamese Bark stick insect (sometimes called the Vietnamese Prickly stick insect), Latin species name Neohirasea maerens, does this a lot; indeed this stick insect used to be known as the Vietnamese Odorous stick insect!

I went to the Kempton Park Insect Exhibition and was surprised to see the Florida stick insect (Anisomorpha buprestoides) for sale. I thought these stick insects could blind people - what are your views?
You are correct - the Florida stick insect (Anisomorpha buprestoides) can squirt out a liquid that on contact with a human or dog eye can cause temporary blindness. I think it is irresponsible for people to be selling these dangerous stick insects. Of course, you can rest assured that Small-Life Supplies only breed and sell stick insects that are harmless.

I want to buy a state-of-the-art set-up for stick insects for my daughter's Christmas present. I'm already one of your Facebook friends and so have your current price-list. I can't seem to find the new DDC cage on the website - could you tell me more please?
The DDC will be launched very soon - it is a wide cage with an aluminium frame and two doors, side by side. At £249 it is a really nice cage that will last for many years. When you order, remember to request Christmas delivery on the order form.

What's the difference between Giant East African Snails and Giant West African Snails? And what are these "Tiger" snails going for silly prices on ebay?
Giant East African Snails have the Latin name Achatina fulica and are easy to keep. These are the snails that we breed and recommend; they come in various colour patterns. The Giant West African Snails usually go by the Latin name of Achatina marginata or Archachatina marginata; these are larger and require warmer conditions. The Tiger snails are another larger type of snail from West Africa, with the Latin name Achatina achatina. They require warmer conditions. Be very careful if seeking out Achatina achatina because at a glance their shell patterns can look like those found in some Achatina fulica. Some dishonest people are selling pretty Achatina fulica snails as Achatina achatina!

I have 5 adult Indian stick insects living in a BSP. However one of them seemed to have lost 3 of its legs in one week. The others are still very active with all legs intact. Is it possible for adult stick insects to force themselves to moult again and are there ways to prevent the others from losing limbs?
No, if an adult stick insect has lost a leg, it can not shed its skin again and grow a new one. Very old stick insects can lose legs, or individuals that are too hot can lose legs also. You mention that the others are very active and so I suspect they are in warm surroundings and are short of water. So, you need to spray the leaves more often or even give them a shallow dish of water to drink from.

We have a stick insect that has just shed his skin. He did this in the leaves/branches in his tank (he shares this with two leaf insects). After watching the shedding we noted that he has lost both front legs and one of his others. Why would he have done this and will all three grow back?
Stick insects need the surroundings to be at the correct humidity for them to complete their skin-changes successfully. A lot of stick insects like airy surroundings and so do best in a cage with side ventilation, such as the BSP. A tank can quickly become too humid because there is no through-draught ventilation and this can cause skin-changing problems, as you have observed. So you need to alter the housing of your insects. If your stick insect is still immature, it will be able to regrow new legs at its next skin-change, although these will be miniature versions.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "Dinosaurs came before insects."
WRONG! Some insects appeared 325 million years ago, before the dinosaurs which appeared 300 million years ago.

I have a maturing Giant African land snail. So far we have only fed him vegetables and fruit. But I have been told they will eat pretty much anything (minus pasta and rice) so is it a good idea to feed him food stuffs like ham and cheese?
It's a really bad idea to try and feed snails with processed food like ham and cheese because these are not natural foods. You have been doing the right thing by giving your snail fresh vegetables and fruits. Snails are fussy in what they eat; they like a varied diet and their favourite foods include: slices of sweet potato, slices of marrow, slices of courgette and pear halves.

I run a small playgroup and we have just had some Indian stick insects given to us and are about to receive an African snail. Would these two be able to live happily together in an old fish tank?
A fish tank is not a suitable enclosure for Indian stick insects because it is too squat and has solid sides, so there is no through-draught of air. Indian stick insects do best in a tall (46cm high), airy cage such as the BSP. Housing an African snail in a tank can be done, although the floor should be lined with a soft Liner, to cushion the impact of the snail should it fall. Snails like company of their own kind and so shouldn't really be kept on their own.

I have a few green Indian stick insects and have now been sent some Sabah stick insects. Is it safe to put them in the same cage?
No. Indian stick insects like lots of air, so do best in the BSP. Sabah stick insects prefer less-ventilated conditions so need the Ventilation Control Panel attaching to the BSP to reduce the air-flow.

Can I buy just stick insects from Small-Life Supplies? I already have two of your excellent AFC cages and would like to add some more types. I have the Indian, Pink Winged and New Thailand stick insects; what would you suggest?
Yes, just ask for our "stick insect refill list"; once you have purchased the proper stick insect cage from Small- Life Supplies we will happily send you just the stick insects. You could mix in New Guinea stick insects and Australian Macleays Spectre stick insects with the ones you already have.

Our female Australian Macleays Spectre stick insect has just died after about a year. In all of her time as an adult she never produced a single egg. She shared the cage with a male although we never saw mating take place. I was under the impression that even without mating she should go on to produce parthenogenetic eggs. I have kept this species before and had generations of just females. The only other unusual thing is that there were months rather than weeks between her last two skin sheds. Have you ever known before of this species not producing eggs and do you know of any reasons for it?
Yes, I have seen this before, but it is very unusual. It is known that a solitary female Australian Macleays Spectre stick insect can slow down her development; presumably as a strategy to allow more time for a male to appear. (This is why we try to sell this species in age-matched pairs, of one male and one female.) If there is a male present but the young female is not attracted to him, she can still slow down her development, as you have observed. This is very rare; usually the female and male bond. As for the reason why she didn't lay any eggs... you are correct in knowing that this species can reproduce by parthenogenesis. However, I have very occasionally seen adult females who have either laid no eggs or merely half a dozen or so. These individuals have always been smaller than normal females; was your female relatively small? I imagine your female couldn't lay eggs because of some physiological reason; just like some of the males are unable to fly even though they have wings.

SURREY INSECT EVENT ON SAT 2nd OCT 2010

There are lots different stands at this indoor insect event. Small-Life Supplies will be there - see exactly where we are when you get the programme at the entrance. There is an entrance fee of £3. Small-Life Supplies will be selling cut-price BSP cages at this event - hope to see you there! The venue is indoors at Kempton Park Racecourse, postcode TW16 5AQ. It opens at 11am.

Whilst listening to Simon Mayo on Radio 2 today, he had a guest on talking about butterflies. When asked the difference between butterflies and moths, the guest muttered something about an antennal difference that was too scientific to explain. Simon Mayo did press him further but he declined to elaborate. Can you explain?
It's a very easy anatomical difference; in general, butterflies have a nobble (sometimes called a club) at the end of their antennae but moths do not. Of course, there is the odd exception to this rule, but generally that is one of the easiest ways of distinguishing a butterfly from a moth.

My grandson aged 14 is fascinated by insects (always has been) and wants very much to subscribe to an insect magazine. I'm sure he'd enjoy The Bug File insect magazine but could you post The Bug File to Spain or is it UK only?
The Bug File is in English and we do post it worldwide. Volume 5 will be available soon; it is sent in monthly instalments. The postage to Spain would be a bit more than it is in within the UK; for the exact price please contact Small-Life Supplies by phoning 01949 842446 or email emma@small-life.co.uk

I live in the UK and have Unarmed Stick Insects living in the garden. We have seen as many as 100 at a time this year, although the local Sparrows find them particularly tasty (and easy to catch) so significantly less now. I know they struggle throughout the Winter - is there any plant in the UK I can introduce to the garden to see them through the lean times? I don't like to interfere with nature, but would like to give a helping hand if possible.
The "Unarmed stick insects" you see now are the descendants of the New Zealand stick insects which became naturalised in the South West of England after coming over on cargo ships a century ago. They eat bramble and rose leaves, some people have reported seeing them on conifers but it is not known if that is a suitable long-term foodsource. New Zealand stick insects generally pass the winter in the egg form. You could plant British bramble (blackberry); there are lots of semi-evergreen species and the bramble leaves, flowers and fruit benefit other British insects as well.

I have two standard green stick insects - both have bright pink armpits which I believe means they are ready to breed/produce eggs. Can you tell me the difference between the eggs and their poo?
You have the Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus). You are correct in believing that the red tops to their front legs means that these stick insects are ready to lay eggs. They do not mate, the are all females and just drop their round light-brown eggs to the floor. If you tilt the cage Liner, the eggs roll off, leaving the black poo behind. Indian stick insects do best in a large airy cage such as the BSP insect cage.

MYTH EXPLODED

MYTH: "Peruvian Black Beauty stick insects are a good type to keep."

WRONG! Small-Life Supplies do not recommend or supply Peruvian Black Beauty stick insects (Peruphasma schultei) for many reasons, including the following. Firstly, they can cause certain people and cats to sneeze and have streaming eyes. Secondly, Peruvian Black Beauty stick insects scuttle around very fast and press their bodies to the ground, making them difficult to pick up. Thirdly, Peruvian Black Beauty stick insects like to hide, frequently underneath the cage Liner, so are difficult to see in their cage.

Where can I buy a mantid cage?
Small-Life Supplies sell mantid cages. The best cage for keeping medium and large mantids, also called praying mantises, is the BSP. The mantid can get a good foothold on the sides and so can easily run around the cage and catch its prey. The BSP has clear see-through sides and so it's easy to see the mantid.

I was wondering if you know a reliable source where I can buy a female Heteropteryx or even eggs. This is going to be my first ever bug buy and I've fallen in love with this species!
Heteropteryx dilatata is the Latin species name for the Malaysian stick insect (sometimes called the Jungle Nymph stick insect). The adult females are very large and bright green. However, I certainly wouldn't recommend this type to someone who is not experienced with keeping stick insects because Malaysian stick insects can be tricky to handle and are not active when young. Their eggs take one and a half years to hatch and so don't buy the eggs! Small-Life Supplies do breed Malaysians and we sell them with the large AFC cage when they are in stock. If you're after a large, wide, impressive chunky stick insect, I'd recommend the New Guinea stick insects because these are easy to keep, active and are in stock now. It's important not to keep just one stick insect because they like the company of other stick insects.

I have several males and females of the Australian stick insects type. I had them in January 2010, they have recently started to lay eggs. So far I have 170. What can I do with them? I'm struggling to give them away and am now feeding them to my fish as I can't cope with this amount. Any ideas as how to stop them breeding?
You can't stop them from laying eggs but because the egg incubation takes about six months, there is time to dispose of the eggs before they hatch. In Nature so many eggs are laid because most are a food source for other animals in the food web. Many people feed the surplus eggs to fish and birds. And, if you live in the UK, you are welcome to post Australian stick insect eggs to Simon at the Culture Club (tel 01949 842446 for details). They are best posted in a plastic vitamin jar to stop them getting crushed in the post.

Just wondered how you coped with annoying wasps bothering you at a picnic, you being an insect lover and all? Or do you swat wasps like the rest of us?
No, I don't swat wasps. I find the easiest way to divert them from your food is to pour a few drops of Robinsons Select orange, mandarin and peach squash (undiluted) onto a small plate. The wasps drink the juice from the plate. Once you understand that they're only at your picnic because they want a sugary meal it's logical to give them what they want and they'll leave you alone. This technique works well in offices too - just put the plate on the windowsill and the wasps will feed from it there and won't even bother to fly into the office through the open window. Of course, it's essential to use a drink which contains natural sugars - so avoid the ones containing artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharin.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "Giant African Land Snails always bury themselves in soil so you never see them."
WRONG! Giant African Land Snails can bury themselves in soil, but most of the time they rest under the lid of the PSCXL and so are easy to see. They usually seek out soil when they are ready to bury some eggs.

I'm getting some Indian stick insect eggs. When they hatch can I keep the baby stick insects in a BSP? And will they eat the yellow privet?
Do not keep baby Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) in a BSP; they should be housed in a QBOX instead. When the Indian stick insects are larger, they should be transferred from the QBOX to the BSP. Do not feed them yellow (golden) privet; Indian stick insects do best on green privet leaves.

Just curious as to why you keep putting the scientific name next to the common name of stick insects? I think we all know that Carausius morosus is the good old laboratory stick insect by now!
The scientific name is a unique species name and because this is in the universal language of Latin it is understood by people of all nationalities. There are many non-British people who read this page and so by referring to Carausius morosus, everyone knows which stick insect I am talking about. Often there are several common names assigned to one species; for example Carausius morosus can be called the Indian and the Laboratory stick insect. So this just adds to the confusion. Scientists use Latin species names to avoid any confusion.

I have Peruvian Fern female stick insects and they have started to lay eggs. Could these be fertile? The females have not been in contact with a male ever.
Peruvian Fern stick insects (Oreophoetes peruana) have males and females in approximately equal numbers. Usually they mate and then the female starts laying eggs. If there are no males, the females lay eggs anyway but the hatching rate of these eggs is much lower than normal and their incubation time longer. You could try and acquire a male; the male Peruvian Ferns are a deep red colour and so are very attractive.

I notice that on the floor of the container that I house my Madagascan Cockroaches in, I have seen the egg case (ootheca) on the floor? Does this mean that the female is pregnant or does it mean she has dropped or abandoned her eggs?
Madagascan Hissing Cockroaches (Gromphadhorina portensosa) do produce oothecae (egg cases) from which the baby cockroaches immediately emerge. Unfortunately though because the creamy white ootheca is on the floor of the cage it means that it has been dropped too early and the embryos have died. If you look at the ootheca you will see it is divided into segments; each one houses an embryo. Typically there are about twenty segments.

My Australian Macleays Spectre stick insects are hatching but the babies aren't living more than a week. I'm sprinkling the leaves with protein supplement; do they need calcium supplement too?
Unlike most baby stick insects which readily thrive on bramble leaves, the Australian Macleays Spectre (Extatosoma tiaratum) do best if given Eucalyptus gunnii leaves to eat. Large potted Eucalyptus gunnii plants have been grown specially by us (without pesticides) and so are safe for the stick insects to eat. Protein and calcium supplements are not necessary and so should not be used.

MYTH EXPLODED

MYTH: "As soon as the fully grown British Privet Hawk caterpillars change colour, remove their food and put them in soil."

WRONG! When a British Privet Hawk caterpillar (Sphinx ligustri) is fully grown it changes colour and becomes extremely active. This is a dispersal instinct and so it is important to leave the caterpillar in the BSP and let it walk around the BSP for a couple of days. Keep the privet in there. After this time, the caterpillar starts to shrink in size and is much less active. This is the time to place it on a saucer of dry soil or John Innes compost. The caterpillar wriggles downwards and should be left undisturbed for the next couple of weeks because it has started its metamorphosis into a pupa.

I bought three Privet Hawk Caterpillars from you and like them very much. I have been clipping privet stems from a big hedge by the pub car park. To my horror, the pub owners have just ripped out this hedge and my caterpillars have nothing to eat. How fast can you send privet to me? Or can Privet Hawk Caterpillars eat something other than privet?
Our Privet Hawk Caterpillars have only eaten privet leaves and so will not switch to anything else. (Some other caterpillar species can switch to eat various leaves, but not the Privet Hawks.) We can send fresh cut privet to you on a next-day service; just call 01949 842446 to arrange this.

I saw on somebody else's website advice page that Indian stick insects only mate once, but that's not right is it?
No, Indian stick insects do not mate at all. They reproduce by parthenogenesis which means "virgin birth". They are all female and lay eggs which hatch into more females. You could email the website with the correct information.

I'm compiling an information pack for a forthcoming educational display on invertebrates. I'd like it to be technically accurate and so please can you clarify the correct term for a praying/preying mantid/mantis and it's egg-case; is this an ooth?
It can be called a mantid or a praying mantis. One egg case is called an ootheca. Several egg cases are called oothecae. The word "ooth" is not a recognised word; some people use it in a slang context for an ootheca but you need to use the proper word ootheca.

I have three Indian stick insects living in one of your BSP cages, they are very healthy and eat bramble which we pick locally. Yesterday, when I was doing some gardening, I found another three large (4 inches) and very lively stick insects living in our back garden in Falmouth, Cornwall. Can we put these Unarmed stick insects that we have found in the garden in the BSP cage with our Indian stick insects?
Yes, you can mix them together. The "Unarmed stick insect" is also called the New Zealand stick insect and eats bramble and conifer leaves. Yours could be fully grown and so you need to check the BSP Liner for their eggs which they drop onto the floor. New Zealand stick insects need extra water and so you should put an upturned jamjar lid full of water in the BSP. This is sufficiently shallow so as not to present a risk of drowning to the other stick insects.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "Stick insect eggs can be a danger to birds and fish."
WRONG! Many people feed their surplus stick insect eggs to their pet fish and birds with no ill effects. In the wild most stick insect eggs are eaten by predators. This is how Nature works; so many stick insect eggs are produced because most are a foodsource for other animals.

I want to buy some of your Privet Hawk caterpillars- they look so cute - and I want to know if I can keep them in the same BSP as my Indian stick insects?
Privet Hawk caterpillars eat privet leaves and do well in a large airy cage like the BSP. Indian stick insects also eat privet leaves and also do well in the BSP. However, it is not a good idea to mix caterpillars and stick insects in the same BSP because it is very important that the Privet Hawk caterpillars eat privet leaves which are not wet. In contrast, Indian stick insects do need to drink and so need privet leaves that have been misted with water. Eating wet privet leaves would make the caterpillars ill.

I bought some New Guinea stick insects from Small-Life Supplies a few years ago and they were wonderful, living for over two years. I'd like to start keeping these stick insects again but couldn't find them on your site - will they be available soon?
The New Guinea stick insects (Eurycantha calcarata) are a large, wide, slow-moving variety that are relatively long-lived, usually living about 18 months. Our New Guinea stick insects are just coming up to the right size to travel and so these stick insects will be back for sale on our website very soon.

I have six Indian stick insects that have recently hatched from eggs I am keeping. They are currently in a QBOX but please can you advise at what age or at what size should I move them into the BSP cage I've got? The biggest stick insect is five weeks old & has shed its skin once.
Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) can be transferred to the BSP a week after they have completed either their first or second skin-change. There is room in the QBOX to keep all six in there. You need to put a fresh slightly wet privet or bramble leaf in the QBOX every day or so, and change the QBOX Liner every few days to ensure they are kept in clean conditions.

My older Indian stick insects are approximately one year old. One by one they are spontaneously losing legs and breaking antennae. Is it acceptable to permit a moribund insect to linger for several days, or should it be dispatched? I am a vet.
When adult Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) are dying of old age, they stop eating and usually die within a day or two. They should be dying with all their legs and antennae intact. Old stick insects are very thirsty and so it is kind to give them extra water during their final days; you can give them wet leaves on the floor of the cage to drink from. Losing legs and breaking antennae suggests they are stressed; so you need to give them more water. Another factor is the hot weather; Indian stick insects of all ages start to fight when it is hot and so it is best to keep them in a room with a temperature below 22 degrees Celsius, ideally about 18 degrees Celsius during the day, and cooler at night. So the combination of more water and a cooler location should stop the damage occurring. In these circumstances they die relatively quickly and comfortably and so I would not advocate euthanasia.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "All stick insect eggs are easy to hatch"
WRONG! Some stick insect eggs are very easy to hatch, for example Thailand stick insects (Baculum thaii). However, there are other varieties which can be difficult to hatch; these include Australian Titan stick insects (Acrophylla wuelfingi), New Guinea (Eurycantha calcarata) and Australian Macleays Spectre (Extatosoma tiaratum).

What type of cage will be good for five stick bugs when you're only ten years old?
The BSP cage is great housing for stick insects (called stick bugs in the USA). It's sides are clear and see-through so you can easily see the stick insects. The BSP is more sturdy than black netting enclosures. The BSP is 46cm, 18" tall; it is important not to house stick insects in cages shorter than this because the stick insects need lots of height so they have room to shed their skins properly.

I am going to make an insect home out of plastic to leave in my garden for some insects to use. What other materials do you think I could use to build my insect home?
When insects construct their own homes they incorporate ventilation systems so that their homes do not get too hot. So you need to attach some fine netting or wire mesh either side of your plastic home so that there is a through draught of air within your insect home.

Can people get stick insect allergies? I ask because recently I bought some "Black Beauty" stick insects, that eat privet. My nose started tingling when I first cleaned them out. And then I started to sneeze. I don't suffer from hayfever and I thought I just had a cold but then I noticed I was only sneezing when I was near the "Black Beauty" stick insects! After two weeks of sneezing I took them back to the pet shop and I've been fine since. I keep the Pink Winged and Australian species of stick insect and have never had any problems with those species.
Yes, unfortunately the "Black Beauty" stick insects, also called Peruvian Black stick insects or Peruphasma schultei, can cause adverse reactions in certain people. So that is why Small-Life Supplies does not breed or sell these Peruvian Black stick insects. Most people appear to be fine but a significant number of people do have an adverse reaction to these stick insects. All the stick insects that Small- Life Supplies breed and supply are safe and harmless. You did the right thing in returning them!

What do ants like better. Light or dark?
Ants live in dark nests, that they construct from soil, making a mound. If it has been raining a lot and the surrounding grass is tall, the ants nests are correspondingly taller so that they are above the level of the grass. Ants searching for food leave the nest in the daylight and so these foraging ants are active in both dark and light conditions.

I'm looking for an easy to keep type of stick insect for my granddaughter. She's only nine; which type would you recommend?
The Indian stick insect (Carausius morosus) is a great type for a novice and could be handled safely by a careful nine year old. Indian stick are low maintenance, requiring a weekly feed of fresh privet and/or bramble leaves. Indian stick insects do not smell and can be kept in a bedroom, lounge, or kitchen in the airy BSP cage. For more details please look at our Starting Out Kit which includes a set of four Indian stick insects (they like company), the BSP cage and accessories.

MYTH EXPLODED

MYTH: "All stick insects move slowly."

WRONG! Whilst it is true that many species of stick insect do move relatively slowly, including the ones that fly, there are exceptions. Newly hatched Australian Macleays Spectre stick insects (Extatosoma tiaratum) run around like "demented ants". And the Peruvian Black stick insect (sometimes called Black Beauty), Peruphasma schultei, scuttle around very quickly, holding their bodies near to the ground so they are difficult to pick up. Their fast scuttling behaviour continues as the Peruvian Black stick insects grow.

My teacher insists stick insects are hermaphrodites, but they're not, are they?
No, stick insects are not hermaphrodites. Snails are hermaphrodites; they have both male and female parts and mate before both laying eggs. Some species of stick insects are parthenogenetic. This means they are exclusively females and lay eggs without mating; these eggs hatch into more females.

I bought a potted ivy plant from the supermarket and put it in my cage of Indian stick insects. Now they are all twitching on the floor of the cage. What's happened?
Sadly, your stick insects have been poisoned and will all die. Unfortunately many potted plants are grown in soil infused with pesticides. As the plant grows, it takes up the pesticides from the soil into its leaves. These pesticides can not be washed off and remain in the plant for a whole year! When an insect eats the leaves, the pesticides damage its nervous system and so the insect loses its co- ordination. Unfortunately an insect cannot detect the pesticides and so eats leaves of treated plants; the disastrous consequences of which become obvious within hours.

I have several Madagascan hissing cockroaches, and most are fully grown now. One of them, however, is nearly a year old but very small (about a inch) and hasn't shed its skin for ages. What is wrong with it?
Insects need the release of certain hormones to trigger the process of a skin-change (ecdysis). If there is a hormonal imbalance the insect does not grow because it cannot shed its skin. This condition is quite rare but I have seen it in stick insects, mantids and Madagascan hissing cockroaches.

I've just seen the most amazing insect on my door in the sunshine. I'm in Grantham, UK. It had clear wings and a shocking pink coloured abdomen and a fluorescent green thorax. It flew away before I could take a photo. What could it be?
It would be a Cuckoo Wasp. These are brilliantly coloured insects which are parasitic in the nests of bees and wasps. There are approx 30 species of Cuckoo Wasp in the UK, the most common species is Chrysis ignita.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "Stick insects eat various grasses."
WRONG! Stick insects (phasmids) are very specific in what they need to eat and do not thrive on grasses. The diet that works best for stick insects is usually bramble (blackberry) leaves (Rubus genus), although some species also eat raspberry and wild rose leaves.

How can I tell if the stick insect eggs my friend gave me have been fertilised?
You can't tell if a stick insect egg has been fertilised just by looking at it. The outer appearance of the stick insect egg does not change during incubation. It is the inside of the egg that changes in appearance and so the only way to know if an egg is developing is to open it up. Eggs that are not developing will contain viscous liquid; this is usually dark orange.

I'd like to thank you guys at Small-Life Supplies for all your help over the years - we are emigrating soon and taking our stick insects with us. Can you send supplies to Portugal?
We don't send living stick insects to Portugal but we do send all the supplies, including cage Liners, insect cages, Sprig Pots, etc.

I would like to swap my adult Indian stick insects onto eating rose rather than bramble now that the rose supplies are plentiful. Is this feasible?
Yes, adult Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) usually like rose leaves. They prefer the wild dog rose leaves the best.

My Australian Prickly (Macleays Spectre) stick insects are about six months old and recently their hind legs have turned fully black. Is this a fungal problem resulting from too much moisture or do they typically change colour?
To see some smooth slightly shiny black markings on the back legs of these Australian Macleays Spectre stick insects is normal. However, I have not seen such an insect with legs that are completely black. This variety likes an airy environment and so should be kept in a well-ventilated cage and not a humid one. The fungal problem that can affects this species manifests itself in the form of sand-like granules on the underside of the abdomen, so be very concerned if you see these because this is fatal for the stick insect. Australian Macleays Spectre do darken as they get old, for them this is usually when they are around 11 months old.

MYTH EXPLODED

MYTH: "The classification of stick insects is hard for university students to comprehend."

WRONG! A university student should be able to quite easily grasp the concept of stick insects being animals and so are in the Kingdom Animalia. They are jointed and without backbones and so are in the Phylum Arthropoda. They have six legs and three body parts and so are in the Class Insecta. Their physical characteristics place them in the Order Phasmida. Then, according to detailed physical similarities they are assigned into a Genus and then into a Species.

Could you tell me if a millipede (about six inches long) and a stick insect could live together in the same cage? Also, the cage is approximately 8 inches tall by 16 inches wide. Can they live in the same habitat?
A cage which is 8" (20cm) tall is far too small to house either stick insects or millipedes. Both these creatures need to climb and should be kept in cages more than twice as tall. For example the BSP is 18" (45cm) high. Millipedes prefer less-ventilated conditions and so need the Ventilation Control Panels attaching. Generally, it's not a good idea to mix stick insects and millipedes. This is because millipedes need a water dish full of water and there is a risk that small stick insects could drop into the water and drown.

Can a leaf insect go in the same cage as a a stick insect?
Yes, a lot of people keep stick insects and leaf insects in the same cage. The BSP is ideal housing for both stick insects and leaf insects.

My snails are really liking their new Professional Snail Centre XL. My question is can I pick up some more of the special cleaner at the Cambridge insect show on Sunday June 13th?
Yes, Small-Life Supplies will have bottles of the special Snail Centre Cleaner for sale at this popular two-day insect and nature event in central Cambridge. The Snail Centre Cleaner is currently being supplied with a free cleaning sponge.

I bought six Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) last year, and they are all laying a lot of eggs. What would be the easiest and the least cruel way to get rid of the eggs?
Birds and fish can eat surplus stick insect eggs; in the wild most stick insect eggs are eaten by predators. This is why each stick insect can lay hundreds of eggs because in Nature most do not survive.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "Peruvian Black stick insects eat privet so you need to get to a nursery and buy a potted privet plant for them to eat"
WRONG! It is very risky buying a potted privet plant from a nursery because most have been treated with pesticides. These chemicals remain in the leaves of the plant (they cannot be washed off) and will kill any insect that eats the leaves. Eventually, usually after 12 months, the chemicals leach out, and it is only at that stage that the leaves can be given to the stick insects.

How many legs do stick insects have?
Six, like all insects. If a stick insect loses a leg, the stick insect can re-grow another leg at its next skin-change. You can receive regular information on insects by subscribing to "The Bug File" - this is currently being sent out by post every two weeks.

As a retired biology teacher, I was aghast when I flicked through a new Usbourne Bug Book on a stall at a fete at the weekend. The content had so many mistakes, such as saying a praying mantis can swivel its head all the way round and that all butterflies emerge after two weeks.
Of course, there have always been some mistakes, but incorrect information in science books aimed at primary age children and their teachers does seem to have got noticeably worse in recent years. There is a campaign to try to address this problem - qualified chemists, physicists and biologists are all concerned how bad things are; some of these books are being written by people who clearly have no knowledge or understanding on the subject they are writing about.

We currently have a batch of Indian stick insect eggs that are waiting to hatch. Please can you advise if I can feed them Golden Privet leaves when they hatch or must I use Green Privet?
Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) need to eat green privet (Ligustrum vulgare). Do not buy a privet bush from a garden centre, because it may have been treated with pesticides and these will kill the stick insects. So you need to look for green privet hedges; these are most commonly found in the gardens of houses built in the 1930s. Baby stick insects like to eat leaves that are slightly wet.

We have some Thorny stick insects as office pets and I am struggling to find a definitive answer on how long this species lives for. Our ladies are now nine months, how long can we expect them to live for please?
Most stick insects live about one year. I'm not sure what species you have - stick insects are usually named after their native country. Yours may be the Sabah (Aretaon asperrimus) or the Giant Sabah (Trachyaretaon brueckneri). Sabah is a state in Borneo.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "Snails like to burrow so you must have loads of soil at the bottom of the tank."
WRONG! Whilst snails do burrow to bury their eggs or if they are very cold, the rest of the time, snails climb and rest under the lid of the tank. So that is why it is so important to put a soft Liner underneath, for if the snail falls, it is important that the impact is cushioned so it won't break its shell. So instead of using soil as the substrate, use a soft Liner instead.

I was told Small-Life Supplies is a good supplier of stick insects and wondered if you could send them to me in Ireland? (I live in Dublin).
Yes, Small-Life Supplies sends stick insects and cages to Ireland, using an express delivery service. Just let us know what you're thinking of buying and we'll email you the delivery charge.

I had acquired what I believe to be Baculum thaii eggs. They have recently hatched. I have bramble in the tank but I am worried as in two days I have not seen them or seen signs of them having fed. I understand possibly that their bite marks may be too small for me to see but I still think I would have personally observed them feeding by now.
Newly hatched Thailand stick insects (Baculum thaii) are very small and like to cluster on the tips of bramble sprigs to feed. They eat very little and so it is not surprising that you have not observed bite marks or witnessed them feeding. Thailand stick insects do best in airy cages and so yours would do much better if kept in the Bug Studio Professional rather than a tank. It's really important to spray the bramble leaves very lightly with water once a day because baby stick insects need to drink.

My daughter, who already has four Indian stick insects, was recently given another. However, I'm not entirely sure that this 'newcomer' is an Indian one. Whereas her stick insect are long, green and, when handled, their body stays in a straight position, the new one is greeny/brown, with darker lines running horizontally across the body and, when handled, it curls the end of its body up just like a scorpion. Would you have any idea what species it could be? And, if it is not an Indian, what habitat and food it needs?
The newcomer does not sound like an Indian stick insect. The easiest way for me to identify it is for you to email a photo of it. This can be sent to our Facebook page; here is the link: www.facebook.com/dorothy.floyd You really need to know what type it is so that you know what to feed it and what sort of ventilation requirements it's housing needs to provide.

How many newly hatched baby Indian stick insects can you keep in a QBOX or equivalent space? Is it normal for them to appear to 'fight' (when reintroduced to box after cleaning out and replacing food)?
You can keep up to twelve newly hatched Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) in a QBOX, and up to six second instar Indian stick insects in a QBOX. Second instar means they have completed their first skin-change. It is normal for them to walk over each other; occasionally this leads to a slight scuffle but I wouldn't call it fighting. If they look as thought they are actually fighting they could either be overcrowded or in urgent need of more water. The leaves should be lightly sprayed with water before being placed in the QBOX.

MYTH EXPLODED

MYTH: "Keep Giant African Land Snails in a tank on compost with a heat mat underneath, spray them regularly and feed them on cuttlefish, lettuce and cucumber."

WRONG! Nothing about this is correct. Giant African Land Snails (Achatina fulica) do best in clean conditions and so need a soft replaceable Liner on the floor. They need rinsed out hen eggshells for extra calcium (avoid cuttlefish because it is too high in salt). Lettuce and cucumber are well known to cause health problems in snails because of their high pesticide residues; so feed snails with carrot, potato, sweet potato and melon instead. Do not spray snails; instead give them a dish of cold tap water to drink. And instead of a stuffy tank, that is difficult to clean, Giant African Land Snails do much better in the Professional Snail Centre, regularly cleaned using the Professional Snail Centre Cleaner. Heat mats should not be used because they can cause the snails to grow too quickly; the only time heat mats can be useful is during severe winters, if the snails are in a room where the heating is turned off at night.

My Giant African Land Snails are loving their Professional Snail Centre XL. I'm trying to vary their food and was wondering if these snails would eat melon and leeks?
Giant African Land Snails do not like leeks. They do like melons. Of the three types of melon commonly available, the snails like Watermelon the best, then Honeydew melon then Cantaloupe melon the least.

We had our first hatchling Indian stick insect yesterday and I'm worried about her. Both her back legs and rear abdomen are stuck fast inside her egg and she isn't feeding at all. I've put some ivy in her mesh habitat, but she ignores it and just climbs up the side and stays there. The back of her abdomen looks a bit withered.
It's really important that newly hatched Indian stick insects are not kept in mesh habitats. This is because these conditions are too dry. For best results, keep baby Indian stick insects in a closed container, such as the QBOX, and give them wet privet leaves to eat. When they outgrow the QBOX, that is the time they should be transferred to an airy enclosure. The BSP, Bug Studio Professional, is much better than a mesh habitat because it has clear sides so you can easily see the stick insects.

I have ten Indian stick insects, and I do not know if they have started laying eggs yet. At what age do they normally start laying eggs, and what will I be looking for when they do?
Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) start to lay eggs when they are fully grown (after five months). This is when they are 11cm long and have red tops to their front legs. The eggs are round and brown with yellow lids. Photos and more information are in the book "Keeping Stick Insects" by Dorothy Floyd.

Many thanks for the Vapourer caterpillars, they are brilliant and one has cocooned already. We shouldn't put air holes in the lid should we? Amy has enjoyed them so much I think we'll be getting some of your other kinds and the garden is already changing so we can try to keep them near when they fly. Do you have any advice about plants for caterpillars?
The cocoons will be fine in the QBOX, so no, do not punch air holes in the lid. British Vapourer Caterpillars eat bramble leaves and hawthorn leaves and so you could plant some of those in your garden. Our next British caterpillars, which will be sent in May and June 2010, all eat stinging nettle leaves. It is best to plant stinging nettle leaves in a sunny place in your garden.

Just checking that the Potted Eucalyptus plants you supply are safe for my Australian stick insects to eat? Also, my son's primary school may want some for their nature area. Do you supply schools?
Our Potted Eucalyptus plants have been grown specially over the last year and so yes, they are safe for stick insects to eat. They are now about one metre tall and so are a good size and great value for money. However, we now have less than a hundred left and once these have been sold, the next batch won't be ready for another year. We supply schools all over mainland UK and so yes, if your son's primary school would like to place an order, they should fax over an official school order to us on 01949 843036.

I know that Indian stick insects shouldn't be fed new growth bramble leaves but only the darker older leaves. Is there a rule of thumb for when it's safe to start using the new season's growth? Old leaves in appetising condition are getting harder to find!
At this time of year, it's best to avoid the small new growth for all stick insects, not just Indian stick insects. This is because the very small new shoots can contain toxins which can harm insects that eat them. Some stick insects have the sense to avoid eating these shoots but others eat them and suffer. As a rule of thumb, the leaves are safe to eat when each part of the three-part leaf is about 4cm long. In the meantime, search for the darker green older leaves.

I have five Peruvian Black stick insects (Peruphasma schultei) in a BSP. The largest one has become ill over the past week. It started with it being unsteady on it's feet and now keeps falling on its back and not being able to turn back over. The privet was from a potted privet I purchased about seven months ago, I usually take them from a large bush in the garden. This is the first time I've kept stick insects.
Unfortunately the potted privet has damaged the nervous system of the stick insect and it will die. The classic signs of pesticide poisoning are loss of co-ordination, as you describe. Pesticides remain active in the soil of potted plants for at least one year and so you need to remove the plant and give your other stick insects privet from the garden immediately.

For my birthday I'm getting an Indian stick insect and I don't know what I need to put in the tank I'm going to keep it in. Would you please tell me what I need.
You really need to get more than one stick insect because they like company and do best in small groups. Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) are a very good choice but rather than a tank, they need a tall airy cage with ventilated sides. Our Starting Out Kit includes the proper BSP cage and four Indian stick insects. Other things you need are a Sprig Pot to keep the privet fresh and Liners to keep the cage clean. Everything is included in the Starting Out Kit, even the "Keeping Stick Insects" book which has a whole section on Indian stick insects and colour photos showing you what the eggs look like.

I adopted six Indian stick bugs about a month and a half ago. I now only have three left. I thought they may be getting too dry so I tried to put in a mister on a timer and I have been putting their eggs in a box with dirt and a cloth top and drainage holes. Am I giving them too much water?
Yes, they Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) don't need this amount of water, and neither do their eggs. For best results, Indian stick insects should be kept in a tall airy cage. The privet leaves can be misted every day or so, but some people mist the leaves weekly without any adverse effects. However, if it is very hot (over 25 degrees Celsius) you do need to mist daily. Ideally you should be keeping Indian stick insects cooler than this, typically at a daytime temperature of around 18 degrees Celsius. Indian stick insect eggs should be kept dry, in a QBOX with the lid on.

I have a female Australian prickly stick insect, (Extatosoma tiaratum), and in the last couple weeks she has given me lots of eggs, so far we are up to 48. I was just wondering how many I should be expecting? She does not have a male companion, I don't know if that makes the difference in how many eggs they give?
Lone female Australian prickly stick insects, usually called Australian Macleays Spectre stick insects, do lay fewer eggs than mated females. They lay a few eggs every day for several months, so you should get several hundred eggs altogether. Unfertilised eggs are slower to hatch than fertilised ones and the hatching rate is not as high, so I'd advise keeping all the eggs. If you do get more hatching than you need, you can always off-load surplus Australian stick insects to Simon at the Culture Club because this species is always in high demand. Simon can be contacted via Small-Life Supplies.

MYTH EXPLODED

MYTH: "Schools that Release Painted Ladies will help increase the butterfly population in the UK long-term."

WRONG! The sale of Painted Lady Butterfly Kits to schools will not increase the butterfly population in the UK long-term because Painted Lady Butterflies are not British! To increase the butterfly population in the UK long-term you need to be releasing native British butterflies, that will lay eggs in the wild that will hatch into caterpillars that will survive in the UK and produce the next generation of butterflies. Small-Life Supplies breed and supply British Caterpillar Kits for this purpose. Other suppliers choose to market the Painted Lady Butterfly Kits because they come with artificial food. However, our British Caterpillar Kits are supplied with fresh leaves or you can pick your own (nettle leaves, cabbage leaves, bramble leaves, depending on the species of caterpillar).

I'd like some butterflies for school; I had your Comma caterpillars last year and they were a great success. Do you have any caterpillars for sale now? I'd need them sending after 19th April.
The British Vapourer Caterpillar Kits are being dispatched at the moment. We hope to have a few left to send after 19th April but already lots have been reserved so if you want some delivering then, please order soon. The Comma caterpillar kits should be available a bit later.

My Indian stick insects got an infestation of greenfly. It occurred to me that ladybugs eat greenfly so my question is can you put ladybugs in with stick insects?"
Ladybugs (called ladybirds in Britain) do eat greenfly. And so you could put them in your stick insect cage to help reduce the numbers of greenfly in there. However, this is not a great solution because the greenfly will be leaving sticky residues inside the cage which makes the cage unsightly and also pose a sticking hazard for the legs of small stick insects as well as their antennae. So it's better to remove all the bramble, wash out the cage and replenish with fresh bramble which has no greenfly on.

I was looking at the Aretaon asperrimus stick insects on another website and they list the alternative name as "do not touch me stick insect". Had you heard this? I see you call them Sabah stick insects.
They are wrong. The "do not touch me stick insect" is another species, taken from the Latin name Dares nolimetangere, in Latin "noli-me-tangere" means "not-me-touch", or "don't touch me". The Dares nolimetangere (from Sarawak) is a much smaller species than the Sabah stick insect (Aretaon asperrimus), and is very spiky, hence its name.

My stick insect has only four legs and a bent back. Could you tell me what to do or give me a humane way to kill it.
I am dismayed that some people are boasting on forums about how they kill their stick insects. This is not acceptable behaviour. Stick insects are living creatures and should not be killed by their owners. If a stick insect loses a leg it can regenerate a new leg at the next skin-change. If a stick insect has lost several legs, it can regenerate several legs at the next skin-change. If the stick insect does not want to do this, it refuses to eat and dies within a few days. So I think you should look after your stick insect and see what it decides to do.

We have Indian stick insects who are fed on bramble and misted every couple of days. Recently we have had four who have moulted and only had two or three legs after the moult. The bramble is collected from wild areas, not near roads. It is washed before being put in the tank. The tank is cleaned out every week.
Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) should not be losing legs like this. The fact they are losing legs at skin-changes suggests the housing conditions are not correct. Being kept in a tank and sprayed is going to make the surroundings too humid for this species. Indian stick insects do much better in an airy cage with through-draught ventilation, such as the BSP. Healthy Indian stick insects should have green bodies; if their bodies are brown they are being kept in surroundings with not enough air-flow.

MYTH EXPLODED

MYTH: "Buddleia and nettles are pretty universal for a lot of caterpillars to eat"

WRONG! Nettle leaves are eaten by caterpillars of the "Vanessid" family of butterflies which include the colourful Peacock, Small tortoiseshell and Red Admiral butterflies. The Buddleia bushes have fragrant flowers that these Vanessid butterflies obtain the nectar from. So although essential for the Vanessid butterflies, buddleia and nettle leaves are certainly not a universal food for caterpillars in general. Indeed many caterpillars of butterflies and moths are quite specific in what leaves they eat, contrary to what is implied in the "Very Hungry Caterpillar" book!

Saw Richard Hammond on the telly explaining about surface tension and "water striders". Did he mean pond skaters?
Yes, in the UK we call these insects pond skaters. They use their short front legs to seize prey, their long middle legs like oars and their back legs as rudders. The Common Pondskater (Gerris lacustris) is widespread across Britain.

My Giant Sabahs (Trachyaretaon brueckneri) have all died suddenly. I've heard this can happen with this species but I'd like to know if you think I've done something wrong. They literally seemed to die in the space of a few days and started going "crispy" on the cage floor.
Unfortunately such sudden death can happen with Giant Sabah stick insects and is upsetting. Typically the entire cage of insects dies in a manner you describe. I think you have just been unlucky here; if the stick insects had been poisoned you would see them jerking. The fact their bodies remained crispy and did not go mushy rules out an infection that occurs if you were keeping them too humid. Because of the relatively high incidence of this sudden death, we do not recommend Giant Sabah stick insects for people just starting out keeping stick insects.

I live in the Sacred Valley located in the Peruvian Andes. I found a stick insect in my yard and would like to keep it in my collection for education. My problem is that I have had it for two days now and can't figure out what it will eat.
Unfortunately I'm only familiar with two species of Peruvian stick insect. The Peruvian Fern stick insect (Oreophoetes peruana) eats fern leaves (Dryopteris felix-mas) and the Peruvian Black stick insect (Peruphasma schultei) eats privet leaves (Ligustrum vulgare). I suggest you keep trying various leaves (spray them with water first). Stick insects nibble from the edge of the leaf. They do not eat very much and so you need to examine the edges of the leaves carefully to see if any have been eaten.

I have four Indian stick insects which have now started to lay eggs. I would like to hatch just a few of the eggs in order to observe the different stages of growth. Could you tell me, please, how I should keep the eggs until they hatch (i.e. do they need spraying with water, or covering, does the container need air holes, etc). When hatched, how should they be kept?
Indian stick insect eggs (Carausius morosus) should be kept dry in a QBOX, which is a small clear container with no air-holes. After four months, the eggs hatch and the babies can be kept in the QBOX (with a fresh slightly wet bramble leaf added) until they are large enough to go into the BSP. This will be when the Indian stick insects are 4-8 weeks old. More details are in the book "Keeping Stick Insects".

I have three Sabah stick insects (Aretaon asperrimus) in a QBOX and I was wondering at what size I should transfer them to the BSP? They are about 3cm long at the moment, including antennae.
It is very important not to transfer stick insects to a large cage too soon. Sabah stick insects should be kept in a QBOX until they have a total length, including antennae, of 4cm. They need room in the QBOX so only keep up to three Sabah stick insects in one QBOX.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "Entomologists don't earn much"
WRONG! Entomology (the study of insects) is a well-paid occupation, partly because it requires the individual to have a lot of patience, good observational and manual dexterity skills, but also to have an academic bent to understand the physiology and behaviour of insects. I saw an advert last week for an entomologist and the salary was £80,000.

I have kept Indian stick insects for a few years and have always fed them on privet. I know that Indian stick insects also eat bramble, but is it possible to change their diet now to bramble or will it upset them as they are used to the privet?
Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) are more adaptable to new foods than other stick insect species and, in addition to privet, can eat bramble (blackberry) leaves, rose leaves, certain types of ivy and the house-plant Maranta tricolor. If using a potted plant, it is essential that it is not grown in compost infused with pesticides (because these will poison the stick insects). Your stick insects should be able to switch to bramble easily.

I've had 14 Giant African Land Snails for a few months and was told to keep them in a plastic tank with peat at the bottom. They never did much, and so I thought I must be doing something wrong. A few weeks ago I transferred them into your Professional Snail Centre and their behaviour changed immediately. They became active and spent most of their time under the roof. I thought this behaviour change might be temporary but I moved them weeks ago and they are still active. It's so easy to see them sliding up the sides. At the moment their shells are about 1.5 inches long. I was wondering if they are going to stay this active or do they slow down as they get older?
If Giant African Land Snails (Achatina fulica) are kept in the correct conditions they will remain active throughout their lives. They are inquisitive creatures and like to see what it happening around them and so should be kept in clean conditions. When your snails outgrow their PSC they can be transferred to the PSCXL which is much larger, being 21 inches across, and has a soil tray for the snails to bury their eggs in.

My Pink Winged stick insect lost one of her back legs and the other back leg is bent so she can hardly use it. She is about 4 weeks old! I really don't want her to die, is there anything I can do? By the way how long would it take its leg to grow back?
Like all stick insects, Pink Winged stick insects (Sipyloidea sipylus) can regenerate lost legs at their next skin-change (ecdysis). The regenerated limb gets larger with successive skin-changes but never attains the full length of the other legs. The bent leg will probably be discarded by the stick insect at its next skin-change and a new regenerated leg will appear at the skin-change after that. Ensure your stick insect has water to drink (mist the bramble leaves daily) and keep it in a purpose-designed airy cage such as the BSP.

I have New Zealand stick insects I was wandering if I could mix them with Australian stick insects.
New Zealand stick insects (Acanthoxyla prasina) do well in airy cages and so yes, you can keep with the Australian Macleays Spectre stick insect (Extatosoma tiaratum).

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "Give Giant African Land Snails crushed up hen eggshells to eat"
WRONG! Giant African Land Snails like to eat the calcium from inside the hen eggshell and need to put their head inside it to do this. So carefully crack the egg open in half, discard the contents, rinse under a cold tap and then place the two empty halves on the soft Liner of the PSC. Replace weekly.

Where do stick insects come from?
Many stick insects are found in the tropical rain forests of Borneo, Sabah, Australia and Thailand. Different species are found in different countries and so that is why stick insects are named after their country of origin, for example the New Guinea stick insect. There are also American and European species of stick insect but these are not as numerous as the tropical species.

I would love to buy and raise some Macleay's Spectre insects here in the US but all the sites that sell eggs seem to be in the UK.
The Macleays Spectre stick insect comes from Australia and has the Latin species name Extatosoma tiaratum. Their eggs can be tricky to hatch and if they do hatch, the young nymphs need to be fed with Eucalyptus gunnii leaves (they can eat bramble leaves when they are older). The US Dept of Agriculture prohibits the import of non-American species and so it is not legal for UK businesses or individuals to send Australian stick insect eggs to the USA.

My daughter has a BSP cage which she got in October last year. She got four Indian stick insects at the same time. Unfortunately, this morning one of her stick insects has died. It was missing an antenna and parts of its legs (debris was found on the floor of the cage). Is it possible that it was involved in a fight with another of the stick insects? The temperature in the room is roughly 18°C.
Fighting is the probable explanation, most likely either with a spider, centipede, or ladybird, or less likely with another stick insect. Fighting between stick insects only occurs when they are very stressed; for example by excessive noise, lack of fresh food or insufficient water. Over-crowding is another trigger but your stick insects are not overcrowded if there are only four in the BSP.

My son had two Indian stick insects and a BSP for Christmas and we recently added two Australian stick insects. Today we found one of each dead in the cage. The privet is from a pot grown plant that we recently transferred to the garden. Is it possible that the pot soil has been treated with insecticide perhaps?
Shop bought potted plants are routinely grown in soil containing long-lasting pesticides, typically with ingredients that are active for 12 months. So, even if you transplant a plant to your garden, it is essential to wait at least a year before harvesting any leaves from it. Taking leaves earlier than this will just kill the stick insects, as you have found, sadly.

I had ten Indian stick insect eggs and so far nine have hatched, however I have had one fatality. The stick insect that died began to get a really bent tail and ended up with its tail completely curled up. There is now another stick insect whose tail is now bent at a right angle to its body. Some people have said that this is what they do before moulting. Is this right or is it dying?
The comment about stick insects bending their tails at right angles before moulting is incorrect. The most common cause of bent tails in young Indian stick insects is through slightly rough handling, so you need to be extra careful when handling them. Very young Indian stick insects should be moved using the tip of an artist's paintbrush.

Are there different types of Giant African Land Snail? I have some shiny patterned ones from you that are doing well in the Professional Snail Centre but I saw some really huge ones in a shop in Leicester that had dull shells with lots of white lines.
There are different species and sub-species of Giant African Land Snail. The East African Land Snails that we breed and supply have been grown slowly and fed a varied diet which is why they have the nice shiny patterned shells. However some suppliers breed snails in very hot conditions which means they grow faster and larger but are not as attractive because their shells appear dull and have lots of crack lines. These really large snails are obviously too large for the Professional Snail Centre, as are the even larger West African Land Snails.

What's all this talk on the radio about insects being high up in the sky about? Something about Rothamstead research?
Dr Jason Chapman from Rothamstead has been in the news lately explaining more about the huge numbers of insects that are travelling up high, out of view, being swept along in the wind streams. He wrote about this phenomenon in The Bug File (Issue 1). He is recording insects between 150m and 1150m in the air. To put this in perspective, London's Canary Wharf is 264m high.

My entire tank of 26 Giant African Land Snails have suddenly died. They were about 2cm long. Their bodies were poking out and then they started to smell and I realised they were all dead. They had fresh cucumber, carrots and potato, eggshells and fresh water.
Unfortunately, sometimes Giant African Land Snails can succumb to an infection which kills them all. They hang out of their shells as you describe and sometimes their eyestalks are swollen. What exactly is causing this remains a mystery, although anecdotal evidence suggests that there may be a link with certain types of cucumber because some previously healthy colonies have all died a few days after being given supermarket-bought cucumber.

I've just emailed to go on your waiting list for caterpillars, I so enjoyed them last year. My question is about the red liquid that the Peacock butterfly releases on emerging from the pupa; does it have a name?
The red liquid is called meconium. It contains the metabolic wastes that have accumulated during the pupal transition. The butterfly squirts it out of its rectum when it flies for the first time. Meconium is not always red; Privet Hawk Moths have cream coloured meconium.

Can I mix Thailand Winged stick insects in the same cage as Pink Winged stick insects? Would they get on?
These stick insects would get on but should not be kept together because their housing requirements are different. Thailand Winged stick insects (Sipyloidea sp) need less-ventilated conditions and so need the Ventilation Control Panel attaching to the outside of the cage to reduce the air-flow. Pink Winged stick insects (Sipyloidea sipylus) need airy conditions and so do well in the BSP or the AFC which have through-draught ventilation.

I saw the photo of your really rare male Indian stick insect on your Facebook page (facebook.com/dorothy,floyd). I was wondering if I could buy some of his eggs?
The reason why these really rare male Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) occur remains a mystery. As far as I know, Indian stick insect males have not been observed to mate, although it would seem logical that they would. Our male is in with a cage of females. If we are lucky enough to see him mate, we will keep the resultant eggs and see if any males emerge from these. However, the chances of witnessing such an event are extremely small and so I think it is very unlikely we will have his eggs for sale.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "Remove all the thorns from the brambles before putting them in the cage, because the stick insects catch their legs on the thorns and lose their legs"
WRONG! Most stick insects are able to navigate on and around bramble thorns and so there is no need to remove the thorns. The exception is the adult female Australian Titan stick insect (Acrophylla wuelfingi). Because her body is so long, at 32cm, she drags it around and it can be impaled by thorns, so if keeping these insects, you need to snip off the large sharp bramble thorns with scissors.

What big stick insects for sale do you have at the moment?
We have two large species of stick insect: the Australian Macleays Spectre (Extatosoma tiaratum) and the Malaysian (Heteropteryx dilatata) available now. In the future we hope to have the 33cm long Australian Titan stick insects (Acrophylla wuelfingi).

I have Giant Sabah stick insects (Trachyaretaon brueckneri). Do females die after laying eggs? Are males aggressive, the remaining male is thriving and allows the babies to clamber on him. Is this safe?
As with other species of stick insect, the females lay a few eggs every day for their adult lives (usually several months, although premature deaths are relatively common in this species). The males are not aggressive and so it is OK for the nymphs to clamber on him.

I am currently getting some Indian stick insects, which other species can be kept in the same tank? Also can leaf insects be kept in the same tank?
Indian stick insects and many leaf insects need a tall airy cage, such as the BSP, and so a tank is not recommended for either because it is too squat and has no side ventilation. You can mix Indian stick insects and leaf insects in the same BSP. And you could add some Thailand and Pink Winged stick insects in there as well.

How many newly hatched baby Indian stick insects can you keep in a QBOX or equivalent space?
A QBOX will comfortably house up to twelve newly hatched Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus). As they grow they can be thinned out, so keep a maximum of six second-instar nymphs in a QBOX. Second-instar means the stick insects have completed their first skin-change.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "Loads of new species of stick insect are being discovered at the moment."
WRONG! New species of stick insect are being discovered all the time, but at a low rate. Some of the alleged "new" species have already been bred in captivity before and some unscrupulous people are re-naming existing species in an attempt to pass them off as new species!

Are Australian Macleays Spectre stick insects also called Giant Prickly Stick Insects? If so, in one of your comments it says feed them on Eucalyptus gunnii leaves when they are born then use bramble leaves. Where can I get Eucalyptus gunnii leaves from and what will happen if I don't manage to get any in time?
Stick insects should be named after their country of origin, but yes, "giant prickly" is another name for the Australian Macleays Spectre stick insects, Latin species name Extatosoma tiaratum. These stick insects and have leafy-looking legs and curl their tails up. When born, they are black with orange heads and are very active. If fed with Eucalyptus gunnii leaves initially the vast majority will live. However, losses are significantly higher if bramble is used, typically the nymphs dying after 7-10 days. Eucalyptus gunnii trees are becoming more common around towns and in gardens and have distinctive silvery green thick leaves.

I have some stick insects which I have had for a month and I was wondering how long they will live for. I am a bit worried because one of the stick insects doesn't move along my hand much and just sticks on the palm of my hand whereas the other moves. Is there anything I should do? I hope shining the lamp over them isn't having a bad effect on them.
I hope you're not permanently shining a light over them. Stick insects do need a daily cycle of light (natural daylight is best) and dark. If your stick insects are fully grown they may live for up to seven months, it all depends how old they were when you got them. Are you housing them in a proper cage and giving them enough fresh food and water? The behaviour of stick insects does vary between individuals and so it is possible that one of your stick insects is naturally more active than the other.

I am thinking of getting some stick insects (black beauty), I wanted to know what they eat and are black beauties the best stick insect to start with?
"Black beauty" stick insects are a small black variety from Peru and are usually called the Peruvian Black stick insect, Latin name Peruphasma schultei. They do best in a tall airy cage such as the BSP. They are fussy eaters, only eating privet leaves, and so it is essential you have a privet hedge so you can feed them. Rather than these small stick insects, I would recommend the Indian stick insect as being a better type to start with because Indian stick insects, Carausius morosus are easier to feed (eating privet and bramble) and better to handle.

I got some stick insects cheap off ebay and was told they were Diapherodes gigantea and to feed them bramble. They all died. Since then I found out they need eucalyptus. Is this why they died?
Unfortunately this large lime green stick insect from Grenada, does need to eat eucalyptus in order to thrive. As with everything, apparent "bargains" can prove to be costly mistakes and unfortunately in this case your stick insects have perished because you were given the wrong information.

I have recently had a batch of Thailand stick insects hatch out and was wondering how do I tell if they are male or female when they are only about a month to two months old?
Thailand stick insects (Baculum thaii) are quite small when they hatch and even after a couple of skin changes it is tricky to differentiate between the genders. At that size the females tend to be fatter, but of course you can get some fat looking males and some thinner females. Another difference is the underside of the abdomen, at the tip. The male can have a dark bump there but sometimes it is green and so is difficult to see unless your eyesight is very good.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "A 30cm spring up mesh habitat is suitable for keeping stick insects."
WRONG! Stick insects should be kept in cages at least 46cm high. This is because when they grow, stick insects slide downwards out of their old skins and need a lot of height to be able to do this. Keeping stick insects in cages that are only 30cm high is not recommended because they won't have enough room to grow properly.

I was a little worried about my Indian stick insects. One hatched a few hours ago and she can't seem to get her leg out of her egg and I was wondering whether there is anything I can do to help her?
There is no problem if an Indian stick insect (Carausius morosus) has an eggshell attached to a leg. She simply carries it around like a "ball and chain" and the eggshell is discarded at the first skin-change. Do not try to intervene because this may result in the stick insect panicking and throwing her leg off.

I have four Indian stick insects which are about two months old and was having difficulty getting privet for them so bought a potted ivy plant. I came home today to find one upside down and unable to turn around so have now put her back on her feet and she is struggling to walk.
Unfortunately the potted ivy plant contains pesticides in the soil and these have poisoned your stick insect (lack of co-ordination is the classic symptom) and so she will die. It is so important to never put bought potted plants inside the cage because most are grown in soils containing pesticides. These poisons are taken up by the plant from the roots, up through the stems and into the leaves, which the stick insects, unable to detect the danger, then eat. If you cannot obtain privet, bramble (blackberry) leaves are a good alternative and Fresh Cut Bramble can be bought from Small-Life Supplies.

I was wondering if Macleays Spectres get on with Jungle Nymphs ?
No, because they require different conditions. Macleays Spectre stick insects (Extatosoma tiaratum) need large airy cages, whereas Jungle Nymphs, which are usually called Malaysian stick insects (Heteropteryx dilatata) need less ventilated conditions. To achieve less-ventilated conditions, just attach the Ventilation Control Panel around the outside of the cage.

I live in Norway and am getting some Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus). What leaves could I feed them on?
There are lots of people in Norway keeping Indian stick insects. Lemon balm is widely available in Norway and is a suitable food for Indian stick insects.

Would stick insects and African land snails be all right in a tank together?
No. Stick insects need a tall cage, at least 46cm high with mesh sides that they can get a good foothold on and climb. African land snails need a smooth-sided container that is easy to clean and with reduced ventilation. The Professional Snail Centre lifts upwards, leaving the base behind, so it is easy to clean.

My daughter has just received five 'Black beauty' Peruvian stick insects. Please can you tell me whether they can eat bramble as well as privet leaves?
No. The stick insects your daughter has are usually called the Peruvian Black stick insects and have the Latin name Peruphasma shultei. They only eat privet leaves. These stick insects like an airy cage and do well in the Bug Studio Professional.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "You can't suddenly change the diet of Indian stick insects."
WRONG! Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) are very adaptable and so can easily switch from, for example, a diet of privet leaves to a diet of bramble leaves. Like all animals, some individual stick insects can be fussy, but the majority will eat the alternative leaves without hesitation.

I see that you provide fresh cut bramble by post, I was wondering if you supply privet and guava leaves too?
Small-Life regularly sends out Fresh Cut Bramble by first class post. Most stick insects eat bramble leaves and a generous amount is dispatched. We don't supply fresh privet sprigs because cut privet does not last as long as cut bramble, and the Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) that eat privet, will also eat bramble leaves. Guava leaves are fed to leaf insects; we don't breed leaf insects and so do not grow guava.

Would keeping and breeding Indian stick insects trigger my asthma?
Stick insects are not furry and so should not trigger asthma attacks. I often recommend that stick insects are ideal pets for people with asthma. In fact a few years back, the publication "A is for Asthma" carried a feature promoting the keeping of stick insects to people who have asthma.

I don't understand your comment about not feeding crickets to mantids. Crickets are grasshoppers right? Where's the harm?
No, crickets are not grasshoppers. There are different types of cricket, the "bush-crickets" look a bit similar to grasshoppers but there are major anatomical differences, such as the fact bush-crickets have long antennae whereas grasshoppers have short antennae. However, the most important difference regarding their suitability as food for mantids is the fact that grasshoppers are vegetarian whereas all crickets can eat insects. This means whilst it is safe to give a mantid a grasshopper to eat, it is unwise to give a mantid a cricket to eat because the cricket can attack and eat the mantid. We often receive calls from people very upset because their pet mantid has been killed by a cricket sold to them as "live food".

Is in-breeding a problem for giant African land snails (Achatina fulica)?
We are not noticing any problems. Our Giant African Land Snails continue to grow well and have nicely patterned shells. In-breeding is much less of a problem for lower organisms such as insects and snails than it is with more complex animals such as humans.

When should I order for Christmas? I'd like an AFC cage and some Thailand stick insects for my son.
The AFC cage is proving to be very popular and so you should order now and request "Christmas delivery" on the order form. We'll put one aside for you and then let you know in advance what day the items shall be delivered. We'll delay dispatch till nearer Christmas; the latest we dispatch stick insects is the week before Christmas.

I have two Sabah thorny stick insects and both are still relatively small in size (approx 5 - 6cm). When and where do they lay eggs and how do I spot them? I have them in a mesh cage and feed them bramble and there is a thick layer of kitchen roll on the bottom as a substrate.
Sabah stick insects (Aretaon asperrimus) are one of the smaller types of stick insect. When adult, they mate and then the female buries her dark grey/brown oval eggs in a pot of dry sand. Sabah stick insects prefer less-ventilated conditions and so you need to modify your mesh cage to block off some of the air-flow. Stick insects do best in clean conditions and so the floor covering should be replaced weekly. There is no need for a thick layer of kitchen roll; a single layer will do.

My latest generation of Indian stick insects are about three months old and are living with their adult "sisters" in a BSP. They are fed privet & bramble which is misted daily. Whereas all previous ecdysis has been completed successfully, their recent moult has been difficult - two have lost a leg and one died due to not being able to climb out of its skin. Could this be related to them being "misted" too enthusiastically whilst we were away & being too humid for a week or so? The adults also look rather brown.
Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) vary in colour, but generally most should be green. If the majority are brown it indicates they are too humid. So I'd advise misting the leaves less generously and less frequently. If the conditions are too humid, this will cause problems with skin-changes, as you have observed.

I'd really like to buy my sister a BSP cage but money's tight and I've only got 22 pounds. I live in Grantham and so am quite near to you; I was wondering do you ever sell any cut-price cages?
Yes, we do have some cut-price BSP cages. These are new but are reduced in price because they are slightly marked. On Sunday 6th December between 2pm and 6pm we will have an Open Day and will be selling these cut-price BSP cages at just £20. We're even including a free Sprig Pot! If you'd like to reserve one to collect, please phone Small-Life Supplies on 01949 842446.

My two grandchildren will be visiting for Christmas and I'd like to buy Thomas an Indian stick insect kit and and Lucy an African snail kit . Could these items be delivered Christmas week? If not, when do you start taking bookings for your Christmas Collection day on 20th December?
All living creatures are sent by express delivery and we finish deliveries the week before Christmas. We do not dispatch living creatures during Christmas week because we are concerned that they may be subject to delay due to the large volumes of parcels being processed. So, we could deliver the kits to you the week before Christmas, or you are welcome to collect the items on Sunday 20th December. We are already making appointments and so please phone 01949 842446 as soon as possible so we can book you in and reserve the items for you.

I enjoyed your Open Day yesterday and I have now decided I'd like an AFC cage for my husband for Christmas. Will you be having another Open Day nearer to Christmas or would I need to have it sent?
This is a very busy time for us because lots of people want to buy insect cages and kits for Christmas. And so we will be having two Open Days in December; the dates are the 6th and 20th December. At the Open Days we will have lots of BSP cages and also the premier aluminium AFC cage. I'd recommend calling us to reserve an AFC because these do look very nice and are proving to be popular with people who want to treat themselves and loved ones for Christmas.

Are there any different food plants for Borneo stick insects and Sabah stick insects apart from bramble?
Bramble (blackberry) leaves seem to be the best foodplant for these species of stick insect. There are lots of types of bramble; both Borneo and Sabahs seem to prefer the bramble with thick thorny stems that are two-tone in colour (half green, half purple) and with thick leaves. These stick insects do not do as well if given the thinner, more shiny, bramble leaves to eat.

We have just had a baby leaf insect hatch and are wondering if it is OK to have it in the cage with the adult phasmid. Do adults eat the babies?
Baby leaf insects can be kept in the same cage as the adults. Adult stick and leaf insects do not eat their young. Most leaf insects do best in a large airy cage such as the BSP.

Can you keep Indian stick insect nymphs in a faunarium with giant African snails?
No, they need to be housed separately because they require different conditions. Newly hatched Indian stick insect nymphs do best in the QBOX, larger Indian stick insect nymphs do best in a large airy cage such as the BSP. Giant African Land Snails need a Water Dish and a cage that is designed to be easily cleaned; the Professional Snail Centre is the proper housing for snails.

I have a lot of leaf insect eggs which have been hatching over the last couple of weeks. They won't eat the bramble and hawthorn I give them and die after a few days. I see them drinking but don't know what to do.
Most leaf insects do best on guava leaves and so you need to try and get hold of those. Most types of bramble are not suitable for leaf insects long-term. Some types of bramble are tolerated by larger leaf insects, but guava is a better foodplant.

Is it possible to keep leaf insects (Phyllium siccifolium) in the same tank as Indian stick insects?
Leaf insects and Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) both do best in a well-ventilated cage, such the Bug Studio Professional (BSP). They can be mixed together. A tank is not the best environment for either or both of them because it is not airy or tall enough.

We have seven stick insects of varying size. The smallest seems to have lost two legs on one side. I'm sure I'm not imagining it - I think she may be growing stumps back? Is this possible, and will she end up with two functioning legs?
Yes, stick insects can regrow legs, this process is called leg regeneration. The legs do not grow back gradually; instead they appear following a skin-change. At first the regenerated legs are tiny, but they get larger with each successive skin-change that the stick insect undergoes.

I have a lot of Indian stick insect eggs from my laying adults, I don't know what to do with them as I don't have space for all of them in my cage. What should I do?
In Nature, stick insects lay so many eggs because most will be eaten by predators. So you can mimic Nature and feed the eggs to birds, fish and reptiles. Another option is to distribute the surplus eggs to friends. If you still have spare eggs, you can stop them from developing by putting them in a bowl of hot water, soon after they have been laid. Do not save too many eggs because it is important that you are able to look after the stick insects properly; it would be unkind to be overcrowding your stick insects.

Thank you so much for your great advice on cleaning snail slime off the Professional Snail Centre with lemon juice. It works a treat! Why does lemon juice do the job so much better than washing up liquid?
Dried snail slime contains calcite (calcium carbonate). This is broken down quickly by the acid in lemon juice. Detergent is designed to be oleophilic to fats and greases and hydrophilic to water, but is not acidic.

MYTH EXPLODED

MYTH: "Buy twelve Australian Macleays Spectre stick insect eggs now and look forward to them hatching."

WRONG! Such adverts are very misleading because they give no indication if the eggs have been fertilised and when they are due to hatch (it could take as long as six months). Also, it does not make it clear that this is not an easy species to hatch out. Even if you are lucky and see some hatchlings, it is important to feed Australian Macleays Spectre stick insects on Eucalyptus gunnii leaves for the first few weeks of their lives. (They can be switched to bramble later but need eucalyptus initially).

The Professional Snail Centre is great - I can't believe how active my snails now are! Those grey Liners are great too - will I be able to buy more when I need to?
Since the launch of the Professional Snail Centre last week, many customers have been amazed at how active their snails have become. Instead of being stuck at the bottom in peat, the snails are climbing the sides and resting under the lift-off roof. You will be able to but more soft, absorbent grey Liners.

With the BSP cage having holes in all sides and not one side with plain clear plastic I am concerned the viewing will be limited looking through the holes? Is this true?
No, actually the visibility is superb. At the London insect show last weekend, we had lots of BSPs, with insects in, for sale and many people were very complimentary about them. Indeed the contrast between how easily you can see the stick insects in a BSP compared to how difficult it is to see them in one of those black netting pop-up enclosures couldn't have been more obvious. The proof of the BSPs popularity is reflected in sales; we sold every single one of the BSPs we took to sell!

I have 2 Pink winged and 5 Indians in the same cage (BSP). I have 4 Sabahs in another cage (BSP) and two Jungle Nymphs in a BXL. My partner has just bought 2 leaf insects small nymphs and 2 Macleays Spectre nymphs. Can any of these breeds be put together?
It is best to keep the Jungle nymphs, also known as the Malaysian stick insects, separately from other types, and so keep these by themselves in the BXL. Leaf insects like a lot of air-flow and so you could put these in the BSP housing the Pink Winged and Indian stick insects. That cage is then full. You'd really need another BSP to house the Macleays Spectre because this variety gets large and the males like to fly.

Please could you tell me for how long a female Malaysian Heteropteryx dilatata stops feeding before a final moult - mine has stopped feeding for almost two weeks and she still hasn't moulted - I'm slightly anxious something has gone wrong!
Two weeks is a very long time and so I think you need to give her one flick on the head to trigger the moulting process. This is an extreme action which should only be done in these desperate situations. I have had great success with this technique as have others who have employed it.

Can you keep Thailand stick insects in a Bug-XL-Cage?
Yes, Thailand stick insects (Baculum thaii) like a well-ventilated cage and do well in the BXL. You could also keep the New Thailand (Baculum sp), Pink Winged (Sipyloidea sipylus) and Indian (Carausius morosus) in there, but obviously not too many in one cage.

MYTH EXPLODED

MYTH: "Don't bother spending money on snail equipment, they manage fine in cheap storage boxes."

WRONG! Pet snails deserve to be kept properly, and so thought should be given to how to house them properly. Cheap storage boxes have not been designed as snail homes and are not ideal. They are difficult to see into and the moulded design of the storage box does not provide the correct ventilation or facilitate easy cleaning. The Professional Snail Centre has crystal clear sides, a detachable base and has been specially designed for maintaining healthy and active snails.

I've been looking at various stick insect cages and want to buy the BSP. I live in Yorkshire and wondered if the BSP could be delivered to my granddaughter in Surrey?
Yes, this is easy to arrange. Just fill in your granddaughter's address as the delivery address when you order.

What is the difference between the Parapachymorpha spinosa stick insect and the Parapachymorpha zomproi stick insect?
Both these species originate from Thailand but look completely different. The Parapachymorpha spinosa is commonly called the Thailand Miniature stick insect and, as the name suggests, are very small stick insects. Their eggs are orange and tiny, being only 1mm in diameter! The Parapachymorpha zomproi is a much larger brown stick insect, with striking black markings, pale legs and leafy protuberances on the legs. This is an easy species to breed and so is becoming more commonly available.

I'm from London and would love to see your cages to help me decide which to buy. Does Small-Life do presentations in London?
Yes, Small-Life Supplies does do presentations around the country, including pet shop promotions, university presentations and various exhibitions, ranging from large trade fairs to green festivals. Small-Life Supplies will have a stall at the forthcoming insect fair, to be held at Kempton Park Racecourse in Surrey. This is an indoor event on Saturday 17th Oct 2009, starting at 11am. This event is open to the public, there is an entry fee, and there are lots of stalls selling insect books, equipment and livestock.

When keeping Borneo stick insects together with Sabah stick insects should I put a dish of water in for the Sabah stick insects or could this harm the Borneo stick insects?
Sabah stick insects (Aretaon asperrimus) only really need to drink from the Water Dish when they are adults and so you should delay putting it in the BSP until the Sabah stick insects are fully grown. Borneo stick insects (Phenacephorus cornucervi) can drown easily and so when it is time to use the Water Dish for the Sabahs, only fill it one third full so there is no risk of the Borneo stick insects drowning.

I am a second grade teacher and have a number of walking sticks that my class will be caring for and studying. I want them to separate the eggs from the waste and other debris. Do the children need to wear gloves when doing this?
The best way to separate stick insect eggs from the droppings and waste (this mixture is called frass) is to use a fine artist's paintbrush. Carefully flick the eggs into a QBOX and put on a label with the species name and date the eggs were laid (to help you predict when they'll hatch). Gloves are not necessary and the children would learn more by handling the eggs and paying attention to the texture of the eggs. Obviously the children should wash their hands with soap and water after sorting eggs; this is standard hygiene and should be normal procedure after handling any creature or its eggs.

I am a first year student, my course is biology, and I want to find more about insecticides. I thought The Bug File might be useful; what do you think?
The Bug File covers lots of insect topics, and provides useful overviews of complex issues such as insecticides. At university, it can be easy to get bogged down in detail without really understanding the bigger picture. So, yes, The Bug File is a very useful aide to university students such as yourself because the topics are written in a clear concise manner by experts. The Bug File also contains the latest news, for example on the insecticide imidacloprid, and so reading it will give you the edge over your fellow students.

MYTH EXPLODED

MYTH: "The best medium for teaching insects to students is the television."

WRONG! Although TV can be a good educational tool, particularly in depicting close-up recordings of insect behaviour and anatomy, it is not the best tool. The best way of learning about insects is to experience direct observation of the actual living insects in front of you. It is essential for students to have "hands-on" experience with living insects, and not just learn about them from pictures and video.

It's my girlfriend's 21st coming up and I want to treat her to a really nice stick insect cage. She's got Australian Macleays Spectre stick insects at the moment so I'd need to buy a large stick insect cage - which one would you recommend for about 200 quid?
The AFC is a great stick insect cage. It is large and has a polished aluminium frame which makes it look really smart and expensive. It's easy to get into because it has a front opening lockable door and the visibility is excellent. It has two aluminium mesh sides and the price suits your budget. The AFC is supplied ready built and so you could wrap it up nicely as a gift.

I have kept Indian stick insects for a while in my BSP and feed them on privet as I can get this very easily and was wondering if there are any other type of stick insects I can keep in with my Indians who will also eat privet? I read that Peruvian Black stick insects (Peruphasma schultei) eat privet and like well ventilated cages so can I add these in with my Indian stick insects?
You are correct; both Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) and Peruvian Black stick insects (Peruphasma schultei) eat privet leaves (Ligustrum vulgare). And both these types like well-ventilated conditions and so do well in the BSP. You could mix them together, provided you only had a few in the BSP. Do not put too many together because when they are stressed the Peruvian Black stick insects can emit a chemical defensive spray which can irritate Indian stick insects and people.

I'm so confused because I'm getting conflicting advice from the forums on snail care. I'm going to be getting some Giant African Land Snails and I wanted to ask the experts if the snails need a heat mat and would a wooden vivarium with a sliding glass door would be suitable? Someone mentioned they're waiting for the PSC snail cage that Small-Life do but I can't find it on your site.
The PSC cage is our new cage specially designed for snails. It will be launched within the next couple of weeks and so that is why it isn't on the website yet. Giant African Land Snails don't need heat mats and any container with a sliding door should be avoided because if a large snail rests on the join you won't be able to get the door open. Our PSC cage makes it easy for the snails to rest under the roof; this is where they choose to settle, and the PSC has crystal clear sides, floor level ventilation and special absorbent Liners.

I have eight stick insects which I bought as Indian stick insects. I have three females and five males. There are definitely five males. They are brown, small, skinny and all happily mate with my three females! My females are green and much larger than the males. My females have started to lay eggs and they look nothing like Indian Stick insects eggs! I now realise they probably are not Indian. I attach a photo - which species are they? Have I still got rare males whatever their species?
Your photo shows that you have Thailand stick insects (Baculum thaii). There is a whole section on this species in the book "Keeping Stick Insects" by Dorothy Floyd, including close-up photos of the eggs. Males and females occur in approximately equal numbers in this species. You are correct in thinking that the larger green insects are the females and the thinner active ones are the males. Thailand stick insects eat bramble (blackberry) leaves.

My cat got to two of my stick insects and I want to do as much as I can to save them. They have stopped eating, I have given them water through an eye dropper. Is there something I can give them in fluid form to give nutrition? My largest stickie appears to have been injured on the lower 1/3 of her tail area. It appears flattened, split, and there was black liquid seeping out of it. I left it to form a crust. Her tail is now thin and bent. She is not moving much. I have offered her young eucalyptus leaves to no avail.
Unfortunately cats do like to eat stick insects and so cat owners need to have a lockable robust stick insect cage (such as the BC, BXL, AFC, PCC, LDC) that is cat-proof. Stick insects can recover from minor injuries but not from serious ones. The best action is to give them 10% sugar solution through your eye dropper. You make this up by adding 1 teaspoon of sugar to 9 teaspoons of warm water, mixing up and letting it cool before giving some of it to your stick insects. This solution gives the stick insects some strength but it is important they eat leaves soon. If the stick insect is badly injured, which your largest one seems to be, it may choose not to eat and will die in a few days. However, it is still worth giving her the sugar solution to try and help her.

MYTH EXPLODED

MYTH: "Keep Giant African Land Snails in a tank with a substrate of soil so they can lay eggs there."

WRONG! When keeping Giant African Land Snails (Achatina fulica) it is important not to have lots of moist soil because this will encourage the snails to mate and lay eggs which you then need to dispose of. It is far better not to provide soil because then the snails will not lay eggs because they have nowhere moist to bury them! When you do want your snails to reproduce, simply put a dish of moist soil in their container and they will bury their eggs in there.

Is the best place to buy stick insects from a pet shop, a company that breeds them or from someone selling them cheap on ebay?
The important point is to buy healthy stick insects from somewhere that will provide good care information as well. So a company that breeds stick insects is the best option, and companies that have been in business for a long time and have a good reputation are the best. Of course such companies can also supply reputable pet shops and so the pet shop option should also be considered, but be very wary if they try and sell you unnecessary equipment, such as humidity gauges, thermometers etc. Buying off ebay can be risky; private sellers are not covered by "distance selling regulations" and often have little knowledge of the stick insects. Don't be tempted by cheap stick insect eggs for sale; there is no guarantee they will hatch.

In my travels I've observed millipedes and cockroaches climbing with ease, yet various sites say they are ground dwelling creatures, surely this is incorrect?
You are correct, millipedes and cockroaches like to climb. That is why we recommend the BSP as suitable housing for them. It is a great shame that so many people are told to keep these creatures in tanks because the sides are too smooth for them to get a foothold and so they spend all their time languishing at the bottom; not by choice but because they are forced to.

I want to keep different species of stick insect together. I have Thailand Winged and Borneo; what else could I house in the BSP with Ventilation Control attached?
Guadeloupe stick insects (Lamponius guerni) would be an excellent addition. These stick insects also eat bramble (blackberry) leaves and look quite different from the species you already have. Small-Life Supplies has some Guadeloupe stick insects for sale now.

We have had about 30 Indian stick eggs hatch, however about 20 of the baby stick insects have died. Are we doing something wrong? They are kept in a very well ventilated cage.
Don't keep baby Indian stick insects in a very well ventilated cage! For the first month of their lives Indian stick insects do best in an enclosed container, such as a QBOX. They should be transferred to a well-ventilated cage, such as the BSP, after their first skin-change, which occurs when they are about three weeks old. Also, baby Indian stick insects need to drink water and so when placing a fresh privet or bramble (blackberry) leaf in the QBOX, make sure that it is slighly wet so they can drink the moisture off the surface of the leaf.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "Macleays Spectre stick insects often die from "sudden death" syndrome."
WRONG! Macleays Spectre stick insects (Extatosoma tiaratum) can succumb to an air-borne virus that causes them to die prematurely. However, this death is not quick; the stick insect succumbs to paralysis of the end of its body and drags its floppy body around for up to a week before dying.

What types of stick insects for sale do you have at the moment? I want some more for my classroom; I've had Indian stick insects before but fancy something a bit different?
Small-Life Supplies breeds huge numbers of stick insects and currently have Pink Winged stick insects for sale, also Thailand stick insects for sale and Thailand Winged stick insects for sale, as well as other species. More details are on the "schools topic" page of the website www.small-life.co.uk All these stick insects eat bramble (blackberry) leaves; gather these yourself or you can buy Fresh Cut Bramble from us.

What do Macleay's Spectre stick insects eat? Can I keep two Macleay's Spectre stick insects together in one cage?
Newly hatched Australian Macleays Spectre stick insects (Extatosoma tiaratum) eat eucalyptus leaves. These stick insects eat Eucalyptus gunnii leaves and can continue doing so all their lives, or you can switch them over to bramble leaves (Rubus discolor) when they are two months old. As with all stick insects, they like the company of other stick insects and so you should keep at least two in one cage.

Another parent had Indian stick insects, kept in a large (~40cm high), globe-shaped glass jar with cling film pierced with holes securing the top. At the bottom of the jar was a thin layer of soil. I was attracted to his method because it seemed to minimise disruption to the insects from replacing bramble and be low maintenance. Having read your site I realise you would not view this as ideal; but the stick insects still laid eggs.
Part of the enjoyment of keeping stick insects is to be able to handle them and so a cage with convenient access (such as the BSP, BC or BXL) is preferable to fiddling about with clingfilm. Indeed Indian stick insects benefit from being handled (they learn to recognise you from the sensory pads in their feet) and so your aim of "minimising disruption" to them is misplaced. Egg production is not a measure of a stick insect's well-being; indeed their egg production increases when they are stressed (the classic reproductive survival strategy). A soil substrate is not good because it is then very difficult to keep the surroundings clean and control the number of eggs that are being produced.

Do stick insects shed or shred their skins?
Stick insects shed their skins. This process of shedding or sloughing their skin, is how most insects grow. The scientific word for this process is "ecdysis". Many people know that snakes grow by shedding their skins but do not realise that insects grow like this too. The term "shred" is just a misprint that someone has made and others have blindly copied!

I found a large green caterpillar on a birch tree but it has lots of legs. I've counted 14 stubby legs as well as the claspers at the back and the six pointed legs at the front. What type is it? I live in Lincolnshire, UK.
Congratulations! You have found a relatively rare Birch sawfly larva. It will soon pupate and will emerge as a black sawfly with four wings. Of course it isn't a real fly (these have two wings) but is a sawfly (sub-order Symphyta) belonging to the order Hymenoptera.

Can I leave my stick insects for when we go on holiday? Will they be OK?
Yes, stick insects can be left for up to ten days whilst you go on holiday. Just stock up the cage with several Sprig Pots of bramble before you go and relocate the cage to a cool room in your house. This is because stick insects reduce their activity when they are cooler and so are less likely to run out of food. Another useful tip is to give them extra food in the week before you go away so they are well fed before the holiday starts.

MYTH EXPLODED

MYTH: "Stick insects eat lots of different leaves."

WRONG! Stick insects will only thrive long term on certain leaves. Most stick insects eat bramble (blackberry) leaves. Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) and Peruvian Black stick insects (Peruphasma schultei) eat green privet leaves. Another Peruvian stick insect (Oreophoetes peruana) only eats certain fern leaves. The Reunion Island stick insect (Rhaphiderus scabrosus) and the Javanese stick insect (Orxines macklottii) eat rhododendron leaves. So claims that they will do well by eating grass and other leaves from the garden are false.

Do male Indian stick insects (Carausius morosus) lay eggs?
No. Adult male Indian stick insects are "true males" and so do not lay eggs. These males are extremely rare, only occurring once in every 10000 females. The race is on to photograph Indian stick insects mating.

I know that Giant African Land Snails are hermaphrodite, my question is how many eggs do they lay and what do I do with the eggs I don't want to hatch?
Giant African Land Snails are hermaphrodite so after mating they both lay eggs (about thirty eggs each). The eggs are large, round and white. Snail eggs need to be kept moist to develop and so if you don't want this to happen, just spread them out on kitchen roll and they will quickly dry out inside and stop developing.

How is it best to separate stick insect eggs from poo? Is it true that if you put them in water, one will float and the other will sink?
The easiest way to sort the frass (mixture of eggs and droppings) is to use a fine artist's paintbrush and flick the eggs into a QBOX. Some stick insect eggs do float but it is not a good idea to put them in water because this will soon kill them. The stick insect egg has a permeable outer membrane (under a microscope you can see the tiny holes) and air enters through here. When it is wet, the holes are blocked by water and so the embryo suffocates because air cannot enter.

We're getting some stick insects for school. We'll be getting the AFC cage and Indian stick insects to start with. If they're a success can we buy just the stick insects from Small-Life Supplies at a later date to mix in with them?
Yes, anyone can buy just the stick insects from us providing they already have a proper stick insect cage. Indian stick insects are a good choice; later on you could add Pink Winged stick insects and/or Thailand stick insects. Small-Life Supplies sell stick insects in packs of two or four; they are not sold on their own because they like company.

MYTH EXPLODED MYTH: "Keep Giant African Land Snails in a tank with soil at the bottom."
WRONG! Giant African Land Snails prefer to rest under the lid of the container and water drips off their bodies onto their pointed shells and onto the floor. So having soil at the bottom is a really bad idea because it soon becomes wet and smelly. Instead, a soft absorbent Liner should line the floor of the container and this should be replaced weekly.

I want to buy a good set up for stick insects and wanted more details of the AFC cage that's on your current price-list. Is it sent ready assembled and would it house two Jungle Nymph stick insects?
The AFC cage is a new cage, similar in size to the BXL cage but is more expensive because it has an aluminium framework and continuous seals around all the panels. The AFC is dispatched ready assembled. It is ideal for housing and displaying stick insects, including two large Malaysian stick insects (Heteropteryx dilatata) - these stick insects are sometimes called "Jungle Nymphs". Details of the AFC will appear on the website soon, when it is officially launched.

Do you get British stick insects?
No, there are no stick insects that are native to Britain. However, in Cornwall and the Scilly Isles there are some naturalised New Zealand stick insects, which are the descendants of those that came over on cargo ships about a hundred years ago.

HOLIDAY STICK SITTING SERVICE

Once again Small-Life Supplies can look after your stick insects whilst you are on holiday. We will clean them out, give them fresh food and water, save their shed skins for you and collect their eggs. The price is £2 a day per standard cage (BSP size) of stick insects. You need to drop the stick insects at our showroom and collect them again at the end of your holiday. For details, please call 01949 842446.

Please note that all photographs on this site are copyrighted by Small-Life Supplies and must not be copied or reproduced elsewhere.

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