jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
This guy grabbed that stick bug when I still had my hand in the cage putting a second one in. He made sure it didn't get away or scratch his face. Look at the tight grip he has of it with his right hand.
Gracilior Makes Sure It Doesn't Get Away
- Thread starter jajeanpierre
- Start date
Alexander1
Avid Member
Nice pic!
Top Notch Reptiles
New Member
Wouldn't want the insect to get away! Never have I seen this.
Fiona's Mom
Chameleon Enthusiast
Where do you get stick bugs from and do beliefs enjoy them as well? Also do you gutless them and if so with what?
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
No, that is the same one he is eating. I've seen a few of my graciliors grab wiggling insects to keep them off their faces.
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
Where do you get stick bugs from and do beliefs enjoy them as well? Also do you gutless them and if so with what?
I got my original stick bugs from Nick Barta from here on CF and they just keep having babies. I have an ExoTerra of stick bugs in my dining room. Only you on the forum can understand that one! I feed them rose leaves or blackberry leaves. They also eat oak leaves. I don't gut load them, I just feed them. I like them as a feeder. I have two kinds of stick bugs, the Pink Wings and the Indians. The Pink Wings are really active bright green when small. The Indian stick bugs are heavier but not as active. I feed the tiny ones to the babies.
Fiona's Mom
Chameleon Enthusiast
Thank you for the information. I really appreciate all the great info and advice I get from here. Glad I'm retired because I spend waaaay too much time on here.
Fiona's Mom
Chameleon Enthusiast
That was supposed to say "Veileds" not beliefs.Where do you get stick bugs from and do beliefs enjoy them as well? Also do you gutless them and if so with what?
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
They should like them. It is funny to watch a chameleon figuring out how to tackle a new type of bug. They think about it and think about where to hit the bug so they won't get bitten or stung. I offer small stick bugs first that are less intimidating to the animal. Hunger is a good motivator to get them to try something new. Pick up an order of stick bugs from Nick Barta and leave a few adults to lay eggs. Soon you'll have a lot of stick bugs although it took a while for them to start producing. Get both the pink wings and the Indians. The PinkWings are a really pretty stick bug with beautiful fairy wings. The juvenile pink wings are bright lime green and very active with long legs, and the bright green and activity of the pink wings definitely attract a chameleon. Start with very small baby pink wings. There won't be much bug there, but it gets your chameleon to try them. Most of mine love stick bugs. Here's one of my quads tackling a rather large wild caught stick bug. I wouldn't recommend feeding one that big.
Fiona's Mom
Chameleon Enthusiast
How do you gut load and care for the stick bugs. What do you keep the adults in? Last question (maybe) is it best to let the free range in the cage and are there any bug parts that need to be removed? Oops....that was two.
Thanks for all your info.
Thanks for all your info.
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
How do you gut load and care for the stick bugs. What do you keep the adults in? Last question (maybe) is it best to let the free range in the cage and are there any bug parts that need to be removed? Oops....that was two.
Thanks for all your info.
I hate the whole "gut load" concept. It implies you can keep malnourished feeder insects and they miraculously become nutrient rich if you fill their stomach with vegetables that have been grown in a commerical farming operation. I feed my insects well. I don't "gut load."
Stick bugs eat roses and blackberry bramble. They'll eat oak leaves. I think they eat some sort of ivy, too. I just put in a bunch of food in vase of water, being careful to not leave any gaps where they can get into the water. When they've eaten that, I just pull it out and drop it on the bottom of the cage because there will be a LOT that you don't see attached to the bare branches. Once in awhile i go through and try to get a lot of the dead sticks out. I live in a moderate climate so can h ave roses year round (once I actually plant some!). The enclosure should be misted at night so they can drink. They are active at night, but active enough when you put them in the cage during the day to be attractive.
I keep mine in a 24" tall x 24" x 18" Exo Terra. They are pretty forgiving. They don't smell. You don't even clean their cage since the eggs are all in the leaf litter.
I just put them in and they hunt them down. They are a favorite food.
Contact Nick Barta here on CF.
Fiona's Mom
Chameleon Enthusiast
Thank you very much...I have an order of various insects coming next week and they will be next on my list. I like to give Fiona some variety. They still say it's the spice of life and that's all the spice that little girl will get for a long time if ever.
