Stick insect ova and baby!

[Andee]

@nick barta I bought from him a while ago some vietnamese stick insects. I only had three that grew into adulthood but am very happy with the results. Have a stupidly large amount of ova at the moment, I also have a random little baby that I am trying to keep going (she's kind of my guinea pig at the moment since it's been a while since I have had a fresh hatchling and am just doing all the regular care and rememberings for fresh hatchlings). She is doing great so far. Ova are being incubated, need to collect more because I likely have even more. So happy!

 

[Remkon]

Got me some Indian walking sticks from @Twitchet I'm amazed how fast they grow.
I'd get more species but Ivy grows everywhere around here so that's great for the Indian sticks, blackberry plants not so much which is great for most other sticks.

 

[Andee]

The vietnamese are larger than pink wings from what I know and from what I have experienced much more calm. But as far as food I have fed them like I would an Indian, not sure about ivy, but my guys have destroyed and relished the safe rose I have put in there, blackberry vines, and evergreen oak. I don't really have tons of the wild ivy, but have everything else practically growing in my backyard, depending on the time of year depends on when they get what.

 

[Remkon]

Well I wouldn't know where to get other species of stick insect for a reasonable price.
I'll probably have to go to the expo next time to see if I can get my hands on some cheaper feeders.

I'm looking for more feeders for my chams, partially because I want to offer them a more diverse diet but more and more because I just like taking care of the little insects.
Seeing your colony grow and producing offspring is just great!

I want to try breeding mantis in the near future, they are like 10€ -15€ per mantis so that's not to cheap.
I just do my thing and try not to make the wife notice to much.

 

[Andee]

Since you live in Europe(?) area based on the use of monetary terms you should have fairly easy access to sticks and leaf insects compared to us on the states. But sometimes you can only get ova. Depending on which you try they can be easier to raise then you'd expect. I definitely wouldn't go for any of the species that have (nymph or jungle) in their name. They tend to have wicked spikes on them and have nasty temperaments.

 

[Twitchet]

What about Pharnacia Ponderosa- just seen 30 eggs for £6 on ebay- I could start a new colony of them ?

 

[Andee]

I am assuming those guys are a rather new species to the hobby since info on them is rather scarce. Finding even the wiki page was next to impossible... 6 pounds for 30 eggs isn't horrible especially since you found it on eBay. If you want a good possibility of raising them definitely go with 60 eggs. I don't know the success ratio for hatching. These guys are huge from the look of it. They at least need a large reptibreeze if not some larger. Idk... I couldn't find their measurements. I do know they eat most things that sticks though and likely have a fondness for eucalyptus that the larger species tend to, though I never feed of eucalyptus since I don't know how sticks etc process it and if I plan to feed them off it wouldnt be safe.

 

[Andee]

As they get larger molting will get harder, as it does with all the larger species, and you can easily lose the larger ones of your colony before they get to adulthood if you don't provide enough humidity during crucial times.

 

[Remkon]

I got creative and I found 30 eggs of PSG 195 – Sungaya inexpectata on our Dutch version of craigslist, same care as PSG1 so I send a mail to the seller

 

[Andee]

I don't know if the sungaya inexpectata actually need substrate or not to lay, but it does sound like they do better with a spike in humidity just to start them laying. I assume that has to do with seasonal changes. Otherwise they do sound very similar

 

[Remkon]

Doesn't say they need substrate in the caresheet.
Says they need humidity and that they are easy and suitable for beginners.

 

[Remkon]

While I'm hijacking this topic anyways
Any experience with either one of these mantisses:
- Ambivia Undata
-Polyspilota griffini

For the Ambivia someone is selling an eggpouch (50 nymphs) for 10€
For the Polyspilota someone is selling them for 2euro each (+ 7euro shipping)

 

[Andee]

I thought I responded to your question a long time ago odd... The only experience I have had with either of those mantids is the second one which is the griffin mantid. Super aggressive mantids and huge if I remember correctly. I wasn't able to find good info on the first one.

As far as the stick nymph situation goes on my side XD I have lost two of them, but considering how many are having successful molts (though some have lost legs), and are just generally growing well, it's not a bad ratio at all. I have about 12 maybe more like 14 now running around in their grow out deli cups. I need to get more >.<' they are hatching faster than they are growing. And I still haven't moved my first little one out yet. Though she will be able to be moved in a few days I think.

All my adult vietnamese have turned this forest green with brown speckles, which I have never seen the green on them before. I only keep 5 babies at most in a single deli cup. Mostly because even trying to clean the deli cup with five of them in it is exhausting. Makes me felt like I ran a mile afterward. XD And I have three deli cups almost full now.



Don't try looking for them, I didn't take pictures of them specifically, just their enclosures.

 

[Remkon]

The eggs @Twitchet had send me are still producing young sticks. I put them all in this, theyneat so much...

I have bought the griffin mantisses, they are still tiney. I'm keeping them like you keep yer baby sticks.

 

[Andee]

what is the thing you keep your babies in called? I want one XD it honestly would be so much easier than doing what I am doing now at the moment. The mesh looks small enough that I shouldn't have any issues with escapees. That's the issue I have been having with the little sticks, I noticed the first one after she had gotten out and was wandering around the outside of the reptibreeze. I would feel safer if the little ones had more space to molt and hang properly.

 

[Twitchet]

Looking good Remko, glad you got some nice babies from the eggs,
It does look like a good mesh cage, as you say Andee , nice fine mesh and they are so clever at getting out, I have a 'few' escapees around the house at the moment the cage mesh is very nice but it has quite a chunky zip so there's a bit of a hole where they can sometimes squeeze through, obviously having 6 legs to manage isn't difficult for them

 

[Remkon]

It's called netcage on the receipt.
Anti insect box on ebay should find it on ebay.

They are 30x30x30cm, I also have a big one that's 60x30x30cm.
The mesh is really small, not even a fruitfly could escape it. The zipper closes off really well too.

 

[Remkon]

Looking good Remko, glad you got some nice babies from the eggs,
It does look like a good mesh cage, as you say Andee , nice fine mesh and they are so clever at getting out, I have a 'few' escapees around the house at the moment the cage mesh is very nice but it has quite a chunky zip so there's a bit of a hole where they can sometimes squeeze through, obviously having 6 legs to manage isn't difficult for them

my zipper closes under a piece of cloth so that takes care of that issue.

I agwlain had 2baby sticks today, it's like the gift that keeps on giving.

 

[Twitchet]

That sounds good, I could put a piece of foam on mine so it blocks it I guess,
More babies! Amazing, I hope you've named them all

 

[Remkon]

Named em? Sure...

The first stick insect me and my brother had together was named "Idon'tknow' because someone asked my brother what he was going to name it and his answer was 'I don't know' (yest in English, not in Dutch) ... So they are all named 'Idon'tknow' from now on ...
I actually offered my brother a few but he did not want.

I think It would make a nice first pet for my daughter too, maybe I'll let her pick one or two for in her room (if the wife agrees)...
I'll steal the eggs and I can just swap out sticks when they die .