To let my stick insects take their chances in the garden

[imaynotbeperfectbutimokmummy]

i had some stick insects foisted upon me from DDs school - they are a bit of a pain in the arse.

I would be really wicked to just let them go in the privet bush - wouldnt it??

[madameovary]

How can stick insects be a PITA?
Are they demanding chocolate milk and cookies?
A hamster on the other hand...

[imaynotbeperfectbutimokmummy]

chocolate, wine, saunas - absolute bane of my life............ i mean, wouldnt it be better to turf them out let them have their freedom?

[mrsdisorganised]

Mine escaped outside and they all died, kept looking for them and found two dead I'll have them!

[imaynotbeperfectbutimokmummy]

you can have them if you want them - i tried to offload them on my nephew but his mum wouldnt have it!

[Hulababy]

Sadly, I don't think you can.

Recently been thinking similar thoughts of our hamster. It really is a pointless pet seeing as it bites me everytime I go near it. It is fun to watch in its ball or cage for a while, but TBH I can't be doing with it half the time,. esp as I am only one who ever cleans it out or remembers to feed/water it. But I promise I won't actually release it!

[borinbugger]

just fry them in batter ala im a celeb ... that ill teach the little critters

[PeachyTheRiverParrettHarlot]

You mustn't, apaprently it is a problem ecologicallya sthey're not native (big leaflet that came with ours)

they can be a PITA- getting someone to look after them when you want to go away and everyone goes 'eewwwwwwwwwww' etc

My experience is if you keep them long enough to get down a generation or two they all die anyway, so wait for that or put a note in post office and school offering them

[imaynotbeperfectbutimokmummy]

but wont they just die peachy? Its not like they are a manace to the local stick insects

[PeachyTheRiverParrettHarlot]

yes but its food chain stuff isnt it? the birds will eat them instead of the slugs and the slugs will decimate the plant population due to numbers etc etc etc

[imaynotbeperfectbutimokmummy]

ah right, thats a good point and i certainly don't want to slugs not to be eaten! slimy little bastards.

And why does everyone go "eeewwwwwww", i actually think they are quite cute.

[imaynotbeperfectbutimokmummy]

How long do they actually live? Ive had these for about 6 months now. fecking things

[RockinSockBunnies]

I had stick insects as a child. Started out with three, then they bred and we ended up with hundreds of the things which then escaped around the house. In the end we rounded them up and put them out on the privet bushes to take their chances!

[Reallytired]

I think its against the law to release non native species into the wild in the UK. Animals like grey squirrels, foreign ladybirds are an ecological disaster.

It might sound cruel, but if you really want rid of them and you can't find a home for them through the local paper, freecycle etc. then I suggest that you put them in the freezer.

[imaynotbeperfectbutimokmummy]

RT - i did consider pulling their legs off and serving them to DP as a bean salad, see if he noticed.

[Baisey]

Awww I had some stick insects when I was young, coincidently they were bought via the school! They were great, apart from the fact they kept reproducing, they were worse than rabbits.
They happened to "leave home for university" (according to my dad) the week I went to Malta with my mum....
They never wrote or picked up the phone...

[Thunderduck]

Can't you put them on Freecycle?

[borinbugger]

could sell them for snake food

[southeastastra]

at them leaving for university lolol

[Picante]

Most freecycle things don't allow animals. My mum got rid of some African Land Snails for me by putting an ad in the Post Office.