stick insects??

[Bink]

Anyone know about these? Are you allowed to have them as "pets" (term used loosely) or are they now endangered or something, so that you shouldn't?

If you can have them, are they robust or are we setting ourselves up for fortnightly heartbreak? Are there different sorts, & if so what should you get? What do you need for them?

Thanks for all wisdom.

--../

(a stick insect, naturally)

When I was in junior school, my best friend's dad was a bug professor {emtamologist?}

We had stick and leaf insects in the classroom

Alex and I would be in charge of looking after them

BUT this was in 1976 so 30 years ago so sorry no idea of the rules BUT they didn't die alot

And so think they are quite robust

Love the piccy btw

I had stick insects about 12 years ago. Bought them from a local pet shop and kept them in a glass tank (like a fish tank with a lid). Fed them privot hedge leaves.

Bought 4, within 4 weeks had 144, went on holiday for 2 weeks, came back and had 1444! I think they can reproduce on their own.

In the end I had so many I could not afford to feed them (well, my neighbour's hedge was going a bit bald!!!) and let them go in my neighbour's pivot hedge.

Ooh, at last I can post on a thread I know something about!! My DS (10) has stick insects, and they are the easiest most low maintenance pet ever. He has two, but one died a couple of months ago, but the one that was left has somehow produced 8 offspring, so Bumblelion is right - they do reproduce on their own. We keep them in a fish tank with a lid (I think it's actually a reptile tank), and it only cost a fiver or so. DS gives them new privet leaves and bramble leaves(I think you call brambles something different in England - it's the ones that look like purple raspberries) once a week. He scooshes them with water twice a day to keep the cage damp. Apparently, you can't touch them as you may burn their skin. They're not the most interesting pet - the most interesting thing about them is trying to spot them in the cage, but my DS loves them. They're ideal as a first pet, IMHO. Hope this helps.

As a child we had stick insects. We used to have to go out collecting ivy to feed them with. They had loads of babies which are tiny.
You can buy a kit like this.
Ive been very tempted to buy it for myself and my dc!

Owning a stick insect is like watching plants grow, they have 3 types of movement - slow, slower and stop.

Reproduce really easily. Can be kept in anything secure - even a cut down plastic bottle with mesh over the top.

As far as I know they only eat privet (and possibly bramble leaves by the sound of things), so you MUST have easy access to a hedge.

And we used to handle them loads! We would sit with them walking all over us!
Oh and if i remember right they tend to eat each other if there is a lack of food!!

We would deffo handle the stick insects and the leaf ones

I've used this company before
butterflies, ants, stick insects, cockroaches etc and can recommend them.

Tortoise and RTkanga, thanks for the info about handling them. I'll pass it on to DS.

MRS MUDDLE

I didn't mean that we would stroke them it was more them climbing on us than us touching them

so put your hand in and let them walk onto your hand rather than pick them up

iyswim

... and they also bite (although it is more of a nip).

... and what Tortoise says about them eating each other, all of ours starting eating the oldest one when we were on holiday (my friends in work looked after them for me, although my boss wasn't too pleased) and the oldest one ended up with a leg missing (eaten by the others) - renamed him Tripod.

Bite? I have never had one bite me.
This is making me more tempted to buy some! After christmas maybe.

I had 2 as a child (teacher bred them in the classroom each year and gave each pupil 2 to take home). I called mine Sticky and Glooey (fond memories!)

Sticky died quite early on as I recall (but it may have been just after a friend came to play and we kept posting the stick insects into my toy cash register and then pinging it open ) however Glooey lived long enough to come on holiday with us I recall. (A stick insect in a caravan!)

Happy days.

-../ (and ds, at Christmas) says thanks for this!! - just what I needed.

MrsMuddle, glad to be of service - it is nice to feel exactly wanted, isn't it?

If anyone else has tips or reminiscences, please add them!

I had two stick insects in primary school too, mine were sticky and twiggy! Kept them in an old fish tank with an old pair of tights stretched across the top, Got them out to walk on us occaisionally, used to laugh when they swayed from side to side. They also bred like mad and the little ones would escape and get all over the house. we fed them privet from the hedge in the garden and let them loose when we moved house (probably not a good idea for them but I was only 10 and I think my parents were fed up with them. They are also fine eating bramble too.

Oooh we are new stick insect owners got them for DS birthday which was on Sunday and he loves them! Sid, Elvis, Lucy and Emma came from Small Life Supplies and were around £45 with cage etc. They seem fairly happy and can eat bramble privet or ivy (non-varigated) so not too much bother particulary if your garden has a few weeds They arrived about 2 weeks before his birthday and I was terrified that they would die before he saw them but they seem pretty robust. So far a top pet!

We had stick insects when I was a kid, they used to live in a large sweet jar (the sort they have in shops when you buy a quater of bon bons or whateever). We had adults in one and eggs and babies in another. The cat managed to knock the babies one down one day and get her head in it, she then walked round the house wearing it like a spacemans helmet, diposting stick insect babies and eggs all over. We were finding babies for weeks.