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stick insect babies?

PufF

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Alex here.I'm doing fine.I saw this ad on local classified selling stick insect babies,5 for $20.Reasonable.But how do I care for one and if I'm not wrong the pics also showed their parents that are quite big.I know where to find fresh leaves,my school's garden has plenty but like,good idea?My parents won't mind btw.
 

PufF

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Also if Sam sees this,I don't want to borrow money from you.I think I'll have enough though an arm and a leg will be needed.I don't have much money,just some food money but I do have around $20.
 

PufF

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oooh,interesting.I'd say go for it.Just be sure to find a big place to home them!
p.s.I'm Sam
 

Dona

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EEK they are cute. Sounds like a fun insect to have and watch. I've seen them out in the world and always have to pick them up for a while. I also pick up fuzzy caterpillars. Can't resist.
 

SandraK

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Be careful,the puss caterpillar can kill you with his fluffy looks,one touch and that's it...
Where I'm from originally, caterpillars are usually furry and touching one is a no-no. They sting and depending on the species can put you in bed with a fever if you're not careful. Happened to my gran when she was doing some gardening.
 

Zara

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Where I'm from originally, caterpillars are usually furry and touching one is a no-no. They sting and depending on the species can put you in bed with a fever if you're not careful.
We have the (military? / Procession?) caterpillars here. They can kill dogs and small children. I find them when hiking up the mountain over the road :)
 

Dona

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Oh my, I've touched many caterpillars! I will watch out from now on! Yikes!
 

Dona

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Sorry to hijack this thread! I'm looking online and I think I've mostly seen wooly bear caterpillars here in Maryland. It says they can cause a rash when touched, but don't seem to be poisonous, but I will keep my hands to myself from now on!

 

tka

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I've kept those kind of stick insects before. Not the most interactive of pets but they are interesting, and they can reproduce like crazy! The babies are very small so you need to be careful about escapees.

You need to be careful about which leaves to give them - they won't eat just any kind of leaf. In the UK, I gave mine bramble (blackberry) leaves and privet leaves.
 

Yoshi&Raphi

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I had two stick insects when I was young, I loved them a lot and enjoyed taking them out and spending time with them. Then one day I accidentally fed them leaves that had pesticides on them, it was horrible the male had a traumatic death (I won’t describe it) then the female eventually died of old age.

Are you certain your school doesn’t spray their leaves with pesticides? If they don’t I’m sure they would be lovely little companions!
 
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Gazimon

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Hey, Alex and Sam from Singapore?

First you need to confirm what food plants the stick insects eat, I can see guava in the photo. I'm guessing the species is Lonchodes brevipes Gray’s Malayan Stick Insect; but better ask the seller to confirm. This is because some species of stick insects are generalists [ not fussy about food ], while others only eat certain species of plants and won't touch other species [ die die also won't eat one ].

If it is Lonchodes brevipes, then is much simpler. You can feed guava leaves [ but a bit harder to find in SG ], and the leaves from the Golden Penda plant Xanthostemon chrysanthus - Wikipedia . Common roadside plant in SG, hooray. But you have to wash every leaf by hand to make sure the pesticides [ eg. dengue mosquito fogging ] don't stay on the leaves.

If you are purchasing the stick insects, I very strongly advise that you only purchase the bigger nymphs, at least almost the length of your finger. Do not purchase the tiny babies as they are very fragile. So fragile that if they get stuck on a water droplet, they can drown and die. And sometimes during these mass hatching of eggs, certain nymphs may die for no apparent reason possibly due to weaker genetics / inbreeding.

The younger nymphs will prefer younger leaves and lack the strength in mouthparts to tackle the older/ harder leaves, so if not sure what toughness of leaves they can eat then do get a variety of younger leaves when you collect the leaf cuttings. leaf cuttings last only a few days before they wilt/ look nua. Best to make sure you have a food source in mind and make sure the school does not mind you clipping from the plants.

The females are the ones that look thicker, because they will produce eggs. The males are the slender ones with very thin abdomen. In the last image from left to right: male, female, female, female.

Time investment: about 5 mins everyday to change paper towel, and do light misting. about 20 mins to cut plant cuttings, wash every leaf. Maybe another 10 mins to clean out the tank if the poo if accumulates. Moist poo can grow fungus so ideally a clean out every 2 days.

I'm honestly not sure about the market value, but to me 5 for $20 for what seems like a common species that you can find in Singapore [ Ubin has la..., but don't collect from nature reserve! ] the price might be a bit steep unless the seller is selling the older nymphs. Why? Because when the female lays eggs, she really lays a lot. Then several months later the babies just keep hatching and hatching. If the seller insist that $20 for the tiny nymphs, contact me again, I can pass you some for free. $20 for tiny nymphs is not worth because they die so easily and sometimes like for no apparent reason lor.

If any other questions, feel free to contact me :)
 

PufF

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Wow,so many responses! @Gazimon I will contact the seller later and I'm Alex
 

PufF

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nvm,I've decided to get some hermit crabs instead.
 

GoDucks

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Sorry to hijack this thread! I'm looking online and I think I've mostly seen wooly bear caterpillars here in Maryland. It says they can cause a rash when touched, but don't seem to be poisonous, but I will keep my hands to myself from now on!


They are the cutest and apparently are real good at telling how bad the winters are going to be.
 

tka

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Hermit crabs do not make good pets. Nearly all hermit crabs in pet shopd are wild-caught because they do not breed readily in captivity. This means that you are affecting wild populations and delicate wild ecosystems that need their crabs to remain healthy.

They also have complex needs when it comes to humidity, water quality and the depth of sand in their enclosure. Please read this page for more: FAQ – The Plight of the Hermies
 

PufF

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I do know,I did research beforehand.Also I changed my mind due to a post on that classified showing hermies inside of a bare container.I kept 4 of them (need 3 or more for happy life) before Orange for quite a few years(from 7-11) so I know how to care for one.I remember having to part with them last year due to moving house,if not,they could have still been with me.
 
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