Newly hatched stick insects not eating

[TGod]

My Mrs gave me some stick insect eggs a few weeks ago and I was surprised to see a couple had hatched yesterday. I believe they are the Indian variety and I've had them in the past so I knew to feed them privit leaves. Anyway everything is probably fine I just haven't seen them eating it at all and there appears to be no signs of them eating. They are only 1cm in length so I suppose munched on leaves would be difficult to detect

 

[Scorpiobsession]

What are you offering them to eat? Could you provide pictures of the insects and enclosure? They're known to be cannibalistic so I would separate them into 32oz deli cups if you haven't already.

 

[TGod]

What are you offering them to eat? Could you provide pictures of the insects and enclosure? They're known to be cannibalistic so I would separate them into 32oz deli cups if you haven't already.

Err are we talking about the same insect? I've had these before and they have never ever eaten each other. I've been feeding them privit leaves which they have lived on for generations. So I'm just a little concerned that they don't appear to be eating.

 

[Scorpiobsession]

Err are we talking about the same insect? I've had these before and they have never ever eaten each other. I've been feeding them privit leaves which they have lived on for generations. So I'm just a little concerned that they don't appear to be eating.

I've done a little research on these before and I thought they were cannibalistic. It seems like you have the proper enclosure and food so I'm not sure how to help.

 

[MrGhostMantis]

I've done a little research on these before and I thought they were cannibalistic. It seems like you have the proper enclosure and food so I'm not sure how to help.

Stick insects are by no means “cannibalistic,”mantids are. Indian long/short horned stick insects are easily communal. What type of plants are you feeding them? @ColeopteraC I believe could tell you more.
(Correct me if anything is wrong or if I pinged the wrong person I’m having a slow day )

 

[ColeopteraC]

Stick insects are by no means “cannibalistic,”mantids are. Indian long/short horned stick insects are easily

I second this.

@ColeopteraC I believe could tell you more

If these are indeed Indian stick insects then they should take the privet, Maybe try cutting the edges of the leaves off to trigger a feeding response and wait a couple of days. Especially if the leaves are tougher.

If this doesn’t work then it’s possible they have lost their ‘interest’ in the privet (I know some people who have had this with other phasmids like Achrioptera and Diapherodes sp. not Carausius)

If so try some other foodplants, Carausius Morosus are incredibly Polyphagus so will take most deciduous hardwoods like Oak, Birch, etc. They’ll also take Ivy and of course Bramble.

Hypericum (St John’s Wort) is also worth a try.


As to how this ‘loss of interest’ occurs is unknown, phasmids and most other herbivorous inverts choose food plants dependent on the chemicals and oils within the plant they are tolerant to so maybe they lose tolerance or preference to European substitutes?

 

[TGod]

It's cool guys it appears they have started eating. Thanks for the replies

 

[Dry Desert]

It's cool guys it appears they have started eating. Thanks for the replies

As mentioned above, no stick insect is canabilistic, so don't worry about that. As a general rule for all species of stick insect cut the edges of the leaves and make sure the food plant is fresh. The only exception to this is Never feed fresh growth of Bramble that can be found growing in the spring, always feed the older dark green leaves. The fresh leaves are toxic, especially to newly hatched sticks

 

[Smotzer]

I have had to cut away yhe edges of leaves for species of L1 sticks, not his species in particular though, some have a hard time eating with very small mouthparts and hard edges of leaves, for these /Indians you can also offer redleaf lettuce, mine would eat this as well as bramble and oak.