Questions about spiny leaf insect (Extatosoma tiaratum) care.

[Venomous Fang]

so I got a spiny leaf insect for my birthday and I wanna know some question on how to care for this insect I heard they’re very easy. I just want some experts help to make sure I’m doing something right here. Like...
How often they eat
Humidity level
How often to mist
How often to clean enclosure
What temperature for them.

 

[Andrea82]

https://www.keepinginsects.com/stick-insect/species/giant-prickly-stick-insect/

If I'm not mistaken, this insect is prohibited where you live. Take really good care to prevent escapes and make sure you are not discarding any eggs by accident.

 

[Venomous Fang]

I won’t ill make sure of it and for the moment she hasn’t laid any eggs yet but I bet she will sooner or a little later.

 

[mantisfan101]

Nonetheless all exotic and unnative stick or leaf insects are illegal to keep without the proper facility and permits. Openly stating that you keep one on a public forum is folly.

 

[chanda]

They like it warm (room temperature or slightly higher is fine), should have fresh, pesticide-free leaves of an approriate sort (eucalyptus, bramble/blackberry/raspberry, rose, oak, etc.) available to eat at all times rather than feeding them every few days or every week, like you do with predators like tarantulas and scorpions. Leaves can be kept fresh longer by keeping the stems in water, but should still be changed every few days - taking care to make sure there are no bugs hiding in them. Misting 2-3 times a week is fine. When cleaning the enclosure, if you have an adult female, bag up the waste and stick it in the freezer for several days to a week to kill any eggs that might be mixed in with the droppings before discarding it. Keep in mind that many phasmids (including E. tiaratum) are parthenogenetic and can reproduce without mating, so just because you might have an unmated female and no males does not mean that you will not have offspring - it just means that all of the offspring will be female. And of course, be very, very careful not to release them or let them escape!

Just for the record: I do not currently keep these, but I did have some years ago that I purchased at a reptile show. When I found out that they were illegal, I stopped keeping them - plenty of cool legal bugs to keep, without the risk of getting caught! But if they ever do make them legal here in SoCal (yeah, like that's ever going to happen!) you can be sure I'll be first in line to get some!

 

[Venomous Fang]

They like it warm (room temperature or slightly higher is fine), should have fresh leaves of an approriate sort (eucalyptus, bramble/blackberry/raspberry, rose, oak, etc.) available to eat at all times rather than feeding them every few days or every week, like you do with predators like tarantulas and scorpions, leaves can be kept fresh longer by keeping the stems in water, but should still be changed every few days - taking care to make sure there are no bugs hiding in them. Misting 2-3 times a week is fine. When cleaning the enclosure, if you have an adult female, bag up the waste and stick it in the freezer for several days to a week to kill any eggs that might be mixed in with the droppings before discarding it. Keep in mind that many phasmids (including E. tiaratum) are parthenogenetic and can reproduce without mating, so just because you might have an unmated female and no males does not mean that you will not have offspring - it just means that all of the offspring will be female. And of course, be very, very careful not to release them or let them escape!

Just for the record: I do not currently keep these, but I did have some years ago that I purchased at a reptile show. When I found out that they were illegal, I stopped keeping them - plenty of cool legal bugs to keep, without the risk of getting caught! But if they ever do make them legal here in SoCal (yeah, like that's ever going to happen!) you can be sure I'll be first in line to get some!

So what should I do about that then just keep it for now until it passes away and get a different type of legal bug?

 

[chanda]

So what should I do about that then just keep it for now until it passes away and get a different type of legal bug?

That's what I did. That and destroy any eggs so they don't hatch out a new generation.

 

[Venomous Fang]

That's what I did. That and destroy any eggs so they don't hatch out a new generation.

Okay thank you for the support and I’ll do just that then I didn’t know. I didn’t mean to cause trouble.

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

Even though these are from Australia, i've read of someone who lost all of their E. tiaratum during a heat wave. So in Arizona it might be important to keep them cool.

 

[Dry Desert]

so I got a spiny leaf insect for my birthday and I wanna know some question on how to care for this insect I heard they’re very easy. I just want some experts help to make sure I’m doing something right here. Like...
How often they eat
Humidity level
How often to mist
How often to clean enclosure
What temperature for them.

If you are going to feed bramble/blackberries Don't feed the fresh light green shoots, especially bramble as the young shoots are toxic, feed only the dark green leaves.

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

So what should I do about that then just keep it for now until it passes away and get a different type of legal bug?

If you do substrate changes, then freeze the substrate for a few days as a precaution. If you see any nymphs, then start freezing leftover bramble. Once it dies, stick it and the substrate in the freezer for at least a week.

 

[Dry Desert]

Okay thank you for the support and I’ll do just that then I didn’t know. I didn’t mean to cause trouble.

The best way around the substrate problem is to just use kitchen tissue on the bottom. The stick insect will just drop the eggs onto the tissue, it doesn't need to bury them.