Stick Bug Care Help!!!!!

[loganhopeless]

Hey! So I bought a stick bug, just like a child's stick bug from my LPS. And for the first few days it was fine and all of a sudden like 3 of the legs stopped working and the other ones are used to like drag it around the bottom. It tries to climb but it just falls. I provide fresh Romaine whenever the other stuff dries out, it has water from misting, and plenty of climbing sticks. It's only a baby measuring roughly 1.5-2". Should I fashion an ICU for it? It's in a 10gal upright since I was gonna get more but they only had one left. Any help would he more than sufficient. Thanks!

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[Spepper]

Stick bugs like those (Indian Walkingsticks) don't need a lot of water; just mist them every once in a while. It's not imperative to their survival. Also I would feed blackberry stems and not lettuce unless blackberries (without pesticides) are hard to come by where you live. Reason being that blackberry stems won't get droopy and nasty and only wilt if the jar they sit in like a vase runs out of water.

Okay enough tips.

Stick bugs sometimes die for no good reason; perhaps that's why they reproduce so crazily. I wouldn't give up on it just yet though in case it molts soon, I would think a molt would fix its leg problem. Stick bugs are exceptionally good at regrowing lost limbs so if it molts it should be fine. I hope that helped.

 

[loganhopeless]

Stick bugs like those (Indian Walkingsticks) don't need a lot of water; just mist them every once in a while. It's not imperative to their survival. Also I would feed blackberry stems and not lettuce unless blackberries (without pesticides) are hard to come by where you live. Reason being that blackberry stems won't get droopy and nasty and only wilt if the jar they sit in like a vase runs out of water.

Okay enough tips.

Stick bugs sometimes die for no good reason; perhaps that's why they reproduce so crazily. I wouldn't give up on it just yet though in case it molts soon, I would think a molt would fix its leg problem. Stick bugs are exceptionally good at regrowing lost limbs so if it molts it should be fine. I hope that helped.

Yeah I've been hoping for it to molt before it dies since they molt so often.. I'll get some blackberry leaves tomorrow, that's a good idea. Thanks!


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[Smokehound714]

looks far more like Heteronemiidae IMO, which is a scrubland species, and will not thrive on lettuce.

These insects rarely live longer than 3 years as a whole.

You will need native scrub plants for food. Try offering the following plants:

#1- California sagebrush (other artemesia species may be accepted.)

#2- California buckwheat

#3- Toyon

#4- Laurel sumac


I do not know the host plants of this genus, though acacias might also be accepted.

 

[loganhopeless]

Well I'm not sure the exact species since I'm usually doing T's. But in the US the only legal stick bug is the Northern Walking stick. So I heard those can eat lettuce, blackberry, raspberry, and Rose leaves.


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[catfishrod69]

Stick insects can be extremely picky eaters, or voracious eaters. Just depends on what you are offering them. Once they are hooked on a certain type of food, you more than likely wont get them to eat anything else. Try atleast finding some rose leaves and see if it will eat those. The ones i have kept would not touch lettuce, or bramble (blackberry & rasberry), but go crazy on rose leaves. And mine were captive bred babies.

 

[loganhopeless]

He died


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[Spepper]

I'm sorry.

 

[loganhopeless]

It dropped three of its legs in a day. Then fell to the ground and died.. It was only $2 and I've had less than 2 weeks so I wasn't as attached as I am with my T's. But still a bummer.


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[Louise E. Rothstein]

Lettuce has little nutrition.

Try anything else.

And avoid pesticides.

 

[Bugs In Cyberspace]

Looks like it (was) Medauroidea extradentata to me.

 

[loganhopeless]

Looks like it (was) Medauroidea extradentata to me.

Any suggestions with that species for the future?


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