Stick Insects

The thing about to bear in mind about keeping stick insects is that they can reproduce parthogenically - like aphids - and do so very easily in captivity, so the problem is that you are likely to be still left with later generations of your original pet stick insects on your hands, long after your kids have grown up and lost all interest in them. Plus points about stick insects are that they are usually free to good homes, if you can find someone who already keeps them. A wanted ad on your local 'Freecycle' or as it is now called in many cases 'Freegle' group page via the Yahoo.com website should get you some offers of pets. They are free or cost next to ...  Read the complete review

When my brother was little my mum came home one day and told him she had bought him a present. He was hitting the roof with excitement and I was intrigued. When she revealed the two twigs in a jar, I was far from happy although my little brother was grinning from ear to ear. I remember thinking to myself 'how boring' but I thought I should give them the benefit of the doubt and see if our bond improved with time. The stick insects were rehomed into a plastic gold fish bowl but mum covered the roof with some plastic with holes in it. Every day my brother would get them out and let them walk up his arm, he'd talk to them and go looking for leaves so they could ...  Read the complete review

Aah stick insects, pets of the poor! Inspired by schools everywhere, and costing just 50p, you too can own a little animal that looks like a twig: brilliant! I once owned a few stick insects, after my dad brought them home from the pub one night in a jar. For weeks we fed and watered them, watching them non-stop. It was a sad day when dad told us they were just twigs, but it didn't surprise us; that's an alcoholic for you. Stick insects are great pets for young kids. There are two reasons for this: 1) They are cheap - they cost around 50p to buy, and you can put them in a big pickled onion jar (preferably empty it before putting them in). ...  Read the complete review

Stick insects are very interesting pets to keep. They are amazing to look at and quite easy to care for, but it should be remembered that their lifespan is only around twelve months. So, care needs to be taken when purchasing from pet shops, or breeders. You don't want one that is already old. The most important thing for a stick insect is other stick insects. They don't like to be alone. So, you need to get your pet a companion but don't put it in a tank with other kinds of insect. The bottom of the tank you keep them in should be lines with paper. Old newspapers will do the job nicely but they do need to be changed on a weekly basis. Care needs to ...  Read the complete review

I am something of a buglover. At 25 I still keep ant farms, collect insect programs, and chase them with my camera. It goes without saying that I kept stick insects as a kid. There are several popular reasons people get kids stick insects. It seems easy, it seems cheap, it's a good quick way to teach your kid the facts of life. Let me deal with that last one first. You cannot teach your kid the facts of life from stick insects - at least not if you go with the most easily available ones (usually the Indian). Why is this? They're asexual. Stick insects do not require a male to breed. A stick insect kept alone will quite happily keep laying fertile ...  Read the complete review