Temperature:

18c-26c

A warm room is an ideal temperature for this species, around 20-24 degrees. However the temperature should absolutely never exceed 30 degrees Celsius, and never drop below 16c.

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Humidity:

60-70%

This level of humidity can be achieved by spraying the enclosure with water slightly every day, doing so will also

provide extra water for your stick insects to drink, (they get most of their water from their food, but will drink from surface water on the leaves from time to time)

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Any tap water should be boiled and left to stand in an open container overnight to allow the chlorine to evaporate.

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Housing

Because this is a large species they need plenty of room, exactly how big their enclosure will need to be will depend on how many you intend to keep, but as a general rule of thumb their enclosure should be at least 2-3 times as high as the length of your largest stick insect and at least twice its length in width and depth.

 

There are many different types of enclosure that are suitable for your Metallic stick insect(s), as long as it's big enough, secure enough (no large holes to allow for escape), allows for natural light to enter and has enough ventilation (we will get to that part shortly). Of the different options available some will look "prettier" than others and some will be more costly or budget friendly, but as long as it meets all the requirements then it can be considered suitable.

 

Plenty of branches should be provided to allow them to move around, this can be bramble branches for example. Enough space should also be given for them to hang from the branches in order to moult, also please make sure there are no enclosed spaces where they can get stuck.

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The ratios mentioned above  can also be applied to nymphs (baby stick insects) meaning that they can be kept in a smaller "nursery" enclosure while they are small, this could even be a container found in the home, as long as it is secure and provides enough height and ventilation and the nymphs do not become overcrowded. You can then increase the size and re-house them as they grow.

 

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Substrate

While using soil or vermiculite etc. can look nice, this makes cleaning the enclosure rather difficult and can make spotting eggs extremely hard. We recommend simply laying a couple sheets of kitchen roll, enough to cover the bottom of the enclosure. This makes both cleaning and spotting eggs easier as well as helping to retain humidity.

 

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Ventilation

This species requires a good amount of ventilation, cross ventilation is ideal. Cross ventilation is where there is ventilation on more than one side of an enclosure to allow for a direct flow through of air. Depending on what type of enclosure you have you may be able to do this yourself (for example if it is made out of plastic).

 

If you are using a converted glass fish tank for example and cross ventilation isn't possible, then one full side of the enclosure should be ventilated. (In this example that would be the lid). We would recommend either removing or keeping the lid open and covering the top with some sturdy mesh, this can be cut to fit snugly (remember the holes shouldn't be big enough for your stick insects to escape through, but the mesh should also not be so fine that they get their feet stuck). 

 

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Diet

They can be fed a variety of leaves, some favourites including Bramble, Oak, and Eucalyptus, they will also eat Privet and Rose (leaves). Please make sure no pesticides,  weed killer, or any other contaminants have come into contact with any plants that you feed to your stick insects. This can also include being careful about harvesting them from the roadside, as exhaust fumes from vehicles can be absorbed into the plants. Also be careful when buying any plants from garden centres etc. as they may have used pesticides. It is usually best to thoroughly rinse any the plants before feeding.

 

You do not need to provide a water dish for your stick insects.

Any open water sources can cause a high risk of drowning!

 

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Lifecycle

Metallic stick insects can live for 12 to 18 months. They spend most of their life maturing and then once they are mature they will survive for around a further 3 months. Females will start to lay eggs around 4 weeks after reaching maturity.

 

This species can reproduce in the "usual" way, if a male and female mate, this will provide a higher chance of getting more males from your eggs. However they can also reproduce via parthenogenesis, this means that the females do not need a male to reproduce, so she will lay fertilised eggs even without a male, the nymphs that hatch from these eggs will usually all be female.

 

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Eggs

If you do not wish to be overrun with stick insects, you should either squash, boil or freeze any eggs you do not intend to hatch before disposing of them.

(if you have any pet fish, they enjoy these eggs as a treat if you squash them before dropping them in to the tank).

 

Any eggs you do wish to hatch should be placed in a well ventilated container with kitchen roll at the bottom and covered with sphagnum moss to help the nymphs when they hatch (they can be prone to getting their legs stuck in the eggs). You can find videos on the internet of how to help them if they get stuck.

 

The eggs can be kept at the same temperature and humidity as adults and should take about 4-5 months to hatch, with a typical hatch rate of around 60-70%. The hatch time can be shorter or longer, depending on a number of factors. It is important that the eggs have a day and night cycle as this is crucial for their development! Please change the kitchen roll regularly and watch out for any mould, as this can harm the development off the eggs and be harmful to the nymphs once they hatch.