Can Stick Insects be Stylish Pets?
Can Stick Insects be Stylish Pets?
A few months ago a friend of mine got new pets. Not rabbits or kittens, but stick insects. The Giant Prickly Stick Insect, or Macleay’s Spectre to be exact. Initial thoughts were how odd! But then I realised what a great pet they could be for someone with a busy life, and I got a pair myself.
I’ve wanted a pet for ages, but living in a flat, being out at work all day and taking weekends away isn’t good news for animals. The only possibility seemed to be a hamster but they are boring. Macleay’s Spectres were far more interesting, at least to start with anyway. I have to say friends were very surprised that a girlie girl like me would like them as I can’t dress them up in clothes! But at the same time, they won’t be chewing up my clothes and shoes.
What are they?
Macleay’s Spectre is a large breed of stick insect from Australia, native to Queensland and New South Wales. The males and females look very different as males are smaller and thinner, with wings, whilst females are covered in thorn-like spikes and can grow to 20cm in length. Females have wings but they are proportionally too small to allow them to fly. They don’t mind being gently handled, but when they are threatened they do rear up into a scorpion pose. They reproduce through sexual reproduction and the eggs hatch four months later. Baby nymphs are quick little things, but the insects grow notoriously slow as they get older. They like to hang on eucalyptus leaves, which they also eat.
How do you care for them?
Macleay’s Spectres are quite common in captivity, used in schools and laboratories. They make a good pet because they are easy to look after, but they do need extra space as they grow larger. Girls make better pets as they can’t fly. They might look a bit scary, but they can’t do you any harm and they are actually quite sweet. They need to be kept at above 20 degrees Celsius ideally as they are endemic to Australia remember. Mine got very cold and then became very slow and weak, although they improved once I warmed them up.
They like eucalyptus but they will eat bramble happily. Make sure you wash all leaves and branches to ensure they are not covered in pesticides or pollution and replace cut branches once a week. The leaves need to be sprayed with warm water once a day too, to keep the humidity up, plus the insects will drink this moisture. Mine are still young so they are quite happy sitting on the eucalyptus tree, which I have partly covered with mesh. You might want to keep them in a more secure enclosure and a mesh cage or tank will do as long as it has air circulation.
They like to hang off the leaves, and sometimes will barely move for days. If they fall you can gentle help them up again, they tend to like to crawl up and not down. They are generally very healthy creatures, but if you are worried about them you can find further advice by searching online. Intensive inbreeding is discouraged, and they will breed quickly having half the chance. I think they are a very stylish pet!
Emma Waight is a geographer and freelance fashion writer for www.clothes.org.uk. Follow Clothes for clothing news and fashion advice.
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