My son (he's 5) has just got 2 young indian stick insects (£1 for a pair from school, the older children have been learning about insects). They are about an inch or so long. So I am assuming they're still babies.

I've been reading up about them on the internet but come across conflicting information. They came home in a small glass coffee jar with a sprig of ivy in it. Since then I've got them in a small fish tank with ivy (in small glass jar with a little water in the bottom and kitchen roll wrapped around as a stopper) and a couple of large bramble leaves. both of the foodstuffs are abundantly growing in my front garden so feeding the insects won't be a problem i hope. The top of the fishtank has netting stretched across and secured with stick and stick velcro so that they can't escape ( I really don't like 'creapy crawlies', spiders are enough of a fright when they're sat on the ceiling).

What care do they actually need? How big should they grow to when adult? Is 2 enough or should I get him 2 more from school? The tank that they are in is 12" tall, 18" wide and about 8" deep ( I know I can stand it onto it's side if they need more height, but is this big enough? I've got kitchen roll placed on the bottom of the tank and they appear to be pooping so i'm assuming that they are eating (although they don't seem to have moved much since we've had them). Any advice in general would be greatly recieved as he is mad about insects and spends all summer bug hunting and I'm not really an insect person but want him to succeed with his stick insects.

Thanks in advance
Kath

You can get a lot of information about stick insects from this website Small-Life Supplies for insect cages, stick insects, butterflies, giant snails and food.
It's important that the stick insects have some water to drink and so a light misting of the leaves every day or so is helpful.

Hiya, Kath - think it's fab you're going to so much effort with the stickies (even though you're not the biggest fan!)

The good news is that Indian (or 'laboratory') stick insects are ideal for beginners. They love privet, ivy and bramble, so are nice and simple to feed (bramble seems to make them more active, apparently!). Like another poster said, lightly mist the leaves every other day so they can have a drink. This is the only care they need food and water-wise.

For accommodation, stick insects need their housing to be tall - around 45cm high. This is so there is enough room for them to slide vertically out of their skin when they grow. So yep, I would recommend turning the fish tank on its side. You say you're using netting, so the stickies' ventilation requirements sound as if they're being met. All the accommodation needs is for you to clean out the poop and replace the leaves around once a week.

Stick insects are mostly nocturnal, so don't worry about them not moving around much. And if they're pooping, they're eating . No need to get any more - two stick insects are fine.

When fully grown, Indian stick insects reach about 10cm in length. At this point, they will start laying eggs (no male is required for this). They usually lay several eggs per day, so you'll need to go through the poop and separate the eggs (they're round/oval with a little nubbin on the top) - you can incubate the eggs for more stick insects in a closed container and they should hatch after 4 months. If you want to get rid of them, don't throw them in the bin where they could hatch - freeze them for around a week first.

Hope this helps!

Poppy (phasmid-fan).

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The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man - Charles Darwin