# indian stick insect eggs



## burmese97 (Nov 13, 2011)

if anyone has any experience or any advice on how to hatch indian stick insect eggs as ive had no previous experience.
*do i need to incubate?
*how long will they take to hatch?
*should i separate them from the rest of the adults?
please give advice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Greenway (Oct 16, 2011)

Mine have just started laying also.

Amateur Entomologists Society says:
"Stick insect eggs can take from between two months and a year to hatch depending on species. In general the larger species are the ones which take longest, though not always. You can either leave the eggs on the cage floor and let the stick insects hatch as they want, in this case it is useful to keep some common Woodlice such as _Porcellio scaber_ in the cage to help keep down the fungus. Or you can collect the eggs each time you clean the cage and keep them in separate containers until they hatch. In this case the eggs of the burying species will need to be gently reburied about 1cm deep, and the rest will need to be kept on some absorbent material such as sand. All will need to be kept in a warm place and spraying with moisture occasionally will help. A careful/daily watch should be kept for moulds and mouldy ova/eggs removed, cleaned and then kept in a separate container."

I'm taking mine out as the tank is a tad crowded at the mo and want to be able to keep it as clean as possible without disturbing the insects or the eggs too much.


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## burmese97 (Nov 13, 2011)

Hey thanks for the advice :2thumb:i think i will seperate to,do you think they would be ok under a heat mat as ive got a speare and the eggs need heat?


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## Greenway (Oct 16, 2011)

It just says to keep warm, not that they need heat. I shouldnt bother (though bear in mind I'm no expert) but their parents are thriving in the room temperature of my kitchen and I'm leaving the eggs in a wee pot lined with kitchen towel next to them.


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## Ben.M (Mar 2, 2008)

Simply keep them on kitchen roll with good ventilation and spray 2-3 times a week.
These have got to be the easiest species to hatch, in fact they have been known to hatch with no spraying at all and outside too 
They could take 3-6 months, if you wanted them to hatch more towards the 3 month mark then keep them a bit warmer but its not really necessary.
I'll be honest with you, these are quite a pain simply because they are so easy to get over run with. An adult female will lay approx 2 eggs per day and will live as an adult for several months so for example if she laid eggs for 3 months, thats about 180 eggs, consider a 90% hatching rate, thats 162 hatchlings to house and feed and all of them from only 1 female! :gasp:
Good luck with them tho, I doubt you will have any issues


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## burmese97 (Nov 13, 2011)

ok guys thanks for the advice


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