# Eurycantha calcarata – New Guinea Spiny Devil Stick Insect – Care Sheet



## aliceemerald1107 (Dec 30, 2011)

Hi, im new - i noticed that it was really hard to find a care sheet for these stick insects and i struggled with my baby Lucy at first and had to trawl for hours and pretty much make it up as i went along.
Her eggs hatched over the last few days and im selling them, so i made a care sheet based on my experiences - some may not agree with me but i thought i could post it here for people to look at.
At least its longer than some of the ones that i found on the internet over the past year 
Let me know what you all think - but be nice im new 


Information

•	Grow to around 6-7 inches for a full grown female but it varies – males are smaller
•	They do not bite, fly, or anything else - they walk, eat and sleep, not much else – perfect for kids 
•	Females have a large stick like ovipositor on their back end, males do not have this (they have a stumpy tail end instead), males have large spines on their hind-legs (up to an inch in adults) females only have small spines – males spurs are used as fishing hooks in native New Guinea
•	Females can reproduce on their own asexually as well as sexually 
•	Keep in pairs of male/female or female/female – males will fight – or in groups, make sure there are more females to males, a ratio of 2 females to 1 males is good - they do get lonely on their own
•	KEEP AWAY FROM ALL OTHER ANIMALS ESPECIALLY CATS/DOGS – they are mostly considered a nice little snack to most other animals
•	You CANNOT feed these to reptiles/spiders etc due to the food they eat, it concentrates the toxins in them and makes the predator poorly (plus they don’t taste nice apparently)
•	You cannot use SPRAY/PLUG-IN AEROSOLS and items such as HAIRSPRAY/FLY SPRAY ETC in the same room as your insect – to do so would kill them

Tank 

•	The bigger the tank, the better it is for your stick insect - Minimum size tank for 2 adults is around 17” L, 10” W and 12” H for 2 adults
•	This species prefers horizontal space rather than vertical – your tank should reflect this – but they do need some height for shedding
•	Plastic tubs/tanks, glass fish tanks and wooden reptile vivariums with glass doors are good tanks – as long as it is well-ventilated (if holes are large try putting mesh or tights over the box/lid, then they cannot escape) – but DO NOT use stick insect nets or plastic bottles – nets are good for exercise but not for a permanent home, they are too cold and dry and the bottles are too small
•	Your tank needs to have a well fixed lid, they can lift them up and they will if they fancy a walk around your house
•	Cage furniture can include things like bogwood logs – large stones etc – just make sure everything is stable
•	They enjoy dark places – reptile hides come in useful for the bottom – some like to hide in these – or toilet roll tubes etc
•	Temperatures must be around 18-22 degrees all year round - no heat mats/bulbs are required as long as these temps operate near the tank - do not place near bright sunlight/draughts - the hotter the temps, the faster your insect will grow

Water

•	Filtrated/bottled or water that has been left to stand for a few days needs to be sprayed into the tank around twice a week – concentrate on places where drops will form – the insects will drink from this
•	A small wet square of kitchen roll/toilet roll can be flooded with clean water and placed in for nymphs to drink from – they cannot drown in this
•	You DO NOT SPRAY THE INSECT under any circumstances
•	Once older/adult (around 3-4 inches) they will need a tiny water bowl as well as the twice weekly spray as above – a clean bottle cap or pot will do

Cleaning 

•	Line the bottom of the tank with some sort of liner – carpet/lino/newspaper/tiles/repti-carpet
•	Once every 3-4 days remove all furniture (check for faeces encrusted on) and clean up faeces and bits of plant material – replace with fresh liner and clean water dish
•	Once every 2 weeks you need to thoroughly clean the tank with hot water and scrub down furniture and tank– nothing else – DO NOT USE CLEANING PRODUCTS
•	Dry or semidry and replace – change things around a bit – your insect will like exploring

Feeding

•	Every day fresh plant material should be provided – plants that can be given include;
o	Privet
o	Ivy
o	Bramble
o	Oak
o	Rose
o	The odd slice of apple with no skin on
o	Try not to feed them on 1 type of plant, but vary them if you can
•	All plants should be gathered from a place which is away from roads , farmland and places where pesticides could have been used
•	All plants must be washed thoroughly under cold water – do not give ‘dirty’ leaves or those with bugs on it or those which have been half eaten by UK bugs
•	They can be placed in a vase/glass of water (cover the top around the plant over with sellotape to avoid drowning) or simply placed in the tank on the floor or on cage furniture
•	They also enjoy not just the leaves but the stems of the plants too – but not the flowers

Handling

•	They are a very active species and must be handled every few days (or as much as you want) – they enjoy running on a bed etc but always keep an eye on them, they do have clumsy moments
•	You CANNOT ‘pick’ one of these up – to do so would rip off their legs due to their very strong little claws they grip with - you must wait for them to walk onto you to be handled – some legs grow back if it is a young insect, adult legs do not grow back at all
•	You must be careful and patient with them – let them get used to you and go exploring on their own
•	Talk to them in a calm voice, let them ‘feel’ you with their antenna and names them – some people feel they respond 
•	Males tend to be more aggressive, they have large (up to an inch when adult) femur spines/spurs on their hind-legs which they can, and will use in defence – they draw blood but that is it, a pin-prick at most – they will calm down with regular careful handling when they are young
•	If you need them to move, gently coax them with a finger on their back end – just a tiny gentle push or poke will make them move – be careful doing this with males as they may react aggressively 
•	A display of aggression is an arched back and curled tail – if they do this leave them alone and try again later

Shedding

•	Shedding will occur frequently when your insect is young – although you may never see it
•	Some eat their sheds afterwards – some can be collected and kept afterwards
•	Cage furniture must allow space for upside-down hanging of your insect with a good distance apart from anything else in the tank – about the length of the insect
•	DO NOT TOUCH your insect while it is in shed or for a couple of days afterward
•	Your insect may go off its food/water during the shed process or a few days before/after – this is normal
•	Your insect may grow substantially larger after shed (or may appear to do so) and may change colour - do not be alarmed this is normal – nymphs are usually green-light brown, adults will eventually turn a dark glossy brown/black

Reproduction

•	Females can reproduce parthenogenetically (without a male) and may therefore become pregnant whist adult
•	Pregnant females often swell in the abdomen area – with the white flexible tissue becoming ‘stretched’ and the abdomen often doubling in size
•	Females may be found to ‘dig’ around the floor with their ovipositors in order to lay their eggs
•	Provide a tub with around 2-3 inches of vermiculite or sphagnum moss (moist but not dripping) in the bottom of the tank and place her into it gently 
•	She may not begin to lay for many weeks and you may never see her doing it – but she will when she is ready
•	Make sure that the tub is kept moist, at room temperature and that eggs are buried around an inch in the substrate – remove any mould or faeces immediately 
•	Eggs take 6-9 months to hatch – so you are in for a long wait, but it is well worth it
•	Nymphs will need moist toilet roll and food after hatching and can be kept together in a tub with holes in until they are old enough for their own tanks


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## Tuatara (Feb 1, 2009)

great caresheet:no1:


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## aliceemerald1107 (Dec 30, 2011)

*Thanks*

Thanks - it took me ages, i still think ive missed bits or some of it is a bit controversial - some people use heat mats etc


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## JustJack (Apr 19, 2010)

Was a good read! Would like to get some more of these, I had 3 but over the space of a few days they all passed


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## aliceemerald1107 (Dec 30, 2011)

Ive got some just hatching, they will be ready after 2nd instar if you or anyone you know are interested 
Im told that mortality rate is high until 1st instar - or you might of just got dodgy examples or they will have been stressed from the move


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## JustJack (Apr 19, 2010)

Mine were adults/sub adults, they all died by 'fitting'. They were on their backs just moving their legs


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## Ben.M (Mar 2, 2008)

Trootle said:


> Mine were adults/sub adults, they all died by 'fitting'. They were on their backs just moving their legs


Poisined :/

When I kept them I had a very low mortality rate and mine loved begin sprayed with water too : victory:

Apart from the spraying thing, the caresheet is great! :2thumb:


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## JustJack (Apr 19, 2010)

Ben.M said:


> Poisined :/
> 
> When I kept them I had a very low mortality rate and mine loved begin sprayed with water too : victory:
> 
> Apart from the spraying thing, the caresheet is great! :2thumb:


Yup that was the only reason I could think of!

And mine loved a spray to


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## aliceemerald1107 (Dec 30, 2011)

*Spraying*

My Lou doesnt mind being sprayed either but i was told under no circumstances was i to spray her as it encourages mould growth on the insect and interferes with shedding - whether this is true or not i don't know.
But everyone i have met has always had this as a golden rule 

BTW how to you guys put up pictures in here and the things you have at the bottom of your posts?


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## Stoke Lad (Jan 26, 2007)

Surely they dont need to be handled every few days, from what I have learnt no insect benafits from being handled, unless it's for an emergency etc.


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## Ben.M (Mar 2, 2008)

aliceemerald1107 said:


> My Lou doesnt mind being sprayed either but i was told under no circumstances was i to spray her as it encourages mould growth on the insect and interferes with shedding - whether this is true or not i don't know.
> But everyone i have met has always had this as a golden rule
> 
> BTW how to you guys put up pictures in here and the things you have at the bottom of your posts?


I use Imageshack most of the time but lots of people use Photobucket.

No they don't benefit from holding them but unlike T's they do get use to being handled so if you do handle them often then it is probably safer for you as they can get nasty with the males having huge femurs on their hind legs.


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## aliceemerald1107 (Dec 30, 2011)

*Handling*

They are a very active species and like to roam around. 
You take them out and place them somewhere where they can explore like a bed - always keep an eye on them though.
When they have had enough they sit still - then you put them back.
It does them no harm, it might not do them any good either, but mine loves it, she taps and sits on her tank lid when she wants to come out


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## aliceemerald1107 (Dec 30, 2011)

Ben.M said:


> I use Imageshack most of the time but lots of people use Photobucket.
> 
> No they don't benefit from holding them but unlike T's they do get use to being handled so if you do handle them often then it is probably safer for you as they can get nasty with the males having huge femurs on their hind legs.


I like to handle my animals - whether it is good for them or not, it means i can safely clean them out, inspect them, move them and monitor health etc - the only animal i dont touch is my tarantula - simply because i know they dont like it 

If i had a male Spiny ide hadle from a young age - i like to get to know and trust my animals and them me.


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## Loderuna (Mar 9, 2010)

Have kept these for a few years. I mainly feed bramble, but in the summer I feed mine on beech leaves - they grow bigger on this than bramble 

I would also say, that while they don't bite, they can cause significant injury with their spurs - a male I had got spooked and stabbed me through a fingernail! :gasp:

I feed the babies to my skunks these days, at about 3rd instar. I have also fed them to marmosets and rats in the past and they loved them. The marmosets learned to bite the hind legs off first, before eating them - they initially bit the heads off, but then got stabbed by the hind legs! Gruesome, but interesting...


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## aliceemerald1107 (Dec 30, 2011)

Loderuna said:


> Have kept these for a few years. I mainly feed bramble, but in the summer I feed mine on beech leaves - they grow bigger on this than bramble
> 
> I would also say, that while they don't bite, they can cause significant injury with their spurs - a male I had got spooked and stabbed me through a fingernail! :gasp:
> 
> I feed the babies to my skunks these days, at about 3rd instar. I have also fed them to marmosets and rats in the past and they loved them. The marmosets learned to bite the hind legs off first, before eating them - they initially bit the heads off, but then got stabbed by the hind legs! Gruesome, but interesting...


I didn't know you could feed them Beech, but there are tonnes of plants which you can fed them, i had a list somewhere but i lost it lol
Through a fingernail though - ouch! - im hoping my new males will get used to being handled and maybe not be quite so feisty


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