Phasmids

[JayS]

Phyllium sp.
http://www.photos.repashy.com/data/500/medium/DSCN3027.JPG

http://www.photos.repashy.com/data/500/medium/DSCN3028.JPG

[Dragonflames81]

hey jay how are those guys to care for, and how long do these guys usually live for? When I was younger I use to collect mantids around here. biggest one I ever caught was 12 inches long, almost scared me to touch it it was so big and nasty. It was mostly a gray color but had like neon yellow underneath its wings.

[mike]

Those are very impressive, I have never seen those before. What kind of enclosure do you keep those in and what are their care requirements, diet, etc.?

Any information you could share I would really appreciate, those look very interesting.

[danscantle]

I was in Denver, Co. over the summer at a butterfly garden that had a decent collection of Phasmids. I tried to contact the curator about obtaining some of the large numbers of eggs that were visably lining the bottom of their tanks. I was given her card... A few minutes later I was reprimanded for petting the red footed tortoise they have roaming the facility by the curator in front of a bunch of visitors. The woman went on to say something about how they are a very shy, bla bla bla. I asked her what they had done to the tortoise to give it metabolic bone disease. The visitors asked what that was and I said "It's a very bad dietary condition that stems from horribly inappropriate care." Shut the curator up in her tracks. I don't understand why non-herpers question herpetologists. Does that make sense? Sorry to rant.

Excellent insects, Jay. Do you feed surplus nymphs to geckos (I'm not sure if Phyllium are toxic)?

[Andrew Gilpin]

I asked her what they had done to the tortoise to give it metabolic bone disease
I just wanted to let you know I was cracking up when I read that...
As far as the Phasmids, those are pretty crazy looking. Haven't gotten into anything like that quite yet, how many different types are you keeping Jay?

[JayS]

I would never ever feed these to a gecko or anything else.Just like I wouldn't feed a gecko to a sweet looking mantis.I keep around 9 species.

[Raquel]

Those are very impressive, I have never seen those before. What kind of enclosure do you keep those in and what are their care requirements, diet, etc.?

Any information you could share I would really appreciate, those look very interesting.

I'm very curious to know, as well.:) They are very unique looking. Do you keep them in an enclosure with other like species or just by themselves? You say you have 9 species...what others do you have?

[Angelwing]

Very neat. I don't have any of this species, although I do have a few hundred australian walking sticks.

[nomad85]

Very cool phasmids:) I have some Extatosoma tiaratum that I am raising now, they very interesting to watch and handle.

[JayS]

These are kept almost the same way just alittle more humid.

[Mark Baumann]

Very cool Jay. It has been a while since I've kept any Phasmids, hopefully soon.

[Smashtoad]

Jay,

What type of vegetation do you feed these guys? I always wanted to get into some phasmids, but it was like, "feed them privet"...and I think a privet is a big arboreal mongoose...wouldn't it kick the crap out of some leaf bugs?

[Silly-atus]

I wouldn't mind having some of them, they're fantastic. Years ago, I kept Carausius morosus and Extatosoma tiaratum. I posted some pictures online and the next thing I knew, I got an official email telling me that they're illegal to have in Canada and I could be charged, so I found them another home. I still miss them. I used to fall asleep at night to the sound of the female ET's flinging their eggs against the glass as they laid them :)

[Dr Alan]

Jay,

What type of vegetation do you feed these guys? I always wanted to get into some phasmids, but it was like, "feed them privet"...and I think a privet is a big arboreal mongoose...wouldn't it kick the crap out of some leaf bugs?

Civet = the arboreal mongoose thing

Privet = hedge clippings

:p

[Smashtoad]

Uh, Doc...a civet is a car. Are you some kind of quack?:D

Seriously, though...is privet a common N.A. hedge? Is there anything at ye'ole grocery store they can feed on? It seems like most people just use their food as their climbing structure...for those of us in temperate climes...this could make winter a challenge...

[umop_apisdn]

privet isnt just any "hedge clippings" either. i know it's a fairly common plant around here in north carolina...the problem is it is very invasive. any member of the Ligustrum genus is known as a privet. i would love if i could find something to mow down all the privet around here...it's such a pain to deal with! it can often be found crowding the edges of utility right-of-ways and wetlands.

[Dr Alan]

Uh, Doc...a civet is a car. Are you some kind of quack?:D

Busted. I'll just have to drive away in my Civic.

[JayS]

I feed these rose.Other species get anything from blackberry to vibernum.Each species gets what they like most.Winter can cause issue but I grow enough to get me by.

[nomad85]

What kind of phasmids can eat vibernum? I have a whole lot of it in my yard, great plant:)