TOP 5 Awkward things YOU have to do as a Stick Insect keeper!

[@zyxwfish]

Oh man I feel weird collecting plants for my stick insects too. I try to go just after dark and cram them in a zipper hoodie. I collect the privet from a harbor near me with a lot of foot traffic 😅 I feel a little better collecting eucalyptus since I could tell people oh yeah I boil some for the pleasant smell. I wonder if my landlord ever saw me walking into my place with all kinds of privet and eucalyptus 😅

[@halogeek6]

Just tell them you keep a herbivore bug and it's cheaper and better for them to just collect clippings from the park? Am I missing something? Is there some obscure aussie law about collecting plant debri my American brain just wouldn't understand??? I'm so confused why people would be uncomfortable with this.

[@NMW80]

@@halogeek6 I agree with you lol I’m Australian? I have 1 spiny leaf stick insect. I have my own gum out the back but it’s too high up to reach the branches atm. So I just go collect them from the bush which is just up the road from me. But yeah ya just go on land that is government owned and they don’t care less if ya grab a lil branch off the gum trees. It doesn’t kill or hurt the tree in any way. I mean ya if ya own hundreds of them then ya don’t keep cutting branches off the same tree then. Ya just pruning the native trees for a native species of insect so it’s legal and ya just tell ppl the truth, it’s for my stick insects. What I would do if I had heaps of them is personally get a baby gum tree sucker from out bush and grow it in a large pot at home or propagate a branch. Then you have fresh leaves on hand. It will keep growing new branches fast enough to take if ya use fertilizer and mulch etc. If ya have the space and land I would plant some in ground and keep them pruned so they don’t grow too high that way you can always reach them. Plenty of gum where I live all around the place and most branches of gum drop to the ground all the time anyways so it’s less fire danger to prune them sometimes lol.

[@halogeek6]

@@NMW80 I'd argue wild fires are healthy and our attempts tp prevent them are why they have become so damn dangerous. But I get your meaning.

[@NMW80]

@@halogeek6 yeah that’s true. We actually need fires in Australia for the gums to germinate better etc so yes very true we actually need some wild fires 🔥

[@brandonvessell4659]

I totally get that! People passing by give me weird looks while I harvest black berry branches.

[@idkwhattoputhere.9891]

"You gotta go collect food plants" meanwhile me who's literally just farming food for my stick bug.

[@klubickova.e]

fr right now i have a frickin greenhouse in my basement just for them

[@haunteddreams7856]

Slightly off topic but you give off a very friendly vibe 🤷‍♂️. You'd make a brilliant kids TV host about teaching of insects and how to keep them. I could imagine your show come on every morning before school starts

[@stephenbrand5661]

When I was a kid, I got sprayed in the eyes by a huge brown stick insect in Florida, and it was awful!!!

[@sadwasdead5065]

6:57 i used to have a rabbit for whom i would get grass from outside on my way home, so i'm used to walking around with bags of grass

[@stanbewick2685]

Great presentation.

[@ThePOSM]

Euthanasia is a dark & almost unavoidable process with owning pets, that mostly goes unspoken about, due to the nature of the subject. However; its more wrong to leave something to suffer, than it is to quickly freeze an insect for instance. I do not mind taking ivy off trees and things, as it may eventually kill the tree! Plus I don't care what the average Joe thinks haha, they're too caught up in a concrete jungle to understand that there's other living creatures on this planet! Amazing video!

[@Caterpillartears]

Your empathy is refreshing ♡

[@ThePOSM]

@clockwerkking theres always a positive, just need to change the prospective :p 💚

[@periplanetamissionary]

I'd say having to grow the host plant so you can keep them fed over the winter is a big issue. Hopefully you will upload a how to guide on how to grow their food.

[@emmamorgan5578]

There’s raspberry plants in Aldi £1.79… as of sept 14th ‘21

[@helenc1595]

Me minding my own business collecting bramble. Old woman: are you alright dearie? Me: yes thanks I'm fine. Her:... Me:.... Her: I'm sorry, I'm nosey, what are you doing? Me: collecting bramble leaves. Her: why? Me: I have stick insects Her: oh does it help? Do you make it into a tea? Me:... Um. I have stick insects, also known as stick bugs... They're pets. Her: insects? As pets???!!!! 😅😅😅

[@carolinewoodland6290]

Some of these made me smile 😊 Sneaking around collecting brambles and privet 😊. I’ve not been asked yet 😊😊

[@bobbiscrittercave2348]

None of these are particularly bothersome to me, I've had to put animals down, I'm not afraid of being bitten or stung, poo doesn't bother me, and I don't embarrass easily. In fact, I have a great method for collecting plant matter - go around and offer to trim people's gardens for money. Plants for your insects, and a little side cash!🤑 Damn shame I can't keep them here...😔

[@LTK87]

That's brilliant making money whilst collecting love it

[@halogeek6]

Yeah I'm legitimately confused why collecting feed would be embarrassing. We can't keep em here in maryland cuaze the northern walking stick is endangered and tejy jsyf lumped em all in together which is honestly a good thing. Will keep irresponsible hobbyists from introducing an invasive competitor. But I digress. This list is just normal shit keeping an insect would bring. I get the feeling this guy is extremely introverted. Like to the point it's almost unhealthy if he thinks collecting sticks and leaves at the park is so embarrassing it warrants a lengthy warning instead of a quick anecdote. Which is fine. Do you. I get where he is coming from as a fellow strange person avoider just struck me as odd.

[@footfungus666]

Luckily i got privet in the front garden and bramble in the back

[@vladimirvondra1112]

Omg löööve this 🙏😁❤️ truth is good 😬🤣☺️👍

[@MOONOVERMIAMI]

Hello great video information Sam

[@mattkohler1711]

Very helpful cheers

[@royalgangster7623]

I've got some Australian spiny? stick bugs roughly translated psg9 you had a clip of them in the video they are like the most beautiful and easy to keep stick bugs!

[@SharkPog690]

I got a stick insect/leaf insect yesterday It’s a juvenile male spiny leaf insect I named him Premo and he is so adorable!

[@SharkPog690]

I’m getting him a Female soon

[@gazepskotzs4]

Cool! Had babies already?

[@THECALEDONIANLAIR]

Another great video.Sam👍, keep it up😁 i have had to freeze some of my mantis before , its hard , sad but has to be done as sad as it is😔

[@devanhaseejiram2709]

This is really good advice. Thank you

[@imranaboo433]

thanks this is useful

[@orng417]

Before watching this video I have a few words. Walking Past People With A Massive Pile Of Bramble Being Suspiciously Carried Up The Road In Your Arms. 😂 Edit: Eurycantha calcarata are terrifying and awesome

[@summerann9864]

Bahaha this really made me laugh, we walk down the street with an asda bag full of bramble and clippers 🤣

[@wRitt3NCoMeBacK]

Dunno if this video was filmed before the youtube hickup, but I like the postive vibe Sam, keep your head up mate. Btw, 7:36 is literally me haha

[@flightmonkeyuk6944]

Is freezing the most humane thing for a damaged “in pain” (do they feel pain?) stick insect? How does it kill them humanely? Does it send them into hibernation mode then they die sort of asleep?

[@klubickova.e]

hey, i know im a little late but yes, freezing is the most humane way to euthanize them. Also i dont know what do u mean by "damaged", maybe you mean walking stick with just 4 legs instead of 6 - well thats okay for them! Sometimes when they molt they just kinda forget about them or if the temperature or humidity isnt right they just lose them. Sometimes they grow back but most of the time they will just live with 4 and still be able to do whatever they want - sincerely someone who has a whole room dedicated to few types of walking sticks and my profesor is an expert for insect so he helped me a lot

[@tashabrinkworth3995]

I have 217 eggs and 13 adults i keep the eggs in a separate net and I have my adults in a huge net enclosure with plenty of ivy and I also feed them rose leafs 🍃

[@angielovesowls]

I learned so much about stick insects that I did not know. Thank you

[@bobbobblesworth5634]

Great stuff! Didn’t know about having to pick the eggs out of the frass. What a fun thing to do. Great pets for our young kids. Even more fun when we discovered one could fly! Only realized this morning I’d been throwing out the eggs of one of the breeds for months as they just look like tiny bits of bark :/

[@michaeltaylor2449]

AWESOME video mate I know what you mean with the E.Calcarata Stick Insect the males have huge thorn like spurs on their rear legs and yes they can draw blood and on the Bramble situation when I collect mine mainly from my back garden I have a spot thats kept wild just for that plus my Mum next door keeps a wild spot for me too so am good for Brambles I even wash them down with the shower head to rid of unwanted bugs but check first for Spiders and release them back outside

[@bugsmetropolis1]

I just take my bramble from my garden but have to go to the park to get loads of privet it is embarrassing

[@SC-hk6ui]

You would freak out if you saw the colony of cave spiders in my house. Very rare. Got a horrific bite once that took years to fully heal. They live under the floors and usually leave me alone, but I built three hatches to view them.

[@Caterpillartears]

Your profile description is funny and concerning 😂 why do you need a death switch ? Dont only pedophiles need that?

[@xXfernXx-n5j]

Also you dont need to destroy the eggs or stick insect you can put them outside, and they can live in late spring/early summer, but pass away in winter because its to cold.

[@PETROCK-NROLL]

Pretty important info for anyone thinking to keep sticks dude! Awesome video and love the T-Shirt btw 😉

[@PETROCK-NROLL]

Oh and I’d happily deal with all 5 btw..😉

[@stuffs8802]

I have 6 acres of woods, it's fine, my neighbors are questionable as well (as in I have to deal with them randomly firing off a cannon) so I think they don't really care

[@dravenanightshade7613]

Eurycantha calcarata are my favourite because of their attitude, have picked up a branch with a male on the other side and got my fingers clamped a few times. Picking food plants is the most awarkward for me.

[@novakid556]

Just got my first ever stick insects! I got two of them so I named them fast and furious. They kinda reproduce like the movies 😂😂😊

[@beginnerbuglady]

Hello!! Have to say I really enjoy your videos! Currently I have two Peruphasma schultei and one Carausius Morosis, I also have a male Heteropteryx dilatata! Unfortunately my Heteropteryx female didn't last too long but my male has thrived and I'm actually a bit scared of him lol, he's extremely sassy 🤣 looking forward to see how the others work out but I'm very new and enjoying the challenges and find your videos fun and helpful! X

[@LTK87]

Yeah same with any insect etc I keep tropical grey isopods originally as a clean up crew for reptile tank but as time went on I had hundreds and needed to get rid of some so tried selling a few nobody was interested because there more common pet store wasn't interested due to already having more than enough unsold stock so I had to upgrade to a bigger Viv and now I'm looking at upgrading to a 100cm Viv not because I need to just because I want another Viv and I'll probably use the current one for something else also looking into a ghost mantis but not sure about tank size I see people using small cups but I'd rather have a big setup more natural but making sure food etc is visible and easy to access as needed

[@random_commenter-xix]

I actually have... I forget the name but a rather large colony of quickly reproducing sticks in a custom made 5 X 5 x 5 enclosure I built. I've never euthanized any of them directly like OP suggests but I find the most effective way to deal with overpopulation is to use them as feeders for my reptiles. That and I have a couple pet stores that will usually just give me 50$ for like 20 of them which they in turn sell for around 300$ As far as feeding them goes I find it best to go the bioactive route and just throw seeds in the tank to grow and let the "isopods/springtail take care of the dead/dying plants and only intervene when really needed.. I actually own my own house but if you live in an apartment I'm sure there is some kind of plant that can be "bred" indoors if you're willing to do the research, but that being said I find germinating black berry seeds from the bush I have outside the easiest free way to keep up with feeding them. I breed a few different types of reptiles and amphibians and can say these make a pretty good feeder insect if you're willing/able to make the initial investment keep up with them but it's still better than crickets imo. As far as just keeping them as pets and not going all in as I have, yeah. They're kinda cute and pretty low maintenance and having to just kill some and buying/finding them food is probably the most work involved as OP said. Good vid.

[@sherriewagner8822]

I live in iowa and found a northern stick insect that lives in my home now in a screen enclosure but how do I freeze leave for her to eat through the winter

[@lemonpeelangelfish]

Yep no worries 😉 stick insect fan and no problem with spiders or easy either. I was just using our sieve 😂 (it’s okay I put it in the dishwasher 😊)

[@carsongarnett1700]

I definitely love the top 5 series

[@alishatrew]

I am a bredder in Australia. I have have to get rid of so many eggs. One of my girls laid over 600 eggs alone. It is cruel to keep all the babies

[@Gacha_Ed]

7:36 😂 that's so british

[@Xeoexlov]

I really want to get one also im okay with the poo i have a hampster and we have to clean her poo and sardust and old treats and clean wee stains so its normall to me

[@kevinpoe8137]

What ever happened to the clock and coffee table enclosures

[@pixie706]

Can the eggs be fed to other creatures such as fish etc

[@readingroomcafeproject]

I've been stung by 30/40 wasps in a swarm attack. They still don't really bother me

[@Caterpillartears]

You have nerves of steel 😱

[@Scammagnet-Lorraine]

I’m allergic to wasps & bees so can I grow the food for them separately to their home.

[@OzkAltBldgCo-bv8tt]

I wonder if tilapia fish will eat them?

[@PlushKlavier]

I'm not squeezy about putting eggs in the freezer, but I just want to make sure I hatch quite a bit before I do since it's likely not all hatchlings are going to survive until adulthood, first batch I hatched had 11 hatchlings and only 5 survived, I have 3 hatchlings now from a late batch my late super senior female laid before she stopped producing eggs definitely, I hope all 3 of them will reach adulthood! Aside from the eggs I never had to euthanize one of my stick bugs myself, and I hope I won't have to, but if it needs to be done at some point I do have to go put on some big boy pants, but I won't let them suffer since that is for sure more cruel than euthanizing them I'm not afraid of getting sprayed because my species doesn't have a very potent spray, I always make sure to handle my Peruphasma babies gently as well so I never had them spray me (but sometimes they stomp, kinda like a rabbit, when they're agitated? I haven't been able to find anything about the Peruphasma stomping when agitated so that was a fascinating surprise to find out) The plants my stick insects eat luckily grow in my own backyard! I don't think I would feel too embarrassed if I had to gather it from a public place but I'd definitely try to be discreet about it I'm happy to say that I've rarely brought in any spiders from the plants I cut, I either spot them before I put the plants in the enclosure or they're so small the stick bugs would probably form a bigger threat to the spider than the spider to them (and of course I remove the spider once I spot it), I always give my food cuttings a little wash too before I put it in the enclosure to wash away anything unwanted The poo has not been a problem for me, just don't think about it too much when you touch it and make sure to wash your hands afterwards and all is good :D

[@ChantalsCritters]

Great video

[@suekimpton7874]

I have had spiny stick insects but have bought them live and trying eggs this time. Do some the eggs hatch just after being layed or do they have to wait a certain time before starting to hatch?

[@fishypie]

iv just got a 3 week old lonchodiodes. had it for 5 days but it hasnt eaten, iv put fresh bramble and cut around the leaves but im sure it has not eaten at all, any advice

[@Bendy1102]

What is that shiny blue looking stick insect that popped up in the video

[@Hayley0412]

Great video as always, do you know anyone selling any tortoises? I have been trying to get one for over a year but Wales obviously don’t have any! I don’t want one for thousands of pounds, just a regular little or a big one that needs rehousing?

[@SephoraBloons]

Awesome video buddy! I heard you keep horsehead grasshoppers.. I do too .. was wondering if you know how long it takes until they become adult? Thanks

[@puddibam2184]

Yes:(

[@bl1gh7y]

One of our stickies had a bad shed and messed herself up, after freeing her she was eating but was having 2-3 falls a night ( I sat up to find out how she was getting on ) I found her in a heap looking like she’s given up so I have had to bite the bullet and help her on her way. How long do I need to freeze her 😭 Indian variety 1 more shed away from adult.

[@Willow_fnafeditz]

I hope you don't mind me asking but at what age to Indian stick insects start producing eggs?

[@JunethSnowdrop]

Damn, I have never heard about the spraying thing. I keep 3 Phyllium Philippinicum. Are they able to do that too? Or can they bite?

[@Skidoodle18]

Those are leaf bugs right? Where’s you get them? I’ve been doing lots of research and am really wanting some, but don’t know where to actually *get* them

[@CarlosRuiz-en9iy]

Use the excess eggs as chicken feed

[@ellaseebeck5342]

When people I know see me with a whole bunch of leaves stumbling down the street.....

[@willwass8849]

I actually didn't know stick insects could spray you

[@emmamorgan5578]

Question. Could I use stick insects poop as a plant fertiliser for my houseplants? (Will freeze it first)… thoughts?

[@OldChannelBugRealms]

Yes you can 😊

[@nwb77]

I was gonna release em in the eucalyptus trees here, in turn, likely feeding em to the birds

[@rateat3r]

Can’t you just feed it to another pet eg spider, scorpion, centipede etc

[@jamends1220]

Last one's not true. You can just use a soil/coco fibre base and put in some spring tails. Problem solved.

[@vladimirvondra1112]

Did you mention espaping phasmids? Maybe its just me?? 🤣 Not nice either way, the worry and ive even hade one baby hacthling dying on me, just resently, for making somekind of mistake i cant figure out how i would end up on my floor? 🧐🤔😞😞😅

[@Gigaliz813]

I will do enething for my pets

[@daviidayala4987]

wow hearing someone so pationate about something is really pleasing...

[@millie9090]

Are you the owner of The_insect_shop??

[@OldChannelBugRealms]

No, I'm just a hobbiest 😊

[@millie9090]

@@OldChannelBugRealms oh okay im looking to buy a stick insect from them do you recommend buying from them?x

[@4my4blessings]

Number 6: are you awkward spotting stickies mating almost 24/7? 😝

[@silklair5963]

Number 3 is deffo making me funny every time, EVERY TIME I collect foodplant for my caterpillars 🤣 When I go I legit look around to check there’s no one around, then if I see someone I’ll just pretend to be on the phone or passing by and come back after the person had gone away. Once there was a campaign going around, I had bags filled with leaves and a campaigner came to me. I thought he was gonna yell at me but he just gave me a pen bcs of campaign so I was like: Er okay...wtf...thanks ig

[@Terrarium3D]

I AM

[@guymontag9577]

If you're afraid of spiders, you're probably afraid of other large insects.

[@flightmonkeyuk6944]

I am not a fan of spiders but held a macleays spectre lichen morph and after an initial apprehension for a few seconds i was like “oh she’s cute” lol