Carausius morosus

This is a common flightless insect pet that feeds on privet leaves. The first image is of a juvenile. The second is of adults feeding on fresh privet leaves. They were originally collected in Tamil Nadu, India, but are commonly kept in cultures in captivity. The British also brought them back from India to Britain. They commonly live one year and lay their own eggs. Indian stick insects will reproduce in captivity even in the absence of a male, this is called parthenogenetic reproduction. Mature females will lay unfertilised eggs, that will still develop and hatch into nymphs without mating ever taking place. Any of the offspring produced asexually will be female and are often clones of their parents. When females reach adulthood they will begin to lay relatively small numbers of round eggs (ova) around 2mm in size, over their lifetime this can add up to hundreds. The ova are dark brown in colour and look like seeds. They can be carefully collected from the bottom of the cage and separated from any fallen plant matter and dried faeces; using small tweezers or a paint brush. Incubate the ova on dry tissue or vermiculite in a sealed container at room temperature. They normally take four months or more to hatch. Raise newly hatched nymphs separately to your adults for ease of maintenance and offer fresh food frequently. A mist spray of water is needed on the sides of their tank.