Stick insects belong to Phasmatodean Family. Other insects that also belong to the same family are leaf insects, ghost insects, and walking sticks. There are nearly two thousand and eight hundred species within the Phasmatodean family. The striking feature of this family is that the species have a body structure, which helps them to camouflage with the surroundings. Stick insects belong to areas having tropical climates and some of them have wings. Stick insects that are kept as pets can grow four inches and can live up to one year.
Among all the insects, which are kept as pets, stick insects are the most desirable. Some of the favorites are Indian stick insects; Vietnamese thorny stick insects and pink winged flying stick insects. They are desirable because they are low-maintenance and their unique appearance. Their surroundings in captivity should be similar to that of their native surrounding. The temperature and humidity should match almost exactly with their original habitat.
Also the food resources provided to them should be close to the foliage available to them in their natural habitat. Blueberries are among the most favorable foods of stick insects. Other than that, they can be given raspberry, ivy, oak, privet, oak and hawthorn. These insects can be kept in a vivarium or circular jar, which has some holes on the top. The length of the jar should be three times that of the insect and it should be tall in height. The holes shouldn’t be so big that the insect can escape from it. To be extra careful, a net can be placed over the holes, to completely prevent them from escaping. The vivarium can be filled with ivy, bramble and privet.
The temperature within the jar should be maintained around seventy to seventy-five degree Fahrenheit. At night the temperatures can be lowered to sixties. The humidity within the vivarium should be moderate. Stick insects are very fragile insects and should be handled with extra care. A covered water container can also be placed and the insect should be allowed to drink from it only under invigilation, as the animal can fall and drown in it.
Stick insects shed skin often, which they eat. When the insect shed for the sixth time, it indicates that the insect has reached sexual maturity. All of the Indian stick insects are female as they reproduce by parthenogenesis or the eggs are laid and they do not need fertilization by a male. Owners that are interested in breeding can spray water on the eggs and wait till they hatch. After eggs are hatched, offspring can be managed with the help of paintbrushes. Sometimes the tail has some remains of the egg, which can be gently brushed off with the help of the paintbrush. Also, care must be taken to not to leave pools of water as there can be a chance of insects drowning in them and dying. And owners that aren’t interested in breeding should completely destroy the eggs by boiling, burning, or crushing them.
These insects should not be left out in the wild, from captivity. Since they do not belong to the environment, there is a possibility that they can harm the ecosystem by reproducing young ones. Insects, which dwell in environments other than their natural habitats are known as pests. In United States, Indian walking stick insects are supposed to be plant pest. A special permit is needed to import them.
Hermit Crabs have no directly relation to crabs. They come from the super family Paguroidea. They are named as ‘hermit’ crabs because it is their characteristic to occupy abandoned seashells. They do this to protect their delicate abdomen. Nearly five hundred species of hermit crabs are known to exist and most of them live in water. They live in colonies of approximately hundred occupants.
As the hermit crab grows it changes its shell and searches for a bigger one. Also, hermit crabs with well fitting shells grow faster than the ones with tight shell and the later ones becomes a prey very easily. But the availability of abandoned shells is less and hence the hermit crabs fight each other so as to get ownership of a shell. The number of shells available depends on the population of gastropods around. Very rarely do hermit crabs trade each other’s shells. The new shell will be selected if it is at least one-third bigger than the present shell. The hermit crabs also have a tough exoskeleton, which doesn’t grow with the hermit crab. But the crab shed this exoskeleton and grows another one very fast. This process is known as molting. Molting cannot be determined before hand, but hermit crab does become inactive and may bury itself in the gravel for two weeks. A small hermit crab molts once a month and larger crabs molt once every eighteen months.
Hermit crabs are even kept as exotic pets. Pet owners like them because they are the one requiring least-maintenance of all the exotic pets. They do not grow more than the size of a peach and can be kept in a normal aquarium. They are scavengers and feed on algae and debris formed in the aquarium. Many of the species of the hermit crabs are part of the marine aquarium trade, some are herbivorous and some are omnivorous. Blue legged crab, zebra hermit crab, red reef hermit crabs, common hermit crab and red tip crab some of the types of hermit crabs which are kept as pets. The most desirable of them is the red reef hermit crab or scarlet hermit crab. It has a bright red body with yellow colored eyestalks. But some even grow to nearly twelve inches and feed on clams, corals, and crustaceans.
The aquatic hermit crabs live in salt water with salinity ranging from 1.023 to 1.025. The temperature should vary from seventy-five degree Fahrenheit to eighty degree Fahrenheit for the tropical species. The aquarium gravel bed should be filled with algae and they should also be provided with different types of shells for the hermit crab, to choose from. If they have a larger option they will change their shells frequently, which is an interesting activity to be watched. Food dishes can also be added as a landscape, but the dishes should be low so that the hermit crab can climb out of it. Even other activities like digging, climbing, etc. are very interesting to observe.
They should be fed and watered daily. Commercial food is available at the pet store. But along with that, fresh vegetables and fruits can also be added to the diet. Care must be taken that the fruit or the vegetable shouldn’t be left in the aquarium for more than one day or else it will contaminate the water. The gravel must be removed and the tank should be washed every month. They also must be watered, meaning that everyday they need to be sprinkled with lukewarm water. This applies for land hermit crabs.
It is very easy to train a hermit crab. Training is more like playing. The hand must be held out and the hermit crab must be allowed to crawl on the palm. If the hermit crab pinches and doesn’t let go, run the area under a little lukewarm water and it will immediately let go.