Unusual Pets: Stick Insects

Stick Insects belong to the Phasmatodean Family. Other insects that also belong to the same family are Leaf Insects, Ghost Insects, and Walking Sticks. There are nearly twenty-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 blend in with their surroundings. Stick Insects belong to areas having tropical climates. Some Stick Insects have wings. Stick Insects that are kept as pets can grow up to four inches long 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 favourites are Indian Stick Insects, Vietnamese Thorny Stick Insects and Pink Winged Flying Stick Insects. They are all desirable because they are low maintenance and because of their unique appearance. Their surroundings in captivity should be similar to that of their native surroundings. The temperature and humidity should match 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. Their diet can also be supplemented with Blueberries, which are among the most favourable alternate foods of Stick Insects. Other supplemental foods that they can be given are raspberries, ivy leaves, oak leaves, privet leaves and hawthorn leaves. These insects can be kept in a vivarium or a circular jar, which has some small holes drilled into the solid top. The width of the jar should be at least three times the length of the insect and it should be tall in height. The holes shouldn’t be so big that the insect can escape through the holes. To be extra careful, a net can be placed over the holes, to completely prevent the insects from escaping. The jar or vivarium can contain some ivy, bramble and privet stems and leaves.

The temperature within their container should be maintained as close to the temperature of their native habitat as possible. At night the temperatures can be lowered to the high sixties Fahrenheit. The humidity within the vivarium or jar should also be close to that of their homeland. Stick Insects are very fragile insects and should be handled with extra care. A water container can also be placed in the jar or vivarium each day and the insect should be allowed to drink from it, but only under careful supervision as the insect can fall into the water and drown.

Stick Insects shed their skin often. Once they shed their skin, they eat it. When the insect sheds 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 the 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. Owners that aren’t interested in breeding should completely destroy the eggs by boiling, burning, or crushing them. This is to prevent them from hatching outside of the jar or vivarium.

These insects should not be let out from captivity into the wild. Since they do not belong to your 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 classified as plant pests. Therefore, a special permit is needed to import them.

As a matter of fact, no matter where you live, if you are thinking of importing insects, please ensure that you check with local and national authorities to determine if it is legal and what type of permits are needed.


Until next time,

Teia

Training Your Cat to Use the Toilet

Cats are wonderful pets, but cleaning the litter box can be a real drag. But what if you could train kitty to use the toilet? Instead of dealing with messy, smelly litter, you could get rid of your cat’s elimination with just one flush.

When training your cat to use the toilet, it's best if you have two toilets in the house. Using one just for the cat and one for yourself during the training period will make things much more convenient, although you can train your cat with only one toilet.

For toilet training your cat, you will need an aluminum tray that fits into the toilet and an aluminum tray as a replacement for his litter box. The idea is to get him used to the aluminum tray in the same spot his box is usually in and then the tray in the toilet won't seem so foreign.

Keep the litter box in its original spot but replace the box with the aluminum tray instead. Use the same litter and keep everything else the same. Once the cat is used to this new arrangement, start gradually switching the litter to flushable litter. Once the cat is used to the flushable litter, you are ready for the next step.

Gradually move the litter box closer to the toilet. Don't move it too far each time and make sure your cat knows where it is by taking her over to it and scratching her paws in it. If your cat stops using the box, you are probably going too fast for her, so slow down. Training a cat to use a litter box is a process that takes a long time, so patience is key.

Once the cat is using the litter box next to the toilet, raise it an inch off the floor. Make sure you use something that will keep the box stable and that the box will not slide off. Gradually, every third or fourth day, raise the box an inch higher, until it is level with the toilet. As it gets higher the cat will have to jump up into it, so it is critical that the box is stable, if it tips over this will scare your cat and she might not want to use it again.

At this point, you should have the tray ready in the toilet. You can use a cooking tray that is wide enough to fit the toilet. Put the tray in between that seat ring and the toilet base - make sure this holds it in place. Put some of the flushable litter the cat is used to in the tray.

Leave the litter box level with the tray in the toilet for a couple of weeks, gradually taking away the litter in the box. Eventually, the cat should just jump up and use the tray on the toilet. Once this is happening regularly, take the litter box away.

The next step is to gradually reduce the amount of litter that is in the tray on the toilet. Also, make a little hole in the tray. Each day, reduce the litter more and make the hole a bit bigger. Do not move too fast on this or your cat might not feel comfortable using it. Eventually, you can remove the tray altogether and your cat will be toilet trained!

Since your cat needs to balance on the toilet seat eventually, it is not recommended that you train cats that are too young. Wait until your cat is about six months old so that she is big enough to balance on the toilet seat. One important point that should be obvious, is that once your cat starts using the toilet - you MUST leave the toilet lid open at all times - the cat can't open it herself.

Be patient as this training process can take several months, but when your cat is trained you will have eliminated the smell and mess of a litter box. Now the only problem you will have is remembering to knock next time you want to use the bathroom as your cat may be using the toilet.

My mom and dad have never personally trained a cat to use the bathroom, but they have known people who have been successful at doing this. They also have a friend that trained her rabbits to use the toilet. If you decide to try training your cat to use the toilet, you may want to consider putting a child’s toilet seat into the regular seat before putting the tray on the toilet under the seat. The hole in a child’s seat is smaller than an adult toilet seat so there will be less chance of your cat falling into the toilet. Having a bigger landing area for the cat when it jumps up is also a benefit as the cat will feel safer.

Until next time,

Teia