Species: Eurycantha calcarata (PSG 23).
Common Name: Giant Spiny Stick Insect.
Size: Maximum: Males, 11cm. Female, 13cm.
Breeding: Sexual
Eggs: These are laid in to a pot of peat.
Food: Bramble, oak, ivy. They will eat most common
food plants. I have even witnessed them eating their bark
shelter, paper towel floor covering and even netting!
Humidity: High. A medium spray every three
days is usually enough.
Comments: An enjoyable species to own.
They are easy to keep, as they will eat most things and are very
hardy. They are nocturnal and will spend most of the day
in a pile (literally) under a piece of bark/shelter somewhere.
You will hear them at night, as they are not so subtle as they
crash around looking for food!
If reared properly, the adults should be a shiny mahogany
colour and the sexes can be distinguished easily by the female
having a large ovipositor, and the male a 'square' rear.
The male also has a pair of huge spikes on his rear legs.
I have found with this species that they rely more on their
claws, rather than their suckers and thus the claws are large.
They will tolerate handling, but will scurry away very
readily and have an amazing ability to 'back-up' and escape when
trying to pick them up again. They are fast growing as
nymphs and as adults can live for up to 3 years!
