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Mantisheaven
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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 2 years!
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