Many walking sticks, including the Indian Walking Stick, are parthenogenetic. The population consists almost exclusively of females. These females are able to lay fertile eggs (without mating or the presence of males) which develop into more females, etc. Their eggs are oval in shape, dark brown, 2-3 mm long, and have a lighter-coloured knob at one end. When they hatch, this knob comes off and the walking stick climbs out. The eggs hatch after 10-12 weeks at room temperature. After they hatch, the egg shell often remains attached. It will fall off after a few days so there is no need to remove it by hand. Hatchlings are about 1 cm long (see photo on the right).
They grow by moulting (shedding of the cast skin. There are about five moults (I'm not sure of the exact number). Each moult allows the skin to increase in size. It is important to have one or more sticks in the cage so that the insects can use them to moult. The moulting process involves them crawling out of their old skin and this can best be done using gravity to help them out. They need somewhere that they can hang from while they moult. The absence of a stick or lid that they can hang from will severely hamper their ability to moult successfully. An unsuccessful moult will kill them.
When they reach adulthood the moulting stops and it remains the same size for several months (the adult lifetime). During adulthood the primary task is laying eggs. One female can lay several hundred eggs in her lifetime of several months.
Many walking sticks, including the Indian Walking Stick, are parthenogenetic. The population consists almost exclusively of females. These females are able to lay fertile eggs (without mating or the presence of males) which develop into more females, etc. Their eggs are oval in shape, dark brown, 2-3 mm long, and have a lighter-coloured knob at one end. When they hatch, this knob comes off and the walking stick climbs out. The eggs hatch after 10-12 weeks at room temperature. After they hatch, the egg shell often remains attached. It will fall off after a few days so there is no need to remove it by hand. Hatchlings are about 1 cm long (see photo on the right).They grow by moulting (shedding of the cast skin. There are about five moults (I'm not sure of the exact number). Each moult allows the skin to increase in size. It is important to have one or more sticks in the cage so that the insects can use them to moult. The moulting process involves them crawling out of their old skin and this can best be done using gravity to help them out. They need somewhere that they can hang from while they moult. The absence of a stick or lid that they can hang from will severely hamper their ability to moult successfully. An unsuccessful moult will kill them.When they reach adulthood the moulting stops and it remains the same size for several months (the adult lifetime). During adulthood the primary task is laying eggs. One female can lay several hundred eggs in her lifetime of several months.
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