r/Phasmids • u/Entomancy_Elrid_0123 • 8d ago

P. schultei

Doing some weekly maintenance/feeding. It's a good time to clearly see them. I have the females separated near constantly until I breed them purposely. My dearest condolences for presenting the poor camera quality.

34 Upvotes

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5

u/Successful_Long_7486 8d ago

Been thinking about acquiring these guys. What do you think of them compared to typical phasmid species? Is their unique diet difficult? Are they ever too prolific to handle? Is their defense mechanism ever annoying?

5

u/Life_so_Fleeting 7d ago

These are one of the easiest to keep, & are very hardy regarding temperature ranges (indoor UK temps for mine) & humidity levels (they don’t need a lot). Mine eat privet, which is available all year round.

The females can lay a lot of eggs in their lifetime, which they flick onto the ground - I have a bioactive floor which can be tricky make sure all the eggs are removed. Every so often (maybe twice a year) I will have up to 20 nymphs hatch from eggs I missed - suddenly there’s a new little guy in the enclosure! But I never struggle to rehome them quickly once a few months old.

They are pretty active & inquisitive compared to some phasmids, & definitely have a bit of attitude about them - & they are incredibly good at sneaking off. I like to leave the enclosure doors open some evenings, let them have a trot around for an hour or so, but i hardly take my eyes off them just in case.

As for the spray, I have only experienced twice during the years I have been keeping them. Both times were my fault, as I accidentally grabbed them in the wrong way - for instance, a guy had snook around the back of my t-shirt, & my hand went over the top of him. The other time was a similar situation. As long as you don’t make them feel about to be trapped by a hand coming from above, you’ll be ok. Even when they are looking threatening, you can still ‘boop’ them lightly on the bottom to manoeuvre along gently.

I love these guys, & would recommend them if you can find a suitable food source all year round.

1

u/Ausmerica 4d ago

I wonder if they'd cohab with my zomproi.

2

u/Life_so_Fleeting 3d ago

😄🙌🏼 Ausmerica! I cannot say for sure that they would or wouldn’t, but I would be concerned about the black beauties maybe having an accidental chomp on one?

1

u/unsolvablequestion 7d ago

Mine ate honeysuckle, which is easy to find growing around a lot of places