I'm having all sorts of trouble getting my stickies to live! When they do hatch, they keep getting their legs caught in their egg cases. I'm not sure if I'm the incompetent one or if it's them!! Any ideas? I was thinking that maybe I need to keep them more moist?
I was also wondering if anyone had any eggs of any species (the more mixed the better!) to spare? I would love to get one stickie make it to more than 3cm long! I'm more than happy to cover the costs involved!
The kids have been annoying me to get some more! Please save me from the madness of being asked EVERYDAY MULTIPLE times!.... They would be received with much appreciation & love.
We had a few hatchling not make it. Are your eggs on sand? They do need to be kept moist. Give the sand a light spray. Not too much or the eggs may grow mould. Another way to increase survival rates is to put the eggs just under a very thin layer of sand. The sand helps remove the egg as the stick crawls through the sand.
Thanks Ev. That might be it! I have them on the sand in the same container as they grow (then they get put in an airy large one). I've been so worried about them getting buried but obviously I shouldn't. I recently started to let the leaves all accumulate on the bottom too. Thank you!
In nature, the eggs are drag underground by ants (hence the appearance of newly hatches stickies) into their nests and because the sticks look and smell like ants, they are protected. As babies, they have to crawl out of ground and I guess, that is draging the egg shells from the stick insect. I have mine in large cage made of fly screen mesh and eggs incubate in the leaf litter and hatch in this large cage. No special treatment for babies and they thive.
Lada
As to obtaining more eggs, contact the Museum in Melbourne. Sydney Museum sent us a batch of all different eggs whe we requested tham - they will check first that you are a school...
we also have had stick insects crawling around with the egg attached to a leg. I have used a very soft fine paintbrush to 'hold' the egg while the insect crawls off... carefullya nd patiently and I have had success. I was told also to keep the eggs more moist.. and that helps.
They would be received with much appreciation & love. 
