Baby Spiny Stick Insect Starter Kit

Baby Spiny Stick Insects – A Hands-On Introduction to Keeping Stick Insects

Bring the fascinating world of Australian stick insects into your home or classroom with the BugShop Baby Spiny Stick Insect Starter Kit.

This kit contains 5 newly hatched Spiny Leaf Insects, giving you the opportunity to watch these incredible insects grow, moult and develop from tiny hatchlings into larger juvenile stick insects.

Baby stick insects are fascinating to observe, but they are also more delicate and challenging to care for than older stick insects. Their tiny size and delicate bodies mean they require careful handling and the right conditions to thrive.

For this reason, this kit is recommended for experienced invertebrate keepers or families and educators who are prepared to provide attentive care.

What's Included?

• 5 newly hatched Spiny Leaf Insects

• Small pop-up enclosure suitable for baby stick insects

• Complete care and feeding instructions

The supplied enclosure provides a temporary home for your hatchlings while they grow. As the stick insects become larger, they will need to be moved into a larger, taller enclosure that provides enough room for climbing and moulting.

What to Expect

Spiny Leaf Insects are masters of camouflage. Their flattened, leaf-like bodies allow them to blend beautifully into their surroundings, making them fascinating animals to observe.

Your tiny hatchlings will begin life only about a centimetre long and will gradually grow through a series of moults. With every successful moult, they become larger and more recognisable as the remarkable adult stick insects they will eventually become.

Students and keepers can observe:

• Camouflage and mimicry

• Feeding and climbing behaviour

• Growth and development

• Moulting

• How insects interact with their environment

Baby Spiny Stick Insects are particularly fascinating because their behaviour and appearance change as they grow.

Important: Baby Stick Insects Need Extra Care

Newly hatched stick insects can be considerably more difficult to keep alive than older juveniles. They are tiny, delicate and more susceptible to dehydration, injury and unsuitable conditions.

Unfortunately, despite providing excellent care, some baby stick insects may not survive. This is a normal risk when keeping newly hatched invertebrates and is one of the reasons we recommend this kit for experienced invertebrate keepers.

Carefully following the supplied instructions will give your hatchlings the best possible chance of thriving.

Because these are live animals, please make sure you are prepared to provide their food and appropriate care before purchasing the kit.

Arrive Alive Guarantee

We want your baby stick insects to arrive healthy and ready for their new home.

The kit includes our 48-hour Arrive Alive Guarantee for the insects. This means that if an insect arrives deceased, please contact us within 48 hours of receiving your delivery.

Because baby stick insects are particularly delicate, our guarantee period is limited to the first 48 hours after arrival and does not cover losses occurring after this period.

Who Is This Kit For?

This kit is best suited to:

• Experienced invertebrate keepers

• Families with previous experience keeping insects

• Schools and educators with suitable insect-keeping experience

• Nature enthusiasts interested in observing insect development

If you are new to keeping stick insects, we recommend starting with older juvenile stick insects, which are generally more robust and easier to care for. We have these available. 

Watch Your Stick Insects Grow

There is something incredibly rewarding about watching a tiny stick insect hatchling gradually transform into a larger juvenile.

With patience and careful observation, your five tiny Spiny Leaf Insects can become a fascinating living science project — providing an opportunity to learn about insect growth, moulting, camouflage and Australian biodiversity.

Start small. Watch them grow. Discover the secret life of Australia's masters of camouflage.