PSG 9 Spiny Leaf Insects

Breeding set of PSG9 eggs

Order your PSG9 breeding set here, a breeding container with approximately 15 eggs of the special Australian spiny leaf insect. These eggs have been fertilized in recent months. We package eggs of different ages so that they can hatch over a longer period. Since care and conditions are important for the eggs to hatch, we cannot guarantee that all eggs will hatch.

The eggs hatch between 2 and 9 months if a male has fertilized the female. We only offer fertilized eggs. Store the eggs on a damp paper towel. This must always remain moist but not truly wet. It is best to store the eggs at 25 °C. Beware of mold!

Extatosoma tiaratum is also known as the spiny leaf insect. The species has also been given a PSG number, namely PSG 9. E. tiaratum is native to Australia and New Guinea.

Popular

This is a very popular stick insect species, due to its unusual shapes and size. Read on to learn more about caring for this stick insect.

Appearance

This species actually looks more like a type of cactus than a branch or leaf. They have striking spines and protrusions on their legs. They are often brown in color, and very occasionally green variants of this species can be found.
What is striking is the large difference between males and females. Females are thick, spiny, and up to 15 cm long. Males are slender with long wings, few spines, and a length of about 12 to 13 cm.

Behavior

This type of stick insect exhibits very special behavior. As a defense, females and nymphs mimic a scorpion! By curling their tail upwards, they resemble venomous scorpions. Predators who see this are startled and do not dare to risk attacking a potential scorpion. The harmless stick insect cleverly gets away by bluffing with its tail!
Furthermore, this is a calm animal. Since most stick insects are nocturnal, they will not show much movement during the day. In the evening, however, you can see them moving and eating.

Food

This species eats blackberry, raspberry, oak, rose, hazelnut, and eucalyptus leaves. Blackberry leaves are always available in winter.
Beware of rose bushes from the store, they are always sprayed with insecticides! Eucalyptus is mostly unsprayed, but to be safe, you should always inquire at the store.

Environmental Requirements

The temperature can vary between 20 °C and 30 °C. Room temperature is fine for these animals.
This species does not have high demands on humidity. They need some water to drink, and for molting, the humidity can also be a bit higher. Ventilation is important. We recommend misting the enclosure about twice a week.
As with all stick insect species, this species needs an enclosure that is at least 3 times the length of the animal in height, and at least 2 times the length of the animal in width. For an adult female, this means at least 45 cm high and 30 cm wide.
If the females become very large and heavy, it becomes difficult for them to climb on glass. It is better for your pet if you ensure that it can also climb up via a rough surface or branch. They often hang upside down.

Reproduction

Males and females are easy to distinguish. Females are thicker and wider and have many spines, while males are narrower with fewer spines. When they are mature, the males are very different from the females. They then have wings and are very slender. They also have very long antennae.
This species can reproduce parthenogenetically or sexually. You can keep the males and females together in an enclosure. The eggs are round brown balls. They can be distinguished from droppings because they are much rounder and shiny, and they do not fall apart if you rub them gently.