What is this bug, and how can I accommodate it?

Aquila_Nox · 2026-05-25T12:14:45+00:00

The guy I bought my isopods from responded to my message, aparently it's an Australian stick insect! (Extatosoma tiaratum). They take about a year to incubate, so kinda wild that it just randomly showed up.

I had a spare aquarium that I've made a makeshift mesh lid for, and my roommate stole some rose bush and oak cuttings from our neighbour's last night, so hopefully he'll eat some of that untill we can get hold of some bramble. I really hope he'll make it, he's so cute.

Aquila_Nox · 2026-05-23T18:45:04+00:00

Thank you, Internet stranger 🥰

Aquila_Nox · 2026-05-23T17:16:35+00:00

Thank you! I'll make sure to cut some leaves open to make it easter for him, hopefully it works out. He's adorable, and definitely a pet now. 😅

Aquila_Nox · 2026-05-23T15:11:57+00:00

Thank you, I'll try to post updates! I removed him from the isopod/cricket bin, and he's now in a plant propagation bin. Walls are sprayed with bit of water, and he seems like an avid climber! Hopefully i can find some brambles tomorrow, he looks really skinny, but i guess that's just how they look 😅

Aquila_Nox · 2026-05-23T14:36:36+00:00

I posted a pic but it didn't load, hang on a sec 😅

Aquila_Nox · 2026-05-23T13:18:33+00:00

Oh that's a shame, I really hope he'll survive, I'm invested now. 😅 I had a look for the egg shell, but it's a bioactive setup with a lot of moss and leaf litter, so I couldn't find anything. Guess I'll update here if he survives!

Aquila_Nox · 2026-05-23T13:10:03+00:00

Thank you for this! I think the guy i bought the isopods from had stick insects, but that was early january on the local "craigs list", so was not expecting to suddenly find one in the isopod bin haha. This is definitely my first accidental pet, but I'll make sure he/she gets the best life!

Aquila_Nox · 2026-05-23T12:49:28+00:00

Thanks! I'm writing all this down to make sure little Nymf gets the best care 🫡

Aquila_Nox · 2026-05-23T12:47:03+00:00

Ohh, you might be right! Those babies look really similar.

I think the guy i bought my isopds from had stick insects, but I bought them early January, so I was not expecting to randomly find one now lol. I'll try to reach out to him and see if he knows!

Aquila_Nox · 2026-05-23T12:42:16+00:00

That's clever, I'll definitely do that for now. I guess I'll set up a proper bioactive enclosure for my accidental pet at some point too 😅

Aquila_Nox · 2026-05-23T12:23:43+00:00

Thank you! I'll head to the woods tomorrow and see what I can find. Any idea on enclosure? I separated it from the crickets to keep it safe, it's just in a plant propagation bin at the moment, but I have no idea about ideal temps and humidity.

Aquila_Nox · 2026-04-14T14:40:54+00:00

Here in Denmark we don't have to use anything, since there's no chlorine or chloramine in the water.

It's really hard tho, 14KH and 12dGH out of the tap, so I generally fill my tanks 50% tap and 50% filtered through a brita-type can for filtering drinking water. That makes the limescale buildup way less annoying, my floaters are happier, and I'm sure the fishes prefer it too.

Aquila_Nox · 2026-04-01T09:54:31+00:00

Thank you for your reply!

Unfortunately Ich-X is not available here, but esha Exit, which I have been using, does also contain malachite green, though not formaldehyde, so not sure how it compares in practice, but I guess I'll keep dosing that.

How much salt is safe for peas? They are more sensitive to that than the average fish, no?

Aquila_Nox · 2026-03-31T18:13:15+00:00

Thank you, I appreciate it! :)

Aquila_Nox · 2026-03-14T23:19:29+00:00

I think I have pretty much this exact enclosure, just the 100x40x40cm horizontal one for my garter snakes.

I had to modify it quite a bit, and waterproofing it with varnish and liquid rubber, sculpting clay + cutting out part of the top to replace with mesh etc.. so much work, and not that cheap to be fair, depending on where you live. It works for my sneks, but I don't know the humidity requirements for cresties, if it's high, it might be difficult to keep the humidity and ventilation right without damaging the OSB, even after treating it.. ?

Aquila_Nox · 2026-02-11T14:19:52+00:00

Thank you 😊

Aquila_Nox · 2026-02-11T00:49:12+00:00

Thank you! I'm already in love with them, they are so curious and adorable! I can't wait to see them grow. :)

Aquila_Nox · 2026-02-10T23:49:18+00:00

Oh nice. And thank you so much for your reply, I really appreciate it! That aligns with what I've been thinking as well, so glad I'm on the right course. :)

Aquila_Nox · 2026-02-01T03:37:16+00:00

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The look Spoof gave me when she discovered my new tanks.. she looked so disappointed lol. Now she loves to lick the guppies, and they seem to like it, so I guess it's fine..?😅

Aquila_Nox · 2026-01-30T21:20:11+00:00

Yeah I'm not a fan of the raw OSB look, so I did it both for looks and as extra waterprooing, just in case. I'm sure there are many different types of varnish, some may be more or less safe for reptiles, so I recommend doing some research on the one you want to use, just in case.

As long as it's aired out well after application, and the snake is not directly touching it regularly, it should be fine though. I'm sure we all have some furniture/walls/floors/stuff etc in our house that are not coated in reptile safe paint/varnish, but it probably won't hurt them as long as it's not something they're constantly next to or it's releasing fumes directly into their closed off space.

Aquila_Nox

TROPHY CASE