Meet the animal
Carausius morosus is the Indian or laboratory stick insect. PSG records Tamil Nadu as the culture’s locality. Females are typically around 8 cm; males are uncommon in ordinary cultures. Do not apply this care to the larger spiny Australian stick insect.
Before you choose one
Arrange a year-round supply of accepted foliage and space for a growing culture. Ask about age and recent moults rather than expecting a fixed lifespan. Ordinary captive females can reproduce without mating, so buying one animal does not remove the need for an egg-management plan.
Set up its home
Provide at least three adult body lengths of clear vertical hanging space, with extra room for food stems. Measure below the actual grip point after furnishing. Secure gaps against hatchlings and block access to the water holding browse stems. Leave space between animals and foliage for moulting.
Temperature and safe heating
AES describes this species as suitable for ordinary home temperatures from about 17°C. Do not automatically use a hotter tropical-insect regime. Check the enclosure and avoid cold draughts, direct sun and uncontrolled heaters.
Daylight, shade and UV
Use an ordinary day-night cycle and sheltered foliage. The sources do not establish a species-specific UVB target. Observation lighting should not heat the enclosure or keep the animals constantly exposed.
Water, moisture and airflow
Offer droplets on foliage with ventilation and drying between wettings. Avoid a sealed, permanently wet enclosure and open water vessels that could drown insects. There is no verified species-specific humidity percentage to chase in this review.
Food and nutrition
Keep fresh, correctly identified, uncontaminated foliage available continuously. Bramble is a practical staple; PSG lists alternatives including privet, ivy, oak and rose. Confirm acceptance with your supplier. Check daily and inspect discarded stems for tiny nymphs. Avoid pesticides and roadside contamination.
Behaviour and handling
Leave moulting insects alone until the new body hardens. Move an occupied twig or encourage voluntary walking onto support when transfer is needed. Never pull attached legs free. Adults cannot be assumed to recover a lost limb through another growth moult.
Health and life stages
Repeated falls, injuries or failed moults need experienced invertebrate advice. Do not peel away old skin. Look for actual feeding and growth rather than assuming food presence means the insects are eating.
Buying and keeping records
Keep scientific identification and supplier records, and check current requirements before importing. Separate eggs from cleaning waste and obtain species-specific advice to prevent unwanted hatching. Never scatter eggs into garden compost or release insects outside.
Your care routine
Before arrival, arrange fresh food foliage through winter, clear hanging space and a secure plan for any eggs. Check food, grip and ventilation regularly. Remove frass and old leaves, clean the stem-water vessel and inspect every discarded branch before disposal.
YOUR CHECKLIST
0 of 7 ticked
Indian stick insect — Carausius morosus
Care hub: wildformexotics.co.uk/animals/indian-stick-insect/
Ticks are kept only while this page is open. Print or download a copy before leaving. Completing the checklist does not establish that an animal is well or an installation is safe.
Use these reminders alongside the full guide. Adjust feeding and maintenance to your animal’s condition and measured enclosure conditions.
Sources
- PSG culture 1: Carausius morosus (Phasmid Study Group)
- Stick insect caresheet (Amateur Entomologists' Society)
- Care of stick insects (Australian Museum)
- Import of pet invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles: IIN (GOV.UK / APHA and Defra)
- Guidance on section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (GOV.UK / Defra)
- Import or export endangered species: check if you need a CITES permit (GOV.UK / APHA and Defra)
Equipment checklist
Equipment examples for Indian stick insect, grouped by care need. Read the checks before choosing. Shop links are Amazon affiliate links. Items without a verified Amazon match have no shop link.
Plan the whole setup: These examples cover only part of the setup. Meet every care need and test the finished enclosure before arrival. Suitable equipment you already own may meet the need; optional tools are labelled.
Check each item for your animal’s size and life stage, safe access, compatible controls and measured conditions. The list does not certify an installation.
Contained habitat
Essential care need
Secure ventilation and gaps smaller than the animal or nymph
Plan first: Check escape points and whether the animal needs height, floor area or substrate depth.
Alternative equipment
Exo Terra Pro Paludarium 45 × 45 × 90 cm
PT4406; nominal external 45 × 45 × 90 cm; front-opening glass, adjustable ventilation, lockable stainless-steel mesh top.
External dimensions are not usable internal space. Check actual individual size, access, secure gaps, load support, furnishing clearance and any substrate depth before choosing this example. Measure at least three adult body lengths of unobstructed hanging space below the actual grip, after substrate and food stems; fit secure stage-appropriate roof grip.
Measure the finished usable floor and height after substrate and furnishings against this guide. Check doors, vents and cable gaps for the actual animal and life stage. Secure the lid, test airflow and temperature, and keep lamps inaccessible. For terrestrial layouts retain the land floor; close and secure any drain rather than adding a water pool. Provide secure stage-appropriate overhead grip and measure the unobstructed drop beneath it: at least four actual body lengths for mantises or three adult body lengths for stick/leaf insects. Include soil depth, food stems and protected water vessels in that measurement; choose a larger enclosure if it fails. Very small nymphs may need a separate fine-gap nursery and accessible prey.
Moisture and monitoring
Essential care need
A species-specific damp refuge or drinking access with airflow
Plan first: Check the places your animal uses and how they dry between wettings. A single humidity reading cannot describe the whole enclosure.
Alternative equipment
Exo Terra Mini Mister — 0.5 L
PT2489; 0.5 L hand spray bottle. The Amazon title uses 16 US fluid ounces; this is not the conflicting 1.5/2 L pressure sprayer.
Use an existing suitable fine sprayer if you have one. Follow the individual wet-dry cycle; do not spray the animal, soak every surface or substitute misting for drinking water.
A manual misting tool only where the individual care plan calls for it. Use clean water, keep the bottle hygienic and free of chemicals, and do not spray directly at the animal. Check substrate/refuge moisture and drying/airflow rather than misting to a universal schedule.
Exo Terra Digital Thermometer
Model: PT2472
Measure air temperature at animal height. Take independent warm and cool readings where the care plan needs a gradient.
Fit check: The remote probe measures air at one location. Keep it away from direct lamp heat, secure it safely and keep the display outside. Use separate probes for warm and cool areas where needed. Minimum/maximum readings help track changes; this device does not measure surfaces or control heating. Use a water-rated thermometer for submerged readings.
Food and maintenance
Essential care need
Clean continuing food supply and a way to remove spoilage
Plan first: Select tools and food for the exact species and life stage; do not substitute generic reptile supplements.
Also plan for: Keep fresh, correctly identified, uncontaminated foliage available continuously.
Moulting structure
Essential care need
Overhead grip and clear space below at least several body lengths
Plan first: Keep food plants and prey from blocking a hanging moult; screen any open water vessel.
Exo Terra Jungle Vines Large
Model: PT3086
Add climbing stems leading to a separately fitted grippable moult ceiling.
Fit check: PT3086 is about 182 cm long and 1.5 cm across. Check that the animal can grip it, secure it against movement and avoid trapping gaps or unsafe falls. Add broad resting cover where needed. It cannot replace food stems or a secure ceiling grip for moulting.
Also plan for: Fit a secure grippable overhead surface and measure the free drop below it. The climbing vine alone does not complete the moulting structure.
Fresh browse
Essential care need
A dependable year-round source of clean identified food plants
Plan first: Keep cut stems in a covered water vessel so nymphs cannot drown.
Also plan for: Maintain correctly identified, pesticide-free browse. No live plant or commercial dried feed is selected as a substitute for the accepted fresh food.