Meet the animal
Heteropteryx dilatata is a South-East Asian stick insect. Adult females are heavy and usually green with short wings; males are slimmer, brown and winged. Spiny hind legs can pinch. Do not assume it shares the reproductive pattern of common parthenogenetic stick cultures.
Before you choose one
Ask for stage, sex and accepted plants. Plan around a female that may reach around 15 cm and keep year-round browse available. Egg development can take many months, extending the commitment. Group or breeding care requires a separate reviewed plan.
Set up its home
The proposed female layout is 45 × 45 × 60 cm. Provide at least three body lengths of clear hanging space after furnishing, with sturdy grip and secure branches. Cover foliage-water openings. A breeding female needs suitable laying substrate; a group needs additional room.
Measure the clear hanging space below the actual grip after furnishing. Nominal enclosure height does not establish the usable moulting drop.
Temperature and safe heating
Keeper advice describes around 20–30°C. The proposed 22–26°C daytime plan needs stage-specific review. Measure at the hanging area, retain cooler choices and avoid direct sun and concentrated overhead heaters. Slower growth at lower temperatures is not a reason to force rapid development.
Daylight, shade and UV
Provide ordinary daytime light, shade and darkness overnight. No mandatory UVB or numeric UVI target is established here. Bright hot lamps do not replace suitable room conditions and foliage.
Water, moisture and airflow
Offer droplets and a ventilated moisture cycle without a sealed wet enclosure. Developing eggs and large insects have different needs, so review them separately. Inspect substrate and hanging areas while protecting water vessels from drowning access.
Food and nutrition
Bramble, raspberry and rose are accepted in keeper guidance. Confirm the actual culture’s diet and offer correctly identified pesticide-free leaves continuously. Do not rely exclusively on ivy or an untested convenient evergreen. Replace spoiled foliage without disturbing moulting animals.
Behaviour and handling
Allow voluntary movement and never pull strong gripping feet free. Give space for defensive leg movements rather than demonstrating the pinch. Leave moulting animals alone until the body hardens. Essential transfers need sturdy support and contained surroundings.
Health and life stages
Weak grip, injury, persistent refusal or failed moulting needs experienced invertebrate-veterinary advice. Check food, clearance, supports and crowding. Do not force old skin away. Retain dated egg records rather than assuming slow development means failure.
Buying and keeping records
Choose documented captive-bred stock with supported stage and sex records. Keeper guidance describes sexual reproduction and long egg incubation. Check current import requirements and plan contained offspring care and rehoming before breeding.
Your care routine
Before arrival, test adult hanging space, branch strength and winter food supply. Check food, grip and droplets regularly. Clean stem water and remove frass gently. Leave stage, plant and egg records for holiday care and never release animals or eggs outdoors.
YOUR CHECKLIST
0 of 8 ticked
Jungle nymph — Heteropteryx dilatata
Care hub: wildformexotics.co.uk/animals/jungle-nymph/
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
- Jungle nymph husbandry (Keeping Insects)
- Stick insect care (Amateur Entomologists' Society)
- Jungle nymph: UK keeper listing (South Coast Sticks)
- Guidance on section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (GOV.UK / Defra)
- Import of pet invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles: IIN (GOV.UK / APHA and Defra)
- Import or export endangered species: check if you need a CITES permit (GOV.UK / APHA and Defra)
Equipment checklist
Equipment examples for Jungle nymph, 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.
Adult enclosure, substrate and shelter
Read the care guidance for this need
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.
Secure doors, cables and vents; check the smallest life stage and actual usable space. 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.
Also plan for: Add the substrate, hides, cover and secure supports described in the care guide. The enclosure alone does not provide them.
Temperature and safe heating
Read the care guidance for this need
Exo Terra Digital Thermometer
Model: PT2472
Records minimum and maximum air temperatures near a shelter your animal uses, to help you check the temperature plan.
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.
Lighting, shade and UV
Read the care guidance for this need
Existing lighting may already provide a suitable day-night cycle. If you need extra lighting, use a switch or timer confirmed as compatible with its exact load, including any UVB ballast.
Water, humidity and ventilation
Read the care guidance for this need
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.
Adjust to the species: do not spray the animal directly, soak every surface or treat a mister as a substitute for drinking water. 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 Hygrometer
Model: PT2477
Optional air-humidity monitor
Tracks the air humidity cycle near an occupied area.
Fit check: Place the remote humidity sensor inside the enclosure, away from direct heat. The reading describes air at that point, so record its position and check other areas where needed. Inspect the substrate and damp retreats directly, and keep ventilation clear. A humidity reading cannot show whether an animal has drinking water.
Also plan for: Provide the drinking water, damp retreats or safe water area described in the care guide. A sprayer and humidity gauge cannot provide these on their own.
Feeding and nutrition
Read the care guidance for this need
Also plan for: Bramble, raspberry and rose are accepted in keeper guidance.
Equipment notes: Set up its home
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.
Secure doors, cables and vents; check the smallest life stage and actual usable space. 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.
Equipment notes: Temperature and safe heating
EQUIPMENT TO CONSIDER
Exo Terra Digital Thermometer
Model PT2472 · Remote air probe and minimum/maximum memory; place away from direct lamp radiation. Check the supplier’s current price and availability, and confirm that the item suits your installation.
Records minimum and maximum air temperatures near a shelter your animal uses, to help you check the temperature plan.
Check before choosing: 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.
Equipment notes: Water, moisture and airflow
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.
Adjust to the species: do not spray the animal directly, soak every surface or treat a mister as a substitute for drinking water. 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.
EQUIPMENT TO CONSIDER
Exo Terra Digital Hygrometer
Optional air-humidity monitor
Model PT2477 · Remote humidity probe; readings describe air at the probe, not substrate moisture. Check the supplier’s current price and availability, and confirm that the item suits your installation.
Tracks the air humidity cycle near an occupied area.
Check before choosing: Place the remote humidity sensor inside the enclosure, away from direct heat. The reading describes air at that point, so record its position and check other areas where needed. Inspect the substrate and damp retreats directly, and keep ventilation clear. A humidity reading cannot show whether an animal has drinking water.