Keeping Leaf Insects as Pets

Leaf insects are so-called because of their uncanny likeness to leaves. Green in colour, leaf-like in shape, with the wings of adults even having a “ribbed” or “veined” appearance like leaves. So good is their camouflage that the untrained eye often can’t even see them in a cage. The leaf insect is, in short, a …

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What Do Leaf Insects Eat?

Leaf insects are herbivores, which means that they eat plant material. What’s more, the fresher this plant material is, the better. A dried, shrivelled up leaf is unlikely to be anywhere near as interesting as a juicy new leaf to your pets. While leaf insects eat a range of different plants in the wild, these …

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How to Breed Leaf Insects

Leaf insects can be surprisingly expensive pets to buy due to their ongoing rarity in the hobby. They’re also quite short-lived, rarely living for more than a year between hatching and death. This means that breeding leaf insects should be considered a vital part of keeping these stunning insects. Done properly, you will soon be …

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Leaf Insects Cages & Housing

Over the years I have tested dozens of different ways to house leaf insects in captivity. Through a process of experimentation I have slowly developed a system which works tremendously well, by separating out the care of hatchlings versus larger specimens. In this article we’ll discuss the best leaf insect cage options, and how to …

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Leaf Insect Eggs

My leaf insects have just started to lay eggs at last so I thought I would show you what to look out for when cleaning them out. Leaf insect eggs are small and don’t look particularly special so it would be easy to throw them away when cleaning out your leaf insects. Female leaf insects …

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How to Heat Leaf Insects

Leaf insects come from the more tropical areas of the world, so will generally need artificial heat to thrive in captivity. This is especially so for youngsters, and in cooler months of the year, though adults may fair perfectly well in the warmer summer months without artificial heat. Best Heaters for Leaf Insects The easiest …

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How To Sex Immature Leaf Insects

When leaf insects are adults they’re very easy indeed to sex. The males are small and thin with long antennae and wings that enable them to fly well. The females, in contrast, are far larger and more rounded with only small wings and are unable to fly any distance. However sexing younger insects can be …

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Rearing Baby Leaf Insects

Leaf insects are beautiful and fascinating creatures which are almost as easy to care for as many of the popular stick insect species currently reared in captivity but with a number of added bonuses. Firstly they are truly impressive and fascinating creatures to observe because they really do truly resemble green leaves as adults. Secondly …

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