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Stick insects make interesting pets

Posted on February 25, 2009, 4:04pm and updated on February 26, 2009 at 7:20 pm

Stick insect

Elliott Fletcher shows off his unusual class pet, Spiney the stick insect.

As part of studying nature and the environment, Kate Duncan’s Year 1 class at Tenison Woods College has collected some rather interesting class pets.

Living in the classroom are two stick insects called Spiney and Chloe, three caterpillars and an aquarium full of fish.

The latest additions, Spiney and Chloe, have been very popular with the students, who named the insects themselves.

Student Elliott Fletcher said the “boy” insect Spiney was his favourite.

“He feels quite funny, soft and very light,” Elliott said.

“He’s got lots of tiny sharp spikes on the sides of his tummy, but they don’t really touch you.”

Not one for a lot of activity, Elliott said Spiney often spends his whole day sleeping.

“When we come in in the morning Spiney will still be up on the roof asleep,” he said.

“He stays up on the roof and hangs upside down there all day.”

Class teacher Kate Duncan said she bought the caterpillars online so the children could study their life cycle, but saw the stick insects and thought they would make interesting pets as well.

“The kids are really excited about the stick insects,” Ms Duncan said.

“First thing in the morning I’ll be trying to teach them spelling, but they’ll all be crowded around the aquarium instead.”

While it’s Ms Duncan who is left to clean the cage and feed Spiney and Chloe for now, eventually the children will take over the duties for these low-maintenance pets.

“They like to eat the new shoots on the gum leaves and apart from that they just need water,” Ms Duncan said.

“They’re really cheap pets, but interesting as well.”

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