Parapachymorpha Zomproi (Zompro’s Stick Insect) – Care Sheet

The Parapachymorpha Zompoi is commonly referred to as Zompro’s Stick Insect. This species is mainly native to the Khao-Yai Nationalpark in Thailand. It is a wingless species with the typical appearance of a walking stick. This species mimics bark and camouflages perfectly on trees and between twigs and branches. 

The nocturnal stick bug will drop itself on the floor and pretend to be dead if it feels threatened. If you grab it, it will try to run away or even through a limb off to distract you.

Just like all walking stick species, Zompro’s Stick Insect is able to regrow limbs during a molt.

Diet

Zompro’s Stick Insect is phytophagous. That means that it only eats plants. This term has the same meaning as herbivorous, but it is used for insects, while “herbivorous” is commonly used for mammals.

The species is also polyphagous which means that it is not limited to a single or a few food sources. You can feed bramble, raspberry, hazel, oak, hawthorn, or rose leaves.

You can also offer a wide variety of other leaves and try out, what your pet insects like the most. When you collect the leaves outdoor, make sure to collect from a spot where no pesticides are being used. Always rinse the leaves with water before feeding them. 

You can feed your walking sticks any leaf you like. They will only eat what’s good for them and leave the rest untouched.

Cage

This species needs rather high humidity compared to other species that are being kept as pets. Higher humidity can be achieved by an enclosure will glass or plastic walls.

You can use a high tank of at least 11 inches in height with plastic or glass walls and a mesh lid. The ventilation can be limited to a minimum to ensure high humidity.

In order to maintain the high humidity, you should use a good substrate that can retain and slowly release the water into the air.

You can use a mixture of hummus and sand, eco earth, Spagna moss, vermiculite, coca husk, topsoil, or any other suitable substrate that you can acquire at the local pet store.

Temperature

The perfect temperature during the day is around 77° F (=25° C). As long as the temperature does not drop lower than 68° F (=20° F) and does not rise above 86° F (=30° C), your pet insects will do fine.

A completely closed tank can heat up very quickly, therefore you should never put the tank in a spot with direct sunlight and regularly check the temperature because you don’t want to roast your pets.

Humidity

This species needs high humidity of 80% – 90%. That humidity level is way higher than the average humidity in a home.

Therefore you have to regularly mist the enclosure at least once or twice a day with a fine mist of water. You can either use bottled spring water or dechlorinated tap water.

Spray the substrate, the walls, and the feeding plants. It is best to mist the leaves in the evening because this nocturnal insect will drink the water from the leaves at night.

Appearance

The Parapachymorpha Zomproi looks just like a stick. The exoskeleton mimics brown bark and the body is long and very thin. It is the master of disguise in a tree or bush.

The females are usually around 3.5 inches long and the males are a bit smaller with around 3 inches in length. Both males and females have some lighter spots on the abdomen, and the females sometimes have black, grey, and white spots. The rest of the body is brown.

Lifespan

After 3 to 6 months this species reaches adulthood. The lifespan is approximately one year. In general, males have a shorter life than females.

Reproduction

This species can reproduce both sexually and parthenogenetically. If no male is available, the females can reproduce on their own. The nymphs hatching from unfertilized eggs are all females. 

The female stick insects are able to start laying eggs approximately 20 days after their final molt.

Ova, Incubation Period

The eggs take about 3 – 4 months to hatch into tiny nymphs.

Overall Difficulty Rating

This species is a rather easy species to care for, but the required high humidity can be tricky. It is a very calm, non-poisonous, non-aggressive species. It can be a good beginner pet, but other species might be easier to start with, such as the Carausius Morosus.