The Ramulus Artemis is also called Vietnam Stick Insect. But since this name would go for many other stick bugs, it is better to stick to the Latin name Ramulus Artemis.
The species is native to Vietnam, has a long and thin body, and camouflages perfectly between twigs. Just like any walking stick species, the Ramulus Artemis is nocturnal and herbivorous.
Diet
This plant-eating species is polyphagous and feeds on many different leaves such as bramble, raspberry, oak, beech, cotoneaster, and guava.
You can offer this species all kinds of leaves and try out what the preferences are. Don’t worry about poisoning your pet. As long as the leaves are pesticide-free and fresh, you don’t have to worry.
Stick bugs will only eat what’s good for them and leave the rest untouched.
Cage
To make sure, that the Ramulus Artemis has enough space to molt, the cage should be at least 14 inches tall. Walking sticks molt while dangling upside down from the ceiling and slowly crawl out of the exoskeleton.
The substrate can be any kind of soil that can retain humidity and slowly release it to the enclosure. You can use normal paper towels, but also eco earth, topsoil, vermiculite, or any other suitable substrate. The soil is important for females because they need a place to lay their eggs.
The enclosure should be positioned in a room with natural light and normal room temperature in a spot without direct sunlight.
Temperature
This species does well at normal room temperature. As long as it is not colder than 65° F (18° C) at night and not warmer than 82° F (28° C) during the day, your pet insect will be happy.
You don’t need extra heating for this species.
Humidity
The humidity level should be around 60% – 80% on average. Especially during their molt and when eggs are in the substrate, you might want to make sure that the humidity level is high enough.
Spray some bottled spring water or dechlorinated tap water (a dechlorinator for water can be acquired at the local pet store) into the enclosure on the substrate, on the leaves, and on the walls.
Appearance
This species has a typical stick bug form. They have long thin bodies with long thin legs. The colors can be either green or brown.
The females grow up to around 4.5 inches, while the males usually stay a bit smaller.
Lifespan
It takes around 3 – 4 months until they reach maturity. Their total lifespan is around 9-12 months. The females have a longer life expectancy than the males.
Reproduction
This species, just like many other, reproduces both parthenogenetically and sexually. In captivity, the Ramulus Artemis tends to reproduce parthenogenetically due to the lack of males. T
he female lays unfertilized eggs that will develop into only female descendants.
The females will simply drop the eggs to the ground.
Ova, Incubation Period
The eggs can be left in the substrate on the floor and will take around 1 – 2 months to hatch, depending on the temperature and the humidity. Higher humidity and higher temperature will make the ova hatch faster.
Eggs from this species are very sturdy. If you need to change the substrate and you are unsure if there are eggs in there, you should burn the substrate before throwing it away.
The eggs can survive cold temperatures pretty long and you don’t want the nymphs to hatch in your garbage and escape into the wild.
Overall Difficulty Rating
This harmless, docile, and undemanding species is easy to handle and makes a great beginner pet stick insect.
Lisa is one of the two founders of Animal-Knowledge. She has been very interested in animals and insects from a very young age and has owned different kinds of pets such as snails, ants, fish, turtles, mice, rats, hamsters, rabbits, a dog, … you get the idea 🙂