The Ramulus Thaii is native to Thailand and belongs to the Ramulus spp., which is the largest genus of phasmids in the world with around 170 different species. Just like all other walking stick species, the Ramulus Thaii is nocturnal and herbivorous. It is a rather big species that is not that commonly kept as a pet, as other species are.
Diet
The Ramulus Thaii is known to be polyphagous. It is not dependent on one or very few food sources but can feed on many different leaves such as bramble, eucalyptus, hawthorn, oak, the leaves of the pyracantha, and rose leaves.
You can always offer your pet walking stick a variety of different leaves, and find out what they like the most. Be sure to only feed them leaves, that did not come in touch with pesticides.
If stick bugs ignore a certain leave, simply remove it again. Insects know what’s best for them and will only eat what they can tolerate well.
Cage
The cage for the Ramulus Thaii should be at least 9.5 inches tall (= 24 cm) to make sure that the insects have enough space to molt while hanging upside down from the ceiling.
This species needs more ventilation than some others. An enclosure with all sides made of a mesh or mesh-like material is perfect for them.
Temperature
This species does well at room temperature. Anything between 70° F and 77° F is perfect for them.
Humidity
Just like most stick insect species, the Ramulus Thaii enjoys humidity. It does not have to be a lot higher than the regular humidity in your house. Anything between 70% and 90% humidity is great.
You can spray some bottled spring water or dechlorinated tap water with as a fine mist into the enclosure to keep the humidity up and to give your pets something to drink.
The water can be sprayed into the substrate, on the walls, and on the feeder plants. Make sure that the humidity is extra high when the stick insects are molting.
Appearance
The Ramulus Thaii is a wingless species, that cannot fly or glide. The species is rather big with females commonly growing up to 4.7 inches. The males are usually much smaller with around 3.2 inches.
Males are usually dark brown and have a very thin and long body. The females are mostly dark green and also thin but compared to the males, appear much thicker. The females have an ear-like growth on their heads.
Lifespan
This species has a common life expectancy of 12 to 15 months. The females live longer than the males.
Reproduction
The Ramulus Thaii reproduces sexually. That means that for reproduction purposes, both males and females are needed.
The eggs have to be fertilized, otherwise, they won’t hatch. The offspring will contain male and female nymphs.
Ova, incubation Period
The eggs will take around 4 to 8 weeks to hatch.
Overall difficulty rating
This species is very easy to care for. The Ramulus Thaii are not as popular as other walking stick species as pets, because they don’t reproduce parthenogenetically as several others do.
Therefore you always need a male and female to reproduce. Of course, the populations will increase quicker when the species is able to also reproduce asexually.
That is probably the reason why this species is not as common as others.
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 🙂
