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Key Facts and Physical Traits
Appearance: Slender, brown or green bodies that resemble twigs, growing to about 3 to 4 inches (7–10 cm) long.
Wings: Both males and females are completely wingless.
Lifespan: Nymphs take 4 to 7 months to mature, and adults live for another 4 to 6 months (up to a year total).
Activity: Nocturnal; they stay completely motionless during the day to avoid predators. Reproduction and Parthenogenesis
All female stocks: Captive populations consist almost entirely of parthenogenetic females, meaning they can reproduce without ever mating with a male. Rare males: Males occur at a rate of roughly 1 in 1,000, though gynandromorphs (exhibiting mixed male and female traits) sometimes appear.
Egg laying: Adult females drop hundreds of tiny, round eggs directly onto the ground, which hatch after 4 to 6 months.
Diet and Care
Food: Herbivorous, feeding on fresh leaves like privet, ivy, bramble (blackberry), hawthorn, and rose.
Housing: Requires an enclosure at least 10 inches (25 cm) high to allow proper space for safe molting.
Defense: When disturbed, they may sway gently or drop to the floor to hide in plain sight. [
