Stick insect guides commonly state that bramble leaves are a good food for most species of stick insect. Every once in a while, you run across the plural form of the word: ‘brambles’. Why? Because bramble is not a single plant. There are different species of bramble, the leaves of which most stick insects will eat
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Yes, most stick insect species will eat bramble leaves of all types. The best way to see if your species does though is to just place some in the enclosure. Don’t worry because they will not eat it if they don’t like it or it is otherwise harmful to their particular species.
A bramble is any shrub in the rubus genus with woody stems and prickly shrubs. The term ‘bramble’ is most often used to refer to the common blackberry. But raspberry, dewberry, and other shrubs from the same genus are also technically bramble. And because the rubus genus is part of the larger family that includes roses, rose bushes are sometimes referred to as bramble as well.
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Stick Insects Eat Them All
With that knowledge, your stick insect suddenly has a wider diet if it is fond of bramble. Some stick insect species find rose rather attractive. Others like blackberry and dewberry. The number of species in the rubus genus is such that you undoubtedly have at least one type of bramble native to where you live AND that your stick insect will eat.
You can find all sorts of bramble in the wild if you know what you’re looking for. Your stick insect will likely eat the leaves and stems. Just follow the simple rules for feeding a stick insect:
- Place fresh leaves and stems where insects can easily reach them
- Please leaves and stems in a shallow dish of water or mist them regularly
- Replace leaves and stems when they start to dry out and whither.
Yes, stick insects do eat brambles. There are many different types of bramble within the rubus genus, so do not be surprised if your insect is fussy about one particular bramble as compared to another. Feel free to experiment with all types to see what your stick seems to prefer the most.
