Enclosure Details

How we constructed it

Making an enclosure for our stick insect babies is going to be the most important step of the whole process. We have to consider the space within the enclosure, so that the insects are comfortable for roaming and hanging around. We also have to make sure that the space was higher rather than wider, because these insects love to climb upwards.

It took us a while to construct our enclosure, but here is an image of our finished stick insect enclosure!

Have a scroll down on how we made our homes for our stick insects!

For our enclosure, we received a large wooden cupboard about 89.2 cm in height and 42.7 cm in width.

The front door was cut open in a rectangle (as shown in the picture) and at the back a cut circle for air circulation for the insects.

2. We then measured the fly screen and stretched it out to cover the open square and circle to ensure no escape for the insects.

We also hammered a small hook near on the side (see in photo) so that string could be attached and tied to the door for extra security.

3. After that, we further inspected our enclosure for any holes and gaps, and secured the edges by hot gluing the sides and corners. This took us about 10 minutes to do, as it has to be secure in security.

This is to ensure that when these insects live here they don't run away!

4. We then found a coffee jar to put water for the leaves. This is so that the eucalyptus leaves can stay as fresh as possible during the weekend.

Here is a picture of our coffee jar that we are using. On top of the coffee jar is some of the fly screen net stretched and tied around the brim of the jar. This is done to protect our stick insects from drowning in the water.

5. When picking our food for our insects, we made sure it was tall enough to support their hanging needs and fresh enough for them to eat. In this photo, Riya and Nandy are picking out some fresh eucalyptus leaves for our insects to eat.

6. When putting in the leaves, we considered to tape some of the leaves up the corners of our enclosure for decoration and utility for the insects, but without water it wasn't going to be fresh. So then we decided to just place the jar in the middle.

Before we placed the leaves, we measured out some butcher paper and placed it onto the base of the enclosure. This is so that when we are cleaning their waste out, it wouldn't be such a hassle .

7. With a few adjustments of keeping our leaves standing straight, and checking for any bugs and fungi on the leaves, the stick insects are ready for their new home!

Making and planning

When we decided to make our enclosure for our insect, we had to consider the living conditions of the insects, their environment and their habitat.

We had to consider the:

Light penetration within the enclosure
The temperature
Sunlight and shade for the insects
The size of the enclosure
Source of food

Impact of the Enclosure

When we first got our enclosure there were many options and ideas of what we should put and place in our enclosure for our insects.

In doing so we had to think about the best possible method in keeping them alive. We had to consider the different factors such as the abiotic and biotic, that can effect the growth of these insects. It also included our choice of decisions, our impact in keeping these stick insects alive.

One of the things we wanted to do for our enclosure was, tape up some of the eucalyptus leaves on the corners of the enclosure. This wasn't so much of a good idea because we had to consider:

That the leaves wouldn't be fresh for long period of time without water.
It would be an annoyance of changing it everyday.
When taping to the corners, the insects may get caught in between and lose a limb.

So we decided that it was best to keep the leaves in the jar of water for it to feed off. Consideration and decisions like this are important as a team we need to think of what is best for our insects. Our maintenance is the most crucial factor throughout this whole process as we are responsible in keeping them alive, making sure that we do not disrupt their living conditions and controlling the interrelationships within our enclosure.

Overall, during our entire process of keeping our stick insects alive and going, has been successful. We managed to have 1 unlucky missing insect, but no escape, injuries or any deaths of our insects. The impact of our enclosure has resulted with positive measurements. They have been growing very quickly and started to have some wings!

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