# I am Baby Sitting  . . . . Stick Bugs



## rockdoveranch (Jul 2, 2011)

I am baby sitting my daughter's classroom Stick Bugs.  I think they are the Vietnam variety, but they may be the India variety.  They are all females, lay eggs and hatch only females without the assistance of male Stick Bugs.  I believe it is called parthenogenic, but not sure.  Need to do some more reading.

I am so excited because I found a bug house without having to drive all the way to a big city.  I am going to steal a few little ones and keep them for myself.  For those who like fish tanks, they are sort of like watching . . . "stick tanks".  

This one is about 6 inches long.  She is missing a leg, but that does not seem to bother her.


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## elevan (Jul 2, 2011)

Sometimes I would kind of like the idea of living totally without male assistance!    I think those stick bugs are on to something!


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## DonnaBelle (Jul 2, 2011)

Yeah, I know about the desire to rid myself of all things male at times, but then I realize how darn handy it is to have a good husband.  Not to mention, no baby goaties without those buckaroos!!  LOL.

Mine just got a new tractor.  We sat down and negotiated "tractor time".  Otherwise, I'd never see him.

DonnaBelle


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## carolinagirl (Jul 2, 2011)

Oh, that is very cool!  I had a pet praying mantis when I was young.  It was the coolest bug....and I don't generally like bugs too much.


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## Lizzie098 (Jul 3, 2011)

I gotta say ewwwww, lol. Sorry I'm not the bug type!!     But I hope you enjoy them! kinda weird pet!  :/


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## rockdoveranch (Jul 3, 2011)

Elevan and DonnaBelle you both made me think some early lines in the movie, The Princess Bride:



> Grandpa: Nothing gave Buttercup as much pleasure as ordering Westley around.
> Buttercup: Farm boy, polish my horse's saddle. I want to see my face shining in it by morning.
> Westley: As you wish.
> Grandpa: "As you wish" was all he ever said to her.
> ...


My DH is my Westley.  And we joke about it all the time.

Carolinagirl, I LOVE praying mantis, but sometimes they give me the heeby geebies when their little heads follow my every movement.

Lizzie098,    My daughter who is a kinder teacher does not let her kiddos kill bugs and even spiders in the classroom.  

I like lizards but I will not handle them.  When I was a kid I was holding one and it bit me.  It did not hurt or anything, but that darned lizard just would not let go.  In Houston we have the little geckos that chirp at night.  They are precious, but I will not hold one unless I have to get it out of the house.


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## elevan (Jul 3, 2011)

Love my DH to death (we've been married 14 years and I'm in my early 30s...everyone I know is divorced)...I've had other women say I should bottle him and sell him    I'll keep him for myself, thank you very much    I also have 2 young boys...so sometimes the testosterone is too much and I need a girly break!


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## rockdoveranch (Jul 3, 2011)

elevan said:
			
		

> Love my DH to death (we've been married 14 years and I'm in my early 30s...everyone I know is divorced)...I've had other women say I should bottle him and sell him    I'll keep him for myself, thank you very much    I also have 2 young boys...so sometimes the testosterone is too much and I need a girly break!


I had a girl friend in high school who had 2 sisters and no brothers.  Their family dog was a boy.  I still remember his name, Togo.    Their dad was always making jokes saying thank goodness for Togo as he was the only boy in his girly house.  I met my friend one day when I was out walking our family's dog who was in heat.  Togo was hot on our dogs heals.  My friend to be came out and brought Togo back into her house.


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## elevan (Jul 3, 2011)

My dog's a boy too    Don't you feel sorry for me?


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## Lizzie098 (Jul 3, 2011)

Ok fist of all I LOVE the Princess Bride!!!! And second, wow! I am surprised the little kids don't screem from them! But I guess if they get used to them early on, they will like them!


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## rockdoveranch (Jul 6, 2011)

Well . . . I got my own little stick bug cage and put 4 in it to be my VERY own stick bugs.  

My daughter used to keep a jar lid with water in her cage to give moisture to the bugs.  She kept a piece of sponge in it, but now she uses only piece of wet sponge.  No jar lid.

Since I did not have any sponges to cut up I put a jar lid in the cage with water in it.  I had a dead baby stick bug this morning.  It drown in the water.

I feel SO sad!


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## elevan (Jul 6, 2011)

Sorry about your stick bug


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## DonnaBelle (Jul 6, 2011)

Poor little stick bug baby.  How are the others doing??

DonnaBelle


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## rockdoveranch (Jul 6, 2011)

A story:

We were at Walmart today and while in line to check out a checker was busy trying to catch a beetle type black bug with a red strip down it's back.  She said it was so cute she did not want to kill it.  She was trying to get it to go into a plastic bag so she could take it outside to let it go.  Next thing I know, STOMP!  I turn around and she looked at me and said, "It really wasn't that cute."  

I call my dogs, goofs, but maybe I am the goof.

Thanks for the condolences.  I really cannot believe I set up the new cage to be a death trap for the littlest bug.  The rest are doing well, thankfully!

These pictures are not so great, but if you look close at the cage with the big stick bug you can see lots of different sized babies.







Here's my cage.


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## Lizzie098 (Jul 7, 2011)

Lol, I am happy they are doing fine, even though I don't realy care for bugs!


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