What Do Stick Bugs Eat? - AZ Animals

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Written by Brandi Allred

Published: December 15, 2021

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Stick bugs, also called stick insects or walking sticks, come in all shapes and sizes; but they all have one thing in common: they tend to look like a stick. This is unsurprising, given their name, but did you know that they can also look like a leaf? Or that, no matter what they look like, or how big they are, they all eat essentially the same thing?

Here, we’ll discover what stick bugs eat, and how they eat it. We’ll learn more about the different species of stick bug, what captive stick bugs like to snack on, and what baby stick bugs subsist on. Then, we’ll explore endangered stick bugs, and the creatures that make a meal out of these fascinating insects.

The Stick Bug Diet

Stick bugs eat a diet that consists almost entirely of leaves. They are strictly herbivores, and eat the leaves of locally abundant foliage. There are over 3,000 species of stick bug, and each one has its own preference for leafy meals. In the wild, stick insects will eat almost any readily available, non-toxic leaf. Some of the most common leaves stick bugs eat are:

Rose leaves
Oak leaves
Hawthorn leaves
Bramble leaves
Hazel leaves
Privet leaves
Ivy leaves
Eucalyptus leaves
Blackberry leaves

Captive stick bugs will also happily eat leafy greens like lettuce. Less commonly, young stick bugs eat berries.

How Do Stick Bugs Defend Themselves?

Since stick bugs eat leaves almost exclusively, they are considered herbivores, and have no need to hunt their food. Instead, they focus their energy on not becoming food for other animals, like rodents, birds, spiders, and bats.

Stick bugs are a cryptid species, meaning they would rather hide than fight. This is why they look so much like sticks or leaves, because they have evolved to blend into the foliage. Some stick bugs look like actual sticks, while others look like fresh leaves, and still others look more like dead leaves or stems.

Some species of stick bug take their defense even further than camouflage. Certain species release chemicals that smell so bad they deter the stick insect’s would be predator. Some release a chemical that, if it gets in the eyes, can actually temporarily blind the predator, allowing the stick bug time to escape. Still some species will actually lose their legs to escape a predator, regrowing them later. There are even a few that have brightly colored patches on their wings that they use to confuse predators.

What Do Wild Stick Bugs Eat?

Wild stick bugs are found on every continent except Antarctica, and prefer tropical and semi-tropical forests full of foliage. Stick bugs eat whatever leaves are most abundant, available, and non-toxic. Unlike grasshoppers, they cannot digest toxic food. Interestingly, because stick bugs eat such a high plant diet, many other insects actually eat stick bug droppings because they are so high in broken down plant content.

In the wild, adult stick bugs are mostly nocturnal. They prefer to eat their greens in the dark, when it’s harder for other creatures to see them. This behavior makes them vulnerable to a very good night time hunter; the bat. The excellent camouflage of the stick bug does it no good when it comes to bats, who hunt using echolocation, not sight.

What Do Stick Bug Pets Eat?

Pet stick bugs eat many kinds of leaves, some of their favorites are: blackberry, bramble, oak, and rose leaves. They will also eat lettuce and other leafy greens. Stick bugs are especially popular school pets because they are easy to take care of and have such a simple diet. Pet stick bugs can live up to three years. The most common species that people keep as a pet is the Indian stick bug.

Captive stick bugs will not eat dead, or even old leaves. It is important that they be given a constant supply of fresh, non-toxic leaves. Many stick bug owners place whole branches into the stick bug enclosure with the base of the branch in a dish of water. This allows the leaves to stay fresh and healthy for the stick bug.

Many people keep pet stick bugs because of their exotic looks. Some species get very large, over twenty inches long for some, and some have unique colors and patterns that make them appealing pets. They are kept for good luck in places like China, where they have been kept as pets since the Han Dynasty.

What Do Baby Stick Bugs Eat?

Baby stick bugs begin to eat leaves as soon as they hatch. They eat the exact same thing as the adults. Baby stick bugs don’t have great eyesight, so they tend to eat more during the day than their adult counterparts. As they molt, usually three times before they reach adulthood, their eyesight gets better, and they eat more and more nocturnally.

Stick bugs are capable of reproducing parthenogenetically. This means that the female, which is generally bigger than the male, can lay unfertilized eggs. These eggs will hatch into more female stick bugs with no need for fertilization.

The Fascinating Way Stick Bugs Replace Their Exoskeleton

What Do Japanese Beetles Eat?

What Do Crickets Eat?

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About the Author

Brandi Allred

Brandi is a professional writer by day and a fiction writer by night. Her nonfiction work focuses on animals, nature, and conservation. She holds degrees in English and Anthropology, and spends her free time writing horror, scifi, and fantasy stories.

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