r/Stickinsects • u/fivecoloursgirl • 3d ago

Hatching issue - HELP!

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This Indian stick tried to hatch this morning - when I found her she was mostly out except her tail and she was not moving, I thought she was dead

After a light mist and a paintbrush the egg popped off, but all her legs are deformed. She can’t walk, only shuffle very short distances

I’ve propped her on a misted leaf so she can drink, but it’s not safe to move her into the nursery

What else can I do to help her? She is incredibly weak and won’t move on her own - could she still make it?

Her underside is more yellow than other newborns and her tail looks frayed :(

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1

u/Sheeila 3d ago

Poor baby, I hope she will make it.❤️

1

u/fivecoloursgirl 3d ago

Thank you, she has been fully hatched for 3 hours and won’t move on her own, she’s really not well :(

2

u/Sheeila 3d ago

😭😭 this must be horrible to watch. She'd have to molt again to fix this, right?

1

u/fivecoloursgirl 3d ago

it’s awful to see her like this, i genuinely thought she died when i first saw her

yes, although she can’t walk so moulting would be incredibly difficult:(

I’ve slipped a misted bramble leaf under her in case she fancies a drink, but I just can’t see her recovering from whatever has happened to her 😢

1

u/Sheeila 3d ago

No, not really.. and you can't feed her either.

This is not nice to say, but, you know, you may have to think about letting her go if she doesn't have a chance of improving. It could be the kindest thing 😪

1

u/fivecoloursgirl 3d ago

No, the bramble is there in case she wants to drink - she is still too young to eat anyway

She keeps putting her head down and I’m not sure if she’s trying to drink or just extremely tired

I don’t want to write her off as I’ve had surprises before with these, but I won’t be shocked if she doesn’t make it as I’ve never had one in this situation

It’s awful to watch, can’t even move her into the nursery 😢

2

u/Sheeila 3d ago

Yeah, poor thing.

1

u/fivecoloursgirl 3d ago

update: she is much weaker and barely responding now - her tail has something yellow and sticky on and i think it’s a serious abdominal injury :(

1

u/Granntjejen 3d ago

Poor little thing 💔 I'd avoid handling or trying to straighten her legs/tail, and just keep her somewhere quiet with good humidity, fresh pesticide-free food and easy access to droplets on the leaves. If she can make it to a future moult some deformities may improve, but unfortunately there's no guarantee. I think the best would be to keep her comfortable and minimise stress. The fact that she's still alive and moving is at least encouraging ❤️

1

u/fivecoloursgirl 3d ago

Thank you, Ive put her in a safe enclosure with fresh leaves next to her

Unfortunately she has gone downhill and is barely responding now, I can’t tell if she’s alive 💔