Welcome to Jungle Nymph UK the home of Heteropteryx Dilatata

The destination for everyone into heteropteryx dilatata stick insects.

Primary Choices: Bramble (blackberry bushes) and other Rubus species such as Rose (ensure no pesticides) and Raspberry.
Additional Options: Oak and Beech leaves are also favored. They'll accept ivy but don't use it often.
Variety: While they prefer the above, you can experiment with other plants. BUT ensure they always have access to their preferred leaves to prevent them from being pressured into consuming something unsuitable. Recently we havd found they will eat slices of organic apple and seem to enjoy it, i'd not use this on its own.

Optimal Range: We recommend maintaining a temperature of 20-26°C. Too hot and humid and mould can be a problem, too cold or dry and they'll die. Most people just use room temperature but a lot of people don't have the success we do.
Tolerance: They can tolerate slightly higher or lower temperatures.
Heating Setup: We use Inkbird thermostats and heat mats attached to the outside of the glass enclosure.
Winter Care: If your house gets particularly cold in winter, insulate the enclosure with blankets or similar materials to maintain a stable temperature.
Our house is a bit colder than the insects like. We use these Inkbird thermostats and heat mats such as these attached to the outside of the glass enclosure. We insulate the outside of the cages with this foam roll and even put it over the heating mats but do that at your own risk - it's not advised! We also use these foam strips to modify cages and seal larger gaps around the doors of the cages but find the strips don't last indefinitely without needing resticking etc.

Ideal Humidity: Maintain a humidity level of 70-85%. Higher end of this range for the young ones.
Humidity Control: Use a humidity sensor (available very cheaply online) to monitor levels. Mist the enclosure lightly with non chlorinated water as needed to maintain humidity and give the insects a drink. Ensure decent ventilation to prevent mold growth.

Size: Adult female Heteropteryx Dilatata can grow up to 17 cm in length but far more impressive is their bulk! making them one of the heaviest of all insect species. Our selectively bred females can reach 55g but 45g is more common. The males are far smaller but are beautiful in a different way. See our photos below.
Growth Stages: They undergo about 6 molts as they grow, each stage increasing their size until they reach maturity. The warmer it is the faster they grow, but they'll take over a year to reach adulthood. The males mature faster than the females so you might keep them slightly cooler.

Material: To maintain humidity and keep heat in we use glass cages with plenty of airflow
Size: Bigger the better, we use converted Ikea Detolf display cabinets but commercial cages will be fine too of course. You need a decent height to the cage, at least 36 inches for the sub adults. We'd raise a small number in this cage or more in this or a much larger colony in this lovely cage. In the past we've built cages using sheets like these.
Skin shedding: we provide plastic mesh on the deiling and walls to help the insects climb and shed their skins safely.

Lifespan: In captivity, they can live at least 2 years with proper care. The females live a bit longer than the males.
Lifecycle: Their life cycle includes multiple moults from nymph to adult.

Handling: They can be handled, but with care. Handle them quite gently when young to avoid causing stress or injury. As adults the females will let you know if they're not happy! They make a hissing sound using their wing cases and will use their hind legs as pincers, it can hurt a bit but we rarely bleed from it - or you could wear gloves.
Best Practices: Allow the adult female insects to walk onto your hand rather than picking them up directly although with care that's fine too. To pick them off branches there is a certain knack to it, hard to explain but tease their feet off the branches with your hand above them.

flight: Adult jungle nymph males can almost fly, it's generally downwards and a two second flight would be about the best they can manage.
Are they noisy: No you can have them in your lounge or bedroom

Beginner Suitability: They can be suitable for beginners who are willing to maintain specific environmental conditions required for their care and get regular food plants. If you've kept giant hooded katydids (available at www.giantinsects.co.uk) these are a bit easier or roughly about the same level of difficulty and in fact enjoy the same conditions etc If you look carefully you will see a few photos with both an adult female katydid siliquofera grandis and an adult Heteropteryx dilatata (jungle nymph) together in our garden below.
Care Requirements: Ensure you are prepared to manage humidity, temperature, and provide appropriate food to keep them healthy.
I'm ready...where can I get some?
Online shops: If you're in the UK the best ethically sourced (captive bred) and cheapest place is usually www.giantinsects.co.uk, there are links below or visit the site for more info like shipping info (Tuesdays at time of writing), sometimes they are also available via eBay
Invertebrate Fairs: These can be a good place to get them, although they may sell out, and it is a good place for other invertebrates of course