Uno hatched!

Our first hatchling arrived this morning! As I was in the staff room, 3 excited Year 9 students ran to share the news. I named the young nymph Uno, number 1, and we rated him "excellent". He was a lovely bright lime green colour, 2 cm long and no bent body parts. Incredible that this "big guy" emerged from an egg the size and shape of a tic-tac!

We left the young nymph inside his hatching container all morning, where he was clearly visible to all the students who came to look. Then during lunch time, we transferred Uno to the bush, which was carefully checked for any spiders or other creatures who may munch on the new little soft-bodied Lord Howe Island Stick Insect.

He wasn't moving much, but had no trouble transferring to the Pittosporum tree. I was trying to gently scoop him up on the end of a clean paint brush, when he seemed interested in simply walking onto the leaves. Too easy. Uno obligingly stayed perched on a lower leaf close to the front of the enclosure for all to observe: drinking some fresh water sprayed onto the leaves, and taking a few tentative steps.

So now we hope that Uno likes his enclosure and stays healthy, and maybe soon he will have a sibling to keep him company. We'll be sure to be looking in the morning!